Investment banking (UK definition) is the traditional aspect of investment banks which involves helping customers raise funds in the Capital Markets and advising on mergers and acquisitions. When speaking of jobs in “the City” or on “Wall St.” people are often referring to Investment Banking jobs. Investment banking may involve subscribing investors to a security issuance, coordinating with bidders, or negotiating with a merger target.

Other terms for the Investment Banking Division include Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) and Corporate Finance.

In this definition of Investment Banking we include Merchant banking as most of the Merchant Banks have been acquired by Investment Banks. Merchant Banking involves the private equity activity of investment banks. Sometimes, merchant banking is a part of the Alternative Investment Division.

Investment Banking includes the advisory, execution and deal making activities likely to take place in a corporate finance environment.

Activities include:

• Raising capital for seed, start-up, development or expansion capital
• Mergers, de-mergers, acquisitions or the sale of private companies
• Mergers, de-mergers and takeovers of public companies, including public-to-private deals
• Management buy-out, buy-in or similar of companies, divisions or subsidiaries – typically backed by private equity
• Equity issues by companies, including the flotation of companies on a recognised stock exchange in order to raise capital for development and/or to restructure ownership
• Raising capital via the issue of other forms of equity, debt and related securities for the refinancing and restructuring of businesses
• Financing joint ventures, project finance, infrastructure finance, public-private partnerships and privatisations
• Secondary equity issues (ie. selling additional shares in the company), whether by means of private placing or further issues on a stock exchange, especially where linked to one of the transactions listed above.
• Raising debt and restructuring debt, especially when linked to the types of transactions listed above.

How do I get a graduate scheme / internship / entry level job or career in Investment Banking?

Obtaining a graduate scheme, internship or entry level role in investment banking can be very challenging and competitive – though very achievable by getting your application, CV, interview and general approach right. You can guarantee that ninety percent of applicants for investment banking roles will not know how to apply, so getting your application in the top ten percent makes things a lot more achievable.

Approaching the company in the right way will make all the difference. Combining the right approach with a strong interview (and in some cases assessment centre) writ a strong focused tailored CV will go a long way. Make sure you have gone through the free videos on this sight by entering your name and email address in the top right of this screen underneath the video. Once you have filled this in you will have instant access to everything you need to secure your career in investment banking.

Roles in Investment Banking

• Corporate Finance

• Mergers & Acquisitions

• Private Equity

• Venture Capital

• Underwriting

• Syndicating

• Investor Relations

• Islamic Finance

• Trainee Investment Banker

• Accounting in Investment Banking

• Law in Investment Banking

Top 10 Graduate Recruiters in Investment Banking (In no order)

1. Morgan Stanley
2. Goldman Sachs
3. UBS
4. BNP Paribas
5. Barclays Capital
6. JP Morgan
7. Deutsche Bank (Commerzbank)
8. Credit Suisse
9. Bank of America Merrill Lynch
10. Citi Group

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