# Top bankers set to score record payday with bonus hikes up to 30%: ‘Year of the bank’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/top-bankers-set-to-score-record-payday-with-bonus-hikes-up-to-30-year-of-the-bank/
- Published: 2026-11-10T11:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-10T11:25:06+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/10/business/top-bankers-set-to-score-record-payday-with-bonus-hikes-up-to-30-year-of-the-bank/
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Bank bonus pools are forecast to rise about 15% on average.
- Some trading and underwriting bonuses could increase by up to 30%.
- Banks face competition for talent from private equity and technology firms.

## Summary

Wall Street banks are expected to award substantially larger bonuses in 2026, with some trading and underwriting staff forecast to receive increases of up to 30%. A pay consultancy describes it as a “year of the bank”, citing strong results in equity trading and share issuance; the forecast matters because banks are using pay to compete for sought-after staff.

Johnson Associates expects bonus pools at 15 major US and foreign banks to rise by about 15% on average. Its estimates include increases of 20% to 30% for stock traders and share-underwriting bankers, 15% to 20% for M&A advisers, and 7.5% to 12.5% for fixed-income traders. New York’s total bonus pool reached $49.2 billion last year, while banks are also using promotions and higher pay to retain talent amid competition from private equity and technology firms, including as AI changes staffing needs.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.