If you spend any time in the investment banking lateral market, you’ll notice that nearly every mandate reads the same way: “must have 3+ closed M&A deals,” “demonstrated public-to-public execution required,” “sponsor-backed...
Investment banking’s summer lateral slowdown has been as dependable as the bonus cycle itself. In 2026 it isn’t arriving on schedule — and an unbroken summer is already changing what shows up in offers. Every recruiter who has spent enough time in...
The following reflects current conditions in the investment banking lateral market as observed through active search mandates, candidate conversations, and offer negotiations across bulge bracket, elite boutique, and middle market platforms. This update covers the AS1...
Investment banks are having a good run. Revenues are strong, bonuses are up, and deal flow is recovering. Junior bankers’ benefits have been stripped back anyway — and the conditions that might once have forced their return look structurally weaker than before....
The headlines this winter looked like good news for anyone waiting on a promotion. Goldman Sachs named 638 new managing directors in November — the biggest class since 2021. JPMorgan promoted 227 in its commercial and investment bank in April 2025, the largest CIB...
A VP2 in FIG at a bulge bracket calls me. Forty billion in deal volume on his sheet. Stacked resume. Top school, top group, top bank. He wants to move to generalist M&A at a peer shop. He can’t get a callback. Not from the banks. Not from the headhunters who...
