Investment banking has an air of mysteriousness about it. It features prominently in many Hollywood movies, and it conjures up images of massive offices in New York City and people turning from pauper to billionaire overnight (and back again). Of course, this isn’t quite real life. If you have seen the move The Pursuit of Happiness, you will have a much better idea of how much hard work and dedication actually goes into becoming an investment banker. People like Bob Stefanowski have had to work very hard to achieve the status they have, but also their reputation. Because investment banks deal with big sums of money, reputation is absolute key. There are now a number of global investment banks and firms that you are likely to have heard of, since they are the best in the world. Let’s take a look at some of them.
3i group
The 3i Group is known mainly for its international investment opportunities, but they also focus on infrastructure and private equity. Their markets are mainly in North America and Europe. The manage investments and assets in order to increase capital returns. Usually, these investments are between 100 million and 500 million Euros. Furthermore, they work on private equity, which are also high value investments. In terms of infrastructure, they work to generate profits on cash incomes. They work in low-risk energy projects, greenfields, and other elements of infrastructures, particularly in the United Kingdom and Europe.
The Blackstone Group
The Blackstone Group is an investment firm with a difference, namely that they invest heavily in their employees. They offer many entry level positions, and advancement opportunities exist at many different levels. The company believes in nurturing their investments and that this should be done by nurturing their employees.
Goldman Sachs
Almost everybody has heard of Goldman Sachs, being one of the biggest investment banks in the world. They tend to only recruit graduate degree holders so that they have the best staff on board. In return, they have an open environment and they invest heavily in training their employees. The business invests in a variety of different structures and constructions.
J.P. Morgan Investment Bank
J.P. Morgan is another one of those companies that everybody wants to work for. This is mainly because they have a strong focus on financial analysis and are therefore very fast-moving within the industry as a whole. That said, a lot of people feel as if they have to go back to school just to be allowed to work there.
Houlihan Lokey
This is perhaps not the best known firm, but they are very important in the world of investment banking. Specifically, this company focuses on mergers and acquisitions, all less than $1 billion in value. They focus on markets in this country, but also Asia and Europe, having some 15 different offices in financial centers the world over. They have a very open work culture that the lucky few who are able to get a job here can enjoy.