VAULT RELEASES 2025 RANKINGS OF BEST INVESTMENT BANKING FIRMS TO WORK FOR

Centerview Partners is the Overall Best Investment Bank to Work For; Bankers care about firm culture and continue to face long work hours

NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Vault, the leader in data-driven employer rankings and verified employee reviews, today released its 2025 rankings of the Best Investment Banking Firms to Work For, highlighting the top banks in more than 25 categories. Vault's rankings include the Most Prestigious Investment Banks, Best Overall Investment Banks, Best Investment Banks by Key Employment Factor, and the Best Investment Banks for Diversity. The rankings were derived from Vault's Fall 2024 Banking Survey of approximately 2,800 banking professionals. Survey participants were asked to rate their firms in several categories, including compensation, culture, diversity, hours, training, work/life balance, and wellness. Banking professionals were also asked to rate firms other than their own, in terms of prestige.

"This year's survey gives us a picture of the investment banking profession and provides helpful information for investment banks looking to hire and retain the best talent," said Eric Stutzke, SVP & General Manager of Vault. Stutzke continued, "We know that bankers continue to value firm culture, and internship programs that provide students with substantive work assignments and exposure to live deals and senior bankers are key to recruiting early talent."

Key findings from Vault's survey include:

Centerview Partners is the #1 Overall Investment Bank to Work For. Centerview, which also held the #1 spot last year, was the exclusive advisor to Capital One on its announced $35.3 billion takeover of Discover. The acquisition is one of the largest deals of the year. Since its founding in 2006, Centerview has advised on over $4 trillion of transactions, and its clients include over 20% of the 50 largest companies in the world by market capitalization. Centerview also took the #2 spot in the Most Prestigious Investment Banks, behind Goldman Sachs. Last year, Centerview ranked #4 in Prestige.

For investment bankers, the most important factor to consider when choosing an employer is firm culture. Firm culture continues to be the top reason for choosing a bank, with respondents noting that culture is particularly important as bankers spend many hours at work. Other top factors are compensation, type of work, and firm prestige.

Long, unpredictable hours are the reality for bankers. When it comes to positive aspects of the job, respondents mentioned the high compensation, their colleagues, and the opportunities for career advancement. As in previous years, many bankers named the long, unpredictable hours as the biggest negative aspect.

Internships play an important role in recruiting and developing junior bankers. Among junior bankers (analysts), 7 in 10 previously completed a summer internship with the firm. Many appreciated that their internships gave them early exposure to live deals and senior bankers and included substantive work.

The Top 10 Most Prestigious Investment Banks for 2025:

1. Goldman Sachs
2. Centerview Partners
3. J.P. Morgan
4. Evercore
5. Morgan Stanley
6. PJT Partners
7. Lazard
8. Moelis & Company
9. Qatalyst Partners
10. Perella Weinberg

The Top 10 Best Investment Banks to Work For for 2025:

1. Centerview Partners
2. Evercore
3. Moelis & Company
4. PJT Partners
5. Perella Weinberg
6. Lazard
7. Morgan Stanley
8. Guggenheim Securities
9. Greenhill & Co., LLC
10. Harris Williams

View all the Vault Investment Banking Rankings.

About Vault

Vault is the leader in career research, exploration and discovery for professionals and early talent. Through our proprietary data-driven Vault rankings, verified employee and intern reviews, and an extensive network of campuses and universities, we are the trusted provider of career intelligence solutions for emerging talent for over two decades. Our exclusive company rankings, in-depth employer profiles, and valuable employee/intern reviews encompass a wide range of industries, including Law, Banking, Accounting, Consulting, and the top Internship programs.

SOURCE Vault