Types of Investment Banks

Bulge Bracket Investment Banks

Bulge bracket investment banks are also known as the full-service investment bank. The
examples include well-known names such as Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse,
Morgan Stanley, etc.
These banks are mammoth in size and a majority of their clients include Fortune 500
companies. They frequently aid multi-billion dollar deals and provides all the investment
banking services. These banks are not limited by geographical borders, they provide services
in all the major countries in the world.
Regional Boutique Investment Banks
These are completely on the opposite end of the spectrum from bulge bracket banks. These
banks are smallest in size, and as the name suggests their services are concentrated in a
particular region. These banks usually do not offer the whole range of services as well. So an
example of a regional investment bank would be a California based investment bank dealing
in M&A transactions only. These banks have very few employees, a few dozen at best. They
also handle smaller sized for small local companies, deals ranging from USD 50 to 100
million.
Middle Market Investment Banks
Middle market banks occupy a market between regional boutique banks and bulge bracket
banks. They are bigger than the regional boutique banks but smaller than bulk bracket banks.
These banks may offer full services or specialize in one or two services. Geographically they
are wider than regional boutique banks, they may cover an expanse of more than one state or
region, but they are not multinational. They involve in deals ranging from USD 50 million to
500 million. Some of the most well-known middle market investment banks William Blair
Co., Stifel, Lincoln International, Robert W. Baird & Co., etc.
Elite Boutique Investment Banks
Elite boutique investment banks are a little different from all the above-mentioned types. In
dollar value of the deal size, elite boutique banks are parallel to bulge bracket investment
banks. However, unlike bulge bracket banks that have thousands of employees, elite boutique
banks have much smaller employee pool. They have operations in multiple regions, however,
are usually stronger in some regions than the others. These banks usually provide a full range
of services but are stronger in one or few services. They may also have specialization in a
particular sector, for example, an investment bank specializing in M&A deals of the oil and
gas industry. Rothschild in Europe is a classic example of an elite boutique bank.