Bulge Bracket Investment Banks - List of Top Global Banks (2024)

"Bulge Bracket" (BB) is a term that describes the largest, most established investment banks in the world. These firms have a multitude of different financial services across the globe but are most notably known for their prestigious investment banking divisions. They generally employ tens of thousands of employees around the globe, offering a wide variety of services internationally. What differentiates BBs from other firms are their size, the products they offer, and the clients they advise.

Bulge Bracket Investment Banks - List of Top Global Banks (1)

The name "bulge bracket" originates from the manner in which investment banks are listed on the public notification of a financial deal or transaction - or the "tombstone." The book-running manager, or a bank with control of security allocation to investors, is listed above all others and on the prospectus cover. The printing size of the font for this firm is larger than the others and tends to "bulge" out. These banks tend to be the largest banks, and thus have been referred to as the Bulge Bracket.

Banks such as Wells Fargo, HSBC, TD Bank, RBC, and Mizuho are similar in size to BB banks, but may not offer as many services or do not have as much revenue. They certainly are not middle-market firms either, and sort of exist in an unnamed category of their own between the two.

Bulge Bracket Firm List

The BBs are generally considered to be the most well-known, largest, and established banks in the world. Some of these firms are:

Some defunct BBs include Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, whose investment banking divisions revenue alone rivaled that of Goldman Sachs and J.P Morgan in their heyday.

Bulge Bracket Services and Clients

Bulge Bracket Investment Banks - List of Top Global Banks (2)

BB firms offer multiple services. However, they are most known for offering Investment Banking services as part of their core services, such as mergers and acquisitions (M&A), restructuring, advisory, capital markets, and leveraged finance.

The clients of BB investment banking are large corporations and governments. They tend to take on the largest clients and work on the most valuable of all IB deals. For example, BB firms Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, CitiGroup, and Bank of America advised on AT&T's massive $85 billion acquisition of TimeWarner Cable.

To put it simply, most smaller boutique and middle-market firms do not have the manpower or experience to take on such massive deals, although some mid-sized firms known as Elite Boutiques do. Many middle-market and boutique firms never do $85 billion deal value transactions in their existence, yet such deals are commonplace in the world of BB investment banking.

Bulge Bracket Investment Banks - List of Top Global Banks (3)

BB firms often offer the following services as part of their service offerings:

Investment Banking

Goldman Sachs is widely considered to have the best and most experienced IBD, followed by Morgan Stanley and J.P Morgan. These three firms have top clients, work on the largest deals, and have bankers that are the most experienced in all of Wall Street.

However, many bankers find these firms to be too big, and some managing directors leave to start their own boutique investment bank focusing on smaller-sized deals after decades of working at a single top firm.

Apart from M&A, BB's have very strong capital markets groups, which help clients raise large amounts of money through debt and equity capital markets.

BB firms are also very selective when recruiting for their investment banking divisions. They tend to hire from a very narrow range of schools known as target schools. These colleges and universities tend to be elite, prestigious, and hard to get into, and their students are the preferred candidates of BB investment banks. Included in this group are schools such as Harvard, Wharton, Stanford, University of Michigan, and NYU.

Bulge Bracket Investment Banks - List of Top Global Banks (4)

These firms are so selective because they look to hire people who are well-rounded and self-starters. Candidates meeting this criterion tend to attend target schools since these schools themselves are selective and have a high standard of entry.

BB firms also get hundreds, if not thousands of applications for a single position, hence selective recruiting is a good way to narrow a candidate list. BBs and investment banks, in general, aren't as selective for their other front-office divisions, but still tend to hire from top schools when they can.

Equity Research

Another major division of these firms is their equity research divisions. Equity research firms conduct research and due diligence in stocks within their sector and sell that information to buy-side firms. This research is also used to support IBD activities. They are employers of some of the most well-known and respected research analysts, such as Morgan Stanley's Adam Jonas.

For four years in a row, J.P Morgan research analysts topped the leaderboards of the all-American research team, a yearly ranking of top research analysts.

Private Equity

Some BB firms also have internal Private Equity teams, such as Goldman Sachs' Capital Partners, and JP Morgan's Private Equity Group. These groups engage in leveraged buyouts of companies to generate a profit for the firm's partners.

These internal PE groups, however prestigious, are often overlooked by IB analysts looking to move to the PE space, in favor of the other private equity megafunds, such as KKR, Apollo, and Blackstone. These internal PE teams however do hold clout and compete in deal sizes that can rival some top PE firms.

Retail Banking

Few BB firms have retail banking units, however, for those that do, it is one of their largest businesses. BBs having retail banking divisions include JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, and CitiBank. These banks offer retail banking services to individuals, such as personal banking, checking and savings accounts, Credit cards, CD's and small loans, generally in a local location.

These are the banks down the street, or around your town. Other firms like Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse do not have a retail component and do not generally deal with the public.

Bulge Bracket Investment Banks - List of Top Global Banks (5)

Asset and Wealth Management

BB firms also have extensive asset and wealth management groups. Firms like Goldman Sachs asset management and J.P Morgan asset management have hundreds of billions of dollars under management. These groups handle the investments of their clients. AM and WM clients tend to be high net worth individuals, corporations, and endowment funds.

Despite their large size, AM divisions at BBs tend to be dwarfed by large asset management firms, such as Blackrock which has an AUM of over $10 trillion.

Sales & Trading

S&T analysts sell their firm's products to potential clients. S&T groups also discuss securities with clients, who tend to be large institutions such as hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Corporate and Commercial Banking

Corporate and commercial banking divisions offer lending services to business clients. Large international corporations tend to be clients of corporate banking groups, and smaller businesses, as well as startups, are clients of commercial bankers.

These teams are staffed by front office relationship managers, and corporate/commercial bankers, along with many credit analysts who determine the worthiness of clients to borrow money from the firm.

Other Services

While BB investment banks typically offer both financing and advisory banking services, other services they offer include market-making, sales, and research for a large range of financial products like credit, equities, commodities, and derivatives. They also tend to be very involved in creating novel financial products like mortgage-backed securities, carbon emission trading, credit default swaps, and insurance products. They are also among the primary dealers in U.S. treasuries.

Bulge Bracket Investment Banks - List of Top Global Banks (2024)

FAQs

Bulge Bracket Investment Banks - List of Top Global Banks? ›

Bulge Bracket Investment Banks (BBs) – JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley; Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Citi; Credit Suisse and Barclays; Deutsche Bank and UBS.

What are the top bulge bracket banks in the world? ›

Bulge Bracket Investment Banks (BBs) – JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley; Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Citi; Credit Suisse and Barclays; Deutsche Bank and UBS.

What are the big 4 investment banks? ›

What Are the Big 4 Investment Banks? The big four are JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley. Some other global giants are treading right on their heels, including Deutsche Bank, Barclays, Credit Suisse, and UBS.

What are Tier 1 investment banks? ›

What is a tier 1 investment bank? A tier 1 investment bank has massive financial strength. The four major banks of the US, namely JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup, are the tier 1 banks in terms of their valuation, asset holding, revenue and net income.

How many bulge bracket banks are there? ›

Of these, six firms—The First Boston Corporation, Goldman, Sachs & Company, Merrill Lynch & Company, Morgan Stanley & Company, Salomon Brothers and Shearson Lehman Brothers—are so powerful that they make up the bulge bracket, so-called because more often than not they lead the deals, garnering the top tombstone spots.

What bank do the ultra wealthy use? ›

Bank of America, Citibank, Union Bank, and HSBC, among others, have created accounts that come with special perquisites for the ultrarich, such as personal bankers, waived fees, and the option of placing trades. The ultrarich are considered to be those with more than $30 million in assets.

What bank do millionaires put their money in? ›

Millionaires tend to turn to private banks for a variety of reasons. Since they offer a wide range of financial products, services, and expertise under one roof, the element of convenience can be very enticing. There are also several perks and more favorable options and rates, making the bank very attractive.

What is the hardest investment bank to get into? ›

Goldman Sachs is generally regarded as the leading investment bank in most business areas, and is the toughest Bulge Bracket investment bank to break into. Goldman has a very strong reputation within the industry and among corporations. They advise on the majority of high profile M&A deals and other major transactions.

What are some Tier 3 investment banks? ›

The very top investment banks from this list are:
  • Tier 1 – J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley.
  • Tier 2 – Deutsche Bank, Barclays, Credit Suisse, UBS.
  • Tier 3 – HSBC, BNP Paribas, Société Générale.
Jul 4, 2022

What is the most prestigious investment bank? ›

Bankers continue to regard Goldman Sachs as the world's most prestigious bank, followed (as always) by Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan.

Who is a Tier 2 bank? ›

Tier 2 is designated as the second or supplementary layer of a bank's capital and is composed of items such as revaluation reserves, hybrid instruments, and subordinated term debt. It is considered less secure than Tier 1 capital—the other form of a bank's capital—because it's more difficult to liquidate.

What is the difference between Tier 1 and Tier 2 banks? ›

Tier 1 capital is the primary funding source of the bank. Tier 1 capital consists of shareholders' equity and retained earnings. Tier 2 capital includes revaluation reserves, hybrid capital instruments and subordinated term debt, general loan-loss reserves, and undisclosed reserves.

What tier is BNY Mellon? ›

Tier 2 Reporting | BNY Mellon.

Is Wells Fargo a bulge bracket bank? ›

Is Wells Fargo a bulge bracket? No. Despite being a very reputed and established firm in the market, Wells Fargo is an in-between-a-bank, in other words, a middle-market firm. It falls between a bulge bracket and a boutique bank.

Why isn t Wells Fargo a bulge bracket? ›

The short answer is that there's no universally-agreed-upon cutoff, but most people would say that these firms (Wells, HSBC, RBC, CITIC, Mizuho, etc.) are NOT bulge brackets because they're not diversified in the same way.

How hard is it to get into bulge bracket bank? ›

Extremely Competitive to get into Bulge Bracket Banks: Hundred thousands of applicants apply for an internship and a job at Bulge Bracket Banks, and only around 2% receive offers.

What bank does Warren Buffett use? ›

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett recommitted to his favorite bank stock, Bank of America, during the first quarter while dumping two other banks as part of a number of moves in Berkshire Hathaway's stock portfolio.

What bank does Warren Buffett like? ›

Berkshire has owned both Bank of New York Mellon (BK -2.53%) and U.S. Bancorp (USB -3.27%) for more than a decade. Bank of New York Mellon is a top custodian bank and doesn't take on nearly the same amount of credit exposure through lending as other large banks.

What bank do most billionaires use? ›

Two common perks embedded into these millionaire bank accounts include waived fees and personal bankers.
  • 10 Bank Accounts the Ultra-Rich Use. ...
  • Bank of America Private Bank. ...
  • Chase Private Client. ...
  • Morgan Stanley CashPlus. ...
  • HSBC Premier Checking. ...
  • TD Bank Private Banking. ...
  • PNC Private BankSM Checking. ...
  • Truist Wealth Checking.
Mar 14, 2023

Can you keep $100 million dollars in the bank? ›

DDA/MMDA allows you to place funds into demand deposit and/or money market deposit accounts. You can deposit up to $100 million for each account type.
...
DDA/MMDA accounts.
CD vs DDA/MMDA at a Glance
Interest RateTypically HigherTypically Lower
Max. Deposit Limit$50 Million$100 Million
7 more rows

How much money in the bank is considered rich? ›

The Modern Wealth Survey collected responses from 1,000 adults between the ages of 21 and 75. According to those surveyed, it would take an average net worth of approximately $2.2 million to be considered “wealthy” in 2022. In 2021, survey respondents indicated it would take a net worth of $1.9 million.

What to do if you have more than 250k in the bank? ›

  1. Open an account at a different bank. ...
  2. Add a joint owner. ...
  3. Get an account that's in a different ownership category. ...
  4. Join a credit union. ...
  5. Use IntraFi Network Deposits. ...
  6. Open a cash management account. ...
  7. Put your money in a MaxSafe account. ...
  8. Opt for an account with both FDIC and DIF insurance.
May 1, 2023

What is the most controversial investment bank? ›

Goldman Sachs controversies are the controversies surrounding the American multinational investment bank Goldman Sachs. The bank and its activities have generated substantial controversy and legal issues around the world and is the subject of speculation about its involvement in global finance and politics.

What is the safest bank investment? ›

Series I savings bonds. Short-term certificates of deposit. Money market funds. Treasury bills, notes, bonds and TIPS.

What was the biggest investment bank failure? ›

The receivership of Washington Mutual Bank by federal regulators on September 26, 2008, was the largest bank failure in U.S. history. Regulators simultaneously brokered the sale of most of the banks's assets to JPMorgan Chase, which planned to write down the value of Washington Mutual's loans at least $31 billion.

What are Tier 4 banks? ›

Banks and credit card companies are Tier 3 lenders. Tier 4: investors. Tier 4 is a move outside of institutional lending and commercial credit to the world of venture capitalists, angel investors and other private investors.

What is a Tier 1 investment firm? ›

The tier one global investment banks: JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Citi, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Merrill Lynch. JPMorgan's table makes it clear that the tier one global banks are all the Americans.

Which investment bank gives highest salary? ›

Frequently Asked Questions about Investment Banker Salaries
  • JP Morgan Chase Investment Banker Salary - ₹23.8 Lakhs per year.
  • HDFC Bank Investment Banker Salary - ₹9.7 Lakhs per year.
  • ICICI Bank Investment Banker Salary - ₹5.2 Lakhs per year.
  • Mphasis Investment Banker Salary - ₹2.7 Lakhs per year.

What is the most powerful bank in the world? ›

With $5.5 trillion in assets, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited is the largest bank in the world, as measured by total assets. Given its size and dominance, it's no surprise that ICBC China has earned high marks for financial stability and profitability.

Which bank is tier 1 in USA? ›

The leading banks in the U.S.

There are four major banks in the United States: JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup, and JPMorgan is the largest of them. The bank tops the rankings in terms of market capitalization, total assets, investment banking revenue, and net income.

Which bank is tier 1 in the world? ›

ICBC has now spent a decade at the top of the ranking and is the first bank to record Tier 1 capital of over $500 billion ($508.85 billion). It increased Tier 1 by 15.7%, total assets by 8.1% and pre-tax profits by 11.1%. It now has more than double the Tier 1 capital of the largest US bank, JPMorgan ($246.16 billion).

Is Citigroup a tier 1 bank? ›

Citigroup's Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) Capital ratio and Supplementary Leverage ratio (SLR) reflect certain deferrals based on the modified regulatory capital transition provision related to the Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) standard.

What qualifies as Tier 1 credit? ›

Tier 1 credit is generally defined as a credit score of 750 or higher. The term is most commonly used among auto lenders, but other lenders use it as well. People with tier 1 credit have the highest level of creditworthiness and will usually receive the most favorable terms on loans and lines of credit.

What is the highest tier in Bank of America? ›

The Bank of America Preferred Rewards program offers five tiers: Gold, Platinum, Platinum Honors, Diamond and Diamond Honors. Both the benefits members receive and the combined balance required to qualify increase with each successive tier.

What is Basel 1 vs 2 vs 3? ›

Basel I introduced guidelines for how much capital banks must keep in reserve based on the risk level of their assets. Basel II refined those guidelines and added new requirements. Basel III further refined the rules based in part on the lessons learned from the worldwide financial crisis of 2007 to 2009.

What tier bank is Wells Fargo? ›

Wells Fargo: tier 1 capital ratio 2022 | Statista.

Is Goldman Sachs better than BNY Mellon? ›

BNY Mellon is most highly rated for Work/life balance and Goldman Sachs is most highly rated for Compensation and benefits. Learn more, read reviews and see open jobs.
...
Overall Rating.
Overall Rating3.53.9
Job security and advancement3.13.4
Management3.13.5
Culture3.33.7
2 more rows

What tier is Goldman Sachs? ›

Presuming that Goldman Sachs is unquestionably part of the top tier, Goldman's judgement on its peer group is probably a fair indication of the other banks in this category.

Is Citi a bulge bracket bank? ›

As a catchall term for this class of large global investment bank, "bulge bracket" commonly refers to Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and UBS.

How prestigious is UBS? ›

UBS is one of the world's largest and well known financial institutions. It has a formidable investment banking business and a leading wealth management unit. It is based in Switzerland and has offices across the globe.

What is Morgan Stanley ranked? ›

Signature Bank, the second bank to fail in 2023 and the third-largest bank failure ever, was the 29th largest bank in the U.S., based on total assets, as of Dec. 31, 2022.
...
The Bankrate promise.
RANK115
BANK NAMEJPMorgan ChaseMorgan Stanley Private Bank
TOTAL ASSETS$3.20 trillion$209.67 billion
PREVIOUS RANK1NR
13 more columns
May 1, 2023

Is HSBC a bulge? ›

Tier One (J.P. Morgan, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Citi and Morgan Stanley) and Tier Two ( Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, Barclays and UBS) are the equivalent of the Bulge Bracket. In the third tier are banks including BNP Paribas, SocGen and HSBC.

Is Jefferies prestigious? ›

Jefferies is a highly respected financial institution with industry-leading investment banking and capital markets units.

Is Guggenheim an elite boutique? ›

Guggenheim Securities is an elite boutique investment bank and has a strong presence in the U.S. Guggenheim Partners, the parent company, offers several additional services like investment research and sales and trading.

How much does an investment banking VP at bofa make? ›

The estimated total pay for a Investment Banking Vice President at Bank of America is $335,019 per year.

How much do MD's make at the bulge bracket? ›

The “all-in” comp for investment banking managing directors (MDs) ranges from just under $1 million to several million dollars. The compensation is comprised of both a base and bonus component: Base Salary: $350,000 to $600,000 at most bulge bracket and boutique investment banks.

What are the top bulge bracket banks? ›

Bulge Bracket Investment Banks (BBs) – JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley; Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Citi; Credit Suisse and Barclays; Deutsche Bank and UBS.

What is the strongest banking brand in the world? ›

Four of the top 10 strongest banking brands in the released Brand Finance Banking 500 2023 report are from the African continent, with South African banking brand First National Bank being the strongest banking brand in the world, closely followed by Capitec Bank as the second strongest brand.

What is the most powerful reserve bank? ›

The U.S. central banking system—the Federal Reserve, or the Fed—is the most powerful economic institution in the United States, perhaps the world. Its core responsibilities include setting interest rates, managing the money supply, and regulating financial markets.

What is the 5th strongest banking brand in the world? ›

Brand Finance 2022 ranked Equity Group the 5th strongest banking brand in the world and 338 overall among the top 500 banking brands, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) of 90.8 and a brand ranking score of AAA+, the highest rating that a brand can attain.

What bank is Elon Musk money in? ›

Loans. The rest of the money – about $13bn worth – is backed by bank loans, including from Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Japanese banks Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Mizuho, Barclays and the French banks Societe Generale and BNP Paribas.

What is the hardest bank to get into? ›

Goldman Sachs is generally regarded as the leading investment bank in most business areas, and is the toughest Bulge Bracket investment bank to break into. Goldman has a very strong reputation within the industry and among corporations. They advise on the majority of high profile M&A deals and other major transactions.

Which is the safest bank ranking in world? ›

World's 50 Safest Banks|2022
  • SEB. ...
  • Swedbank. ...
  • CoBank ACB. ...
  • OP Corporate Bank. ...
  • AgFirst. ...
  • Farm Credit Bank of Texas. ...
  • Agence France Locale. -
  • BNP Paribas.

Who has the most secure bank in the world? ›

KfW Germany

What is the most honest bank in the US? ›

The Lifestory Research 2022 America's Most Trusted® Bank Study found Chase the most trusted bank.

What is the best investment bank in the world? ›

Goldman Sachs & Co.

Goldman Sachs is widely known as the most prestigious investment bank on Wall Street.

What is the fastest growing bank in the US? ›

Silicon Valley Bank is the fastest-growing bank with 49.5% year-over-year growth. Signature Bank and Western Alliance Bank round out the top three fastest-growing banks with year-over-year gains of 40.9% and 36.9%, respectively.

Which country has the most advanced banking system? ›

Switzerland is a notorious worldwide standard for financial safe-havens. Switzerland and banking are almost synonymous with anyone around the world. This highly developed, multilingual European country has become the global standard for financial stability throughout several generations.

Which is the most ethical bank in the world? ›

MINNEAPOLIS --(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 13, 2023-- For the ninth consecutive year, U.S. Bank has been named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute , a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

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