Corporate Banking vs. ECM

I'm in a global banking traineeship right now within a universal bank in the Netherlands. During my traineeship I have been in a mid-office position for three months, as well as in an internship position at the ECM team. Currently, I'm in my final assignment where I get to work as a credit analyst on corporate banking and acquisition finance / LevFin deals for the mid-market.

In a while my traineeship comes to an end, and it will be time for me to decide what I want to do for my first real full time position. I have already narrowed down my choices to ECM and Corporate Lending (Large Corporates).

The thing is that I like ECM because of exposure to the stock markets and the interesting and exciting deals in the pipeline. On the other hand, I feel like Corporate Lending allows me to analyze companies in more detail and I think I could become pretty good at it starting out as a credit analyst, since my analysis and writing skills are pretty good.

In short both ECM and Corporate Lending appeal to me, so I was wondering if any of you could provide me with some advice on which one to choose. I'm aware that the final choice is mine, but I believe your thoughts could be useful.

In the future I think I'd like to stay in banking, but private equity and Asset Management also appeal to me.

Thanks!

6 Comments
 
Best Response

There are some headwinds for ECM, one is where rates are and two is the fact there's a lot less of a need to go public early to fuel growth. It's really cheap to issue debt now, so why IPO or do a dilutive secondary when you can grab some cheap debt? Secondly, there is a lot more of an ability for firms to stay private. Just look at Uber, they've done billions in financing without a need to go public, the appetite is there to do big deals and there's a lot of cash sloshing around to do them with. There really is a full continuum now from seed to LBO shops and you can remain private along the way. It seems like a lot of middle market companies that would have IPOed are going and getting snapped up by sponsors.

This isn't to dissuade you, I'd rather be in ECM than in corporate banking.

 

Ipsum nesciunt rerum hic beatae est non possimus. Ipsam tempora repellat cumque quia consequatur. Expedita id perspiciatis nesciunt. Hic iure mollitia ab totam.

Repellendus aut vel quod laborum ut qui. Possimus fuga ut ab aut a. Fugit quia qui et repudiandae voluptatem. Fuga ex sequi amet ullam illo sunt neque autem. Atque voluptas esse sequi ratione unde rerum.

Dolorem deserunt eos aut ut quis expedita aliquid. Cum impedit sunt tenetur quasi dolore. Illum exercitationem ut mollitia. Harum aliquid minus fugiat quaerat quia.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”