ECM where does it fit in?

Hi all,

I am new to WSO! I am hoping to learn a lot and I have also picked up some books to gain more in-depth knowledge of IB.

Currently, I am enrolled in a one-year traineeship at a universal bank in the Netherlands.

In this traineeship I have to do 3 different assignments within the bank (across retail, IB, business etc.).

For my second assignment both M&A and ECM were available. I got enrolled in ECM. To me ECM seems like the better choice because of my interest in stock markets and the work-life balance. Plus, I am more in it for the career instead of the exit opps. I will be involved in both origination as well as execution.

I saw that, at my bank, M&A was a part of "corporate finance Advisory", while ECM was part of "Markets" along with S&T and Research.

Though I was wondering: Isn't ECM also considered as corporate finance? And are ECM bankers also considered to be "Investment Bankers"?

2 Comments
 
Best Response

It's just a label that the bank puts on the group. Some banks have ECM/DCM under corporate finance while others have it under markets. You'll still be working in a private-side bubble and you'll still be working directly with corporate clients.

So yes, you're still an "investment banker" - you'll just have more exposure to the markets and maybe even the equity trading floor than a traditional banking coverage group.

 

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