Realistic chances for BB/EB Investment Banking in London post-LBS MFA (Non-EU, S&T background)?

Hi all, appreciate the helpful responses on my previous post and wanted to follow up with a bit more context and a specific question around how realistic my London IB chances actually are.

Background:

  1. Indian citizen, IIT undergrad (semi-target globally), joining the LBS MFA (2026–27).
    Will have 1 year of experience at a BB on the S&T (EM Rates/FX) desk in Mumbai by the time the program starts.
  2. Targeting London IB roles (ideally BB or EB) post-MFA, with the goal of eventually moving to PE (MM or above).

New question:

What are my honest chances of breaking into London IB given the following constraints:

  1. Sales & Trading background, not M&A – I’ll have strong product knowledge but not direct modelling/deal experience. But absolutely ready to do whatever it takes.
  2. Not EU – will be on the UK Graduate visa, not a UK citizen or EU national.
  3. Not from a global target – IIT is very strong in India but not as well known in the UK IB context (There's a lot of IITians at BB S&T desks but not many in IBs).
  4. Recent noise about LBS placements worsening – have seen a few threads about weaker IB placement stats, especially for non-EU candidates without prior IB experience.

My question to those who’ve been through this or seen similar profiles:

  1. Will the LBS brand + 1 year of S&T realistically get me interviews at BB/EBs
  2. How much does not being in M&A hurt me, and how can I best offset that?
  3. Are concerns around non-EU visa + declining placements overblown or real?

Happy to hear brutally honest takes. Thanks again!

1 Comments
 

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