A recent survey of over 2,500 finance professionals has confirmed that American bankers remain the highest-paid globally. However, the 2025 salary and bonus report, based on responses from February and March, highlights significant trends across regions, with some surprising shifts in compensation levels.
The report reveals that the UK experienced the largest bonus increases last year, with an impressive 26% rise. On average, UK bankers received $149,000 in bonuses, surpassing North America’s 2024 average. This may be due to the early relaxation of the European Union’s bonus cap, especially in London.
In contrast, the Asia-Pacific region had the lowest bonuses, averaging just $49,000 per person. This reflects the high number of lower-paying middle- and back-office roles prevalent in this region.
Bonus increases in the UK were not uniform across all ranks. Managing Directors (MDs) in the UK were the best-paid globally, but for most other positions, American bankers outearned their counterparts. Specifically, North American analysts had a particularly strong year, earning an average total compensation of $148,000, compared to $110,000 in the UK. American analysts saw a 76% increase in their bonuses, slightly trailing UK analysts who saw a 78% jump.
Associates in North America also fared well, with bonuses increasing by 26% in 2024, while their UK counterparts received a 19% boost.
At the Vice President (VP) or director level, bonus increases were particularly strong in Europe and Asia. Asian directors saw an average bonus increase of 48%, though they still earned the lowest total compensation at this rank globally, with an average of $309,000. This is in stark contrast to the $361,000 and $458,000 earned by directors in the UK and North America, respectively.
While the UK and Europe offered the highest compensation for MDs, the numbers were skewed by a smaller pool of respondents, which made the averages appear higher than they might otherwise be.
Despite these regional variations, American bankers continue to dominate global finance pay scales, with certain sectors like analysts and associates in North America seeing remarkable increases in compensation.
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