Investment Banking Hiring Trends in Asia-Pacific: What's Driving Demand in 2026 H2?

Insights from Selby Jennings' specialist Investment Banking recruitment teams across Asia-Pacific. 

Investment banking hiring across Asia-Pacific is picking up, but not across every team. In H2 2026, banks are concentrating investment around the sectors, products and markets where they see the strongest deal pipelines.

Across the Selby Jennings investment banking desk, this is creating demand for professionals with specialist sector knowledge, strong execution experience and the ability to work across complex regional transactions.

Key takeaways

• Expanding IPO pipelines are driving increased demand for ECM bankers and Sponsor Principals as banks position themselves to capture growing capital markets activity.
• Cross-border transactions continue to underpin deal activity across Asia-Pacific, with ASEAN M&A remaining particularly active across AI infrastructure, data centres, renewable energy, healthcare and fintech.
• AI is changing the skills expected of junior investment banking talent as technology becomes more embedded in supporting activities.
• China-focused sectors are seeing a notable increase in hiring across Industrials, Healthcare, Consumer and TMT.

Investment banking hiring is becoming increasingly specialised 

Hiring activity across Asia-Pacific investment banking continues to strengthen in the second half of 2026, but growth is far from uniform. 

Rather than expanding broadly across all business lines, institutions are investing strategically in areas where deal activity, capital deployment, and client demand remain strongest. Equity capital markets, sector coverage, sponsor-led transactions, and infrastructure-related financing have emerged as some of the most active hiring areas across the region.  

At the same time, competition for talent has intensified. As both Chinese and international banks selectively strengthen their platforms, experienced professionals with sector expertise, transaction execution capability, and cross-border experience are increasingly in demand.  

This selective approach means employers are often looking for a specific combination of experience rather than simply adding generalist bankers. A candidate's deal history, sector relationships and ability to contribute quickly to an active pipeline can all influence hiring decisions. 

Expanding IPO pipelines are driving demand for ECM talent 

One of the clearest hiring trends across Asia-Pacific is the demand for Equity Capital Markets and IPO Execution professionals. 

As IPO pipelines continue to build and capital markets activity improves, both Chinese and international investment banks are investing in ECM and IPO Execution teams to position themselves for future deal flow. Demand has extended beyond traditional execution talent, with Sponsor Principals and investment professionals also becoming increasingly sought after, even more so given recent regulatory changes.  

The trend is not limited to banks. Corporates and large conglomerates are also expanding internal investment and strategic M&A capabilities, creating additional competition for professionals with transaction experience and capital deployment expertise.  

Asia-Pacific entered 2026 with a strong equity capital markets pipeline, particularly across Hong Kong and China. This is encouraging banks to think ahead about team capacity and identify professionals who can support transactions as activity develops. 

For experienced ECM candidates, employers are looking closely at the depth of execution experience. Professionals who have managed complex IPO processes, worked closely with issuers and regulators, or built strong relationships across the sponsor ecosystem can be particularly difficult to replace. 

From our investment banking hiring desk 

The searches Selby Jennings is supporting reflect this preference for proven execution capability. Employers want confidence that a new hire can integrate quickly into an existing pipeline, rather than requiring significant time to develop the technical or market experience needed for the role. 

Sector expertise remains at the centre of hiring strategies 

Investment banks across Hong Kong continue to deepen sector coverage capabilities as clients demand increasingly specialised advice, especially across China-focused sectors. 

Hiring activity has been particularly active across: 

• Industrials (EV, automotive, advanced manufacturing, and renewables) 
• Healthcare 
• Consumer 
• TMT (Technology, Media and Telecommunications) 

Across North Asia, these areas remain important drivers of cross-border M&A activity, while capital markets and financing transactions continue to generate significant opportunities across all four sectors. As a result, firms are actively competing for bankers who can combine strong execution skills with deep industry expertise and established market relationships.  

The shift reflects a broader industry trend towards sector-led coverage models, where domain expertise is often viewed as a competitive advantage when advising clients on increasingly complex strategic decisions. 

What we're seeing on the hiring desk: Q3 2026 

ASEAN deal activity continues to support M&A hiring 

Singapore remains the leading hub for ASEAN investment banking activity, supported by ongoing cross-border transactions across the region. 

Several sectors continue to generate significant deal flow, including: 

• AI infrastructure 
• Data centres 
• Renewable energy 
• Infrastructure 
• Healthcare 
• Fintech 

Cross-border transactions remain a major source of fee generation for investment banks, encouraging selective team expansion across M&A franchises. Hiring continues to be concentrated primarily at the Analyst and Associate levels, while also making targeted senior hires to build out sector expertise and strengthen client coverage capabilities.  

As regional connectivity increases, professionals with experience navigating multi-market transactions continue to attract significant interest from employers. 

This is supporting demand for bankers who can manage transactions across multiple jurisdictions and stakeholder groups. 

Sponsor finance and project finance are emerging growth areas 

Beyond traditional M&A and ECM hiring, sponsor-backed financing and infrastructure-related transactions are creating new demand for specialist talent. 

In Hong Kong, hiring activity has increased across leveraged buyout financing teams as institutions position themselves for growing sponsor-backed acquisition activity across North Asia. Interest in European asset acquisitions and changing financing dynamics have contributed to greater focus on LBO financing capabilities. Candidates with Asian language skills are particularly sought after as firms prepare for increased regional activity over the next 12 to 18 months.  

Meanwhile, in Southeast Asia, project finance hiring has continued to accelerate, particularly among professionals with experience supporting data centre financing transactions. 

The growth of AI infrastructure investment across the region is generating significant capital requirements, creating opportunities for project finance professionals with sector-specific expertise.  

These specialist areas are creating demand for professionals with experience in complex financing structures and infrastructure assets. 

From our investment banking hiring desk 

This can create a limited talent pool, particularly where candidates combine financing expertise with relevant sector experience. 

Artificial intelligence is actively altering junior hiring dynamics 

Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly embedded across investment banking hiring. 

Many institutions are exploring how AI can support: 

• Financial modelling 
• Research 
• Due diligence 
• Document review 
• Pitchbook preparation 
• Data analysis 

AI is creating productivity improvements across many junior-level tasks. This is changing the skills firms expect from junior talent rather than removing the need for those professionals. Candidates entering the market are increasingly expected to demonstrate not only traditional financial analysis skills but also an ability to leverage emerging technology effectively within their day-to-day work. 

Core modelling, valuation and execution skills remain important, but candidates may increasingly be expected to use AI tools effectively alongside them. 

What Selby Jennings is seeing across investment banking hiring 

Across our Asia-Pacific investment banking desk, hiring remains closely linked to deal pipelines, sector priorities and client growth. Competition is strongest for professionals with relevant execution experience and specialist market knowledge. 

Looking ahead to 2027 

Hiring is likely to remain selective, with continued demand across ECM, sector coverage, sponsor finance and infrastructure-related transactions. Cross-border experience and specialist sector knowledge are likely to remain important differentiators. 

What this means for employers 

The investment banking talent market remains competitive, particularly for professionals with specialised expertise. 

While overall hiring remains measured, demand is concentrated around specific growth themes. Employers competing for ECM talent, sector specialists, sponsor finance professionals, and project finance experts will often find that the strongest candidates have multiple opportunities available to them. 

Firms that can clearly articulate platform growth, sector strategy, and long-term career development opportunities are likely to be best positioned to attract top talent. 

What this means for investment banking professionals 

For investment banking professionals, the market is becoming increasingly skills-driven. 

Sector expertise, cross-border transaction experience, technical knowledge, and capital markets capabilities continue to differentiate candidates in an increasingly selective hiring environment. 

While broad-based hiring remains limited, opportunities continue to emerge within ECM, sector coverage, M&A, sponsor finance, and infrastructure financing teams across Asia-Pacific. Professionals aligned to these areas are likely to remain among the most sought-after talent pools through the remainder of 2026.