The hiring season at the banks has arrived in Singapore, a time when employees shuffle companies around, and the focus shifts to securing the maximum in terms of compensation Finance Professionals’.
The burning question for finance professionals right now is – Which jobs are paying the highest, and to what degree?
Either to get your foot into the private equity career, or take the comparatively easy way out – a lucrative investment banking career.
Besides, while planning their career, young finance professionals do consider the future. What will they be paid in the senior-most roles at their chosen profession?
In this article, we will be discussing the highest salaries director-level finance professionals are making in the Singapore finance markets.
A Look into The Salaries of Top-Performing Director-Level Finance Professionals in Singapore
The below-provided table will enlist the remunerations of best-performing finance executives at the senior-most level in the financial markets in Singapore. The list includes executives that are private equity managers, investment banking professionals, and the executives from the related domain.
Salaries less than $350k are not been considered.
| Finance Job Designation | Base Remuneration |
| DCM | S$450k |
| ECM | S$450k |
| Global Markets (research) | S$400k |
| Global Markets (sales and trading) | S$400k |
| Global Markets (structuring) | S$350k |
| Hedge Fund (portfolio management) | S$375k |
| M&A | S$450k |
| Private Banking (relationship management) | S$375k |
| Private Equity (investment) | S$395k |
Singapore Jobs (Director-Level) in the Financial Sector with Base Salaries Above S$350k
Source: Hays, Michael Page, Morgan McKinley
Topping the charts are the investment bankers in the ECM, DCM, and M&A divisions of the trade. In Singapore, the gap in pay among the IB professionals and their private banking counterparts has reduced significantly in the recent past. Now, IB executives earn a mere 20% extra on average.
Rampant Hiring Trends Observed in the Private Banking Sector in Singapore
Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Morgan Stanley, and a few other prominent private banks in 2020 have gone on a hiring spree in Singapore. Further, boutique firms like LGT, EFG, UBP, Safra Sarasin, and VP Bank are expanding their horizons and paying a whopping 30 to 50 per cent hike in compensation to relationship managers joining them.
IB Professional Getting Paid More in Singapore vis-a-vis PE & Hedge Fund Community
Hedge fund executives and professionals at private equity in Singapore are still being paid lower compared to their investment banking peers. Although, the rewards attained in PE and hedge funds are much greater.
How to Enter the Financial Markets in Singapore?
A college degree in finance or an MBA with a major in finance from a reputed university would be the most helpful to land you a job interview at a financial institution, or a bank. However, if you are looking to put your foot in the door into the PE domain, professional certifications in private equity can offer the best help.
The other best way to enter the financial markets in any country would be to take an internship at a financial firm. Other than gaining industry-knowledge and hands-on experience at real work, you will make great industry connections that will help you find job opportunities in the future.
Closing Thoughts
2020 brings new hopes to Singaporean financial market, provided the economy recovered in spite of the global headwinds blowing throughout 2019. Noteworthy here is that the last year witnessed some of the lowest numbers in new equity listings.
