Is It Possible To Become An Investment Banker After CA/CMA?

It is a tough path. But one can become an investment banker after CA. One must be good at several aspects to be in an investment banking career after completing the CA program. Let me give you basic details about it. Until foreign banks came to the Indian markets and until MBA really take off, it was only the CAs who was across the financial services sector and finance jobs, especially in investment banking.

My friend was a Chartered Accountant who has spent more than 7 years in Morgan Stanley in the area of M&A teams. He also met many other CAs in investment banking across the industry. The advantages and disadvantages that apply to an MBA apply to CAs too. For instance, investment banking demands work for long hours, but also pays a huge amount. CAS requires transformations in their day-to-day work, changes in the work atmosphere, and ways to adapt to it. Investment banking demands to be very active in their respective role with the offices buzzing with energy, confidence, chatter, laughter, debates, discussions, slang, and many more. more.

Culture is something that varies drastically and the environment is also a bit intimidating for mainly new joiners. CAs can get confidence by doing the job well because of the vast knowledge they possess and they can make friends and be comfortable associating with the team. It is good if one has analytical abilities or presentation skills but it can be learned with time.

Though there will be noticeable differences in a CA who wants to make a big mark in the area of an investment banking career. A good CA student tends to have a good and solid understanding of an ideal situation holistically offering exposure to not just financial management but also accounting, taxation, etc., and having witnessed more financial statements and in general, spent more time in the world of finance.

If one has the passion to achieve then the differences don’t matter they can easily attain what they desire. Doing the right kind of certification in investment banking is also a helpful step. Several institutes assist aspiring individuals in learning the fundamentals of investment banking. They offer overall help for aspiring individuals to begin an understanding of the intricacies of Investment Banking and also to land a high-profile job in the same field.

Investing the required time and efforts to enter this field can pay well. Investment bankers come from different disciplines, but a strong mathematical foundation is very much needed.

One can expect a rewarding career in investment banking even if he/she is a CA.