Centerview Partners is the Overall Best Investment Bank to Work For; Evercore takes second place

NEW YORK, June 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Vault, the leader in data-driven employer rankings and verified employee reviews, today released its 2026 rankings of the Best Investment Banking Firms to Work For, highlighting the top banks in more than 20 categories. Vault’s rankings include the Most Prestigious Investment Banks, Best Overall Investment Banks to Work For, Best Investment Banks by Key Employment Factor, and the Best Investment Banks for Inclusion. The rankings were derived from Vault’s Spring 2026 Banking Survey of approximately 2,100 banking professionals. Survey participants were asked to rate their firms in several categories, including benefits, compensation, culture, hours, training, and work/life balance. Banking professionals were also asked to rate firms other than their own in terms of prestige.

“Centerview Partners emerged as both the Best Overall Investment Bank to Work For and the No. 2 most prestigious bank. Centerview is a lead advisor on many headline-making deals, yet is much smaller than the bulge bracket banks, which means it can provide its employees with a lot of benefits that many larger banks typically can’t, such as early responsibility, exposure to senior bankers, and a close-knit culture,” said Eric Stutzke, SVP & General Manager of Vault.

Key findings from Vault’s survey, which was open from January 28, 2026 to April 17, 2026, include:

Centerview Partners is the #1 Overall Investment Bank to Work For. Centerview also ranked first in multiple other areas, including Firm Culture, Compensation, and Quality of Work. Centerview is known for advising companies involved in blockbuster M&A deals; it is advising Paramount on its announced $110 billion acquisition of Warner Brothers Discovery. The #2 Overall Investment Bank to Work For is Evercore.

Goldman Sachs is the most prestigious banking employer. Centerview ranked second in prestige, despite having fewer than 1,000 employees. Goldman Sachs employs more than 40,000 people.

Bankers at different levels have different priorities when choosing an employer. For analysts, the top factor choosing a firm is firm culture, followed by prestige and early responsibility. For associates, the top factor is compensation, followed by firm culture and prestige. For senior bankers, firm culture is the top factor, with compensation and type of work at second and third, respectively.

The Top 10 Best Investment Banks to Work For for 2026:

1. Centerview Partners
2. Evercore
3. Moelis & Company
4. Morgan Stanley
5. Lazard
6. PJT Partners
7. Guggenheim Securities
8. William Blair & Company
9. Harris Williams
10. Clearsight Advisors

The Top 10 Most Prestigious Investment Banks for 2026:

1. Goldman Sachs
2. Centerview Partners
3. Evercore
4. J.P. Morgan
5. Morgan Stanley
6. PJT Partners
7. Qatalyst Partners
8. Lazard
9. Moelis & Company
10. Perella Weinberg

View all the Vault Investment Banking Rankings.

About Vault

Vault is the leader in career research, exploration and discovery for professionals and early talent. Through our proprietary data-driven Vault rankings, verified employee and intern reviews, and an extensive network of campuses and universities, we are the trusted provider of career intelligence solutions for emerging talent for over two decades. Our exclusive company rankings, in-depth employer profiles, and valuable employee/intern reviews encompass a wide range of industries, including Law, Banking, Accounting, Consulting, and the top Internship programs.

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SOURCE Vault