Scope of Investment Banking in Lucknow: Roles, Hiring Companies, and Salaries Explained Clearly
Investment banking is a core finance career where professionals work on high-value financial decisions. These decisions include mergers, acquisitions, fundraising, business expansion, and company valuation. The scope of investment banking is wide because the same skills are used across banks, consulting firms, funds, and large corporations.
For students in Lucknow, investment banking is no longer limited to Mumbai or Delhi. Many firms hire analysts from across India based on skills, project experience, and interview performance.
1. Investment Banking Analyst
This is the starting role for most students. An Investment Banking Analyst works closely with senior bankers on live deals. The role involves building financial models, analysing company financials, preparing valuation reports, and creating pitch decks for clients. Analysts spend most of their time on Excel, PowerPoint, and financial data.
Many companies hire analysts for this role in the investment banking industry such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Citi, Barclays, Nomura, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Rothschild, Lazard, and Indian investment banks like Kotak Investment Banking, Axis Capital, Avendus, and JM Financial.
The salary earned by the freshers usually ranges between ₹5–10 LPA. At global banks and top boutiques, salaries can go higher with bonuses.
2. Mergers & Acquisitions analyst
M&A analysts focus only on mergers, acquisitions, and business sales. They study target companies, analyse risks, compare valuations, and help decide whether a deal makes financial sense. Their work directly supports buying or selling companies.
Companies hiring M&A analysts are include Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Deloitte Financial Advisory, PwC Deals, EY-Parthenon, KPMG Corporate Finance, Alvarez & Marsal, and boutique advisory firms.
The salary for entry-level positions ranges from ₹6–12 LPA, depending on the firm and deal exposure.
3. Valuation Analyst
A valuation analyst calculates the true value of a company or asset. They build models like DCF, Comparable Companies, and Precedent Transactions. Their work is used for fundraising, M&A, audits, restructuring, and legal reporting.
Companies that hire valuation analysts include Big 4 firms (PwC, Deloitte, EY, KPMG), Grant Thornton, BDO, Duff & Phelps, CRISIL, ICRA, consulting firms, and CA firms.
Freshers in this role earn around ₹4–7 LPA, and with experience salaries grow steadily.
4. Private Equity (PE) & Venture Capital (VC) Analyst
PE and VC analysts evaluate businesses before investing money. They analyse business models, growth potential, financial performance, and exit returns. Strong modelling and valuation skills are mandatory for this role.
Companies that hire Private Equity (PE) & Venture Capital (VC) Analysts include Blackstone, KKR, Carlyle, Bain Capital, Sequoia Capital, Accel, Tiger Global, Indian PE funds, VC firms, and family offices.
Entry-level salaries usually start from ₹8–15 LPA and increase sharply with experience and performance.
5. Corporate Finance & Strategy Roles
These professionals work inside companies rather than banks. They handle fundraising, budgeting, expansion planning, acquisitions, and long-term financial strategy. Many investment banking professionals move into corporate finance roles after a few years.
Various companies such as Tata Group, Reliance, Adani Group, Infosys, TCS, HUL, ITC, startups, unicorns, and other multinational companies hire for corporate finance & strategy roles.
Freshers earn ₹5–8 LPA, with strong growth over time and increasing salaries.
The scope of investment banking matters because it is skill-driven, and companies do not hire based on degrees alone. They look for candidates who understand valuation, modelling, and deal logic. Students who learn these skills early have better chances of entering high-paying finance roles. This is why professional, practical training plays a critical role before entering this field
