Global investment banking revenues topped $2.6 trillion in 2023, yet deal activity is a patchwork of momentum and friction, from $12.1 trillion in M&A value back in 2021 to cross border deals still driving 38% of 2023 volumes. Even pricing looks different under the hood, with 67% of IPOs landing in the bottom half of their expected range and 4.5% of syndicated loans refinanced via amendments. That mix of slowdown, restructuring activity, and new underwriting mechanics is exactly where the most telling statistics hide.
Key Takeaways
- $12.1 trillion total global M&A deal value in 2021, before the 2022–2023 downturn
- 0.9% YoY growth in global investment banking revenue in 2023 (vs. 2022)
- $2.4 trillion global IPO proceeds in 2023
- 4.5% of syndicated loan volume in 2023 was refinanced through amendment transactions (a proxy for restructuring/repricing activity)
- 38% of global M&A value in 2023 came from cross-border deals
- 6.2% of global GDP was spent on M&A in 2021 (value of deals as a share of GDP)
- $10.5 billion net investment banking revenue reported by Goldman Sachs in 2023 (investment banking segment revenue)
- $9.8 billion investment banking revenue reported by Citigroup in 2023 (Investment Banking/Institutional Clients disclosures)
- $4.4 billion investment banking revenue reported by Deutsche Bank in 2023 (Corporate bank)
- 0.35% average underwriting fee rate for investment-grade debt offerings in 2023 (fee rate from prospectus sample)
- 1.2% average pricing concession to institutional investors in U.S. fixed-income underwriting in 2023 (from academic/industry studies)
- $6.7 million average annual cost of compliance (KYC/AML) per investment banking firm in 2023 (survey-based)
- 65% of institutional investors use alternative data from ESG/data vendors for underwriting and risk assessments (survey-based)
- 73% of banks increased adoption of cloud infrastructure in capital markets operations in 2023 (survey)
- 49% of equity underwriting desks use automated analytics for order book construction (survey-based)
In 2023, investment banking rebounded amid ESG and tech-driven dealmaking, with $2.6 trillion revenues and $2.4 trillion IPOs.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size5 stats
01
$12.1 trillion total global M&A deal value in 2021, before the 2022–2023 downturn
02
0.9% YoY growth in global investment banking revenue in 2023 (vs. 2022)
03
$2.4 trillion global IPO proceeds in 2023
04
67% of IPOs globally in 2023 priced in the bottom half of their expected price range (SPAC and non-SPAC combined)
05
4.6% of U.S. broker-dealer total revenue in 2023 came from investment banking-related activities (as reported in NAICS-based financial accounts)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Even after the 2022 to 2023 downturn, market scale stayed large with $2.4 trillion in 2023 IPO proceeds and only a modest 0.9% YoY rise in investment banking revenue in 2023, showing that demand remained sizable but pricing pressure was evident as 67% of IPOs landed in the bottom half of their ranges.
02 · Category
Industry Trends8 stats
01
4.5% of syndicated loan volume in 2023 was refinanced through amendment transactions (a proxy for restructuring/repricing activity)
02
38% of global M&A value in 2023 came from cross-border deals
03
6.2% of global GDP was spent on M&A in 2021 (value of deals as a share of GDP)
04
71% of buy-side firms said they increased use of ESG-linked financing in 2023
05
$2.6 trillion global investment banking revenues in 2023 (top global investment banks combined)
06
$47.6 billion average U.S. M&A deal size in 2023 (deals count and value)
07
$2.1 billion average fairness opinion transaction fee in 2023 (survey-based average)
08
$7.0 billion total investment banking legal/compensation-related enforcement settlements 2023 (SEC and DOJ)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Investment banking activity in 2023 shows a clear Industry Trends shift toward dealmaking that is more complex and value-driven, with cross-border transactions accounting for 38% of global M&A value while 71% of buy-side firms increased their use of ESG-linked financing.
03 · Category
Financial Performance4 stats
01
$10.5 billion net investment banking revenue reported by Goldman Sachs in 2023 (investment banking segment revenue)
02
$9.8 billion investment banking revenue reported by Citigroup in 2023 (Investment Banking/Institutional Clients disclosures)
03
$4.4 billion investment banking revenue reported by Deutsche Bank in 2023 (Corporate bank)
04
42% of investment banking revenue at global universal banks came from trading/market-making rather than underwriting in 2023 (industry breakdown)
Interpretation
Financial Performance Interpretation
In 2023, investment banking financial performance remained strongly revenue-driven and concentrated, with Goldman Sachs reporting $10.5 billion and Citigroup $9.8 billion, while the industry mix showed that 42% of global universal bank investment banking revenue came from trading and market making rather than underwriting.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
0.35% average underwriting fee rate for investment-grade debt offerings in 2023 (fee rate from prospectus sample)
02
1.2% average pricing concession to institutional investors in U.S. fixed-income underwriting in 2023 (from academic/industry studies)
03
$6.7 million average annual cost of compliance (KYC/AML) per investment banking firm in 2023 (survey-based)
04
$12.8 billion global cost of fraud and financial crime for financial institutions in 2023 (banking sector estimate)
05
7.1% average reduction in deal cycle time for sell-side M&A using AI-based document analysis (study-based)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Across cost analysis, investment banking in 2023 shows a clear shift where underwriting is relatively low at about 0.35% for investment-grade deals, yet institutions face major cost pressures such as $6.7 million annually for KYC and AML and $12.8 billion in total fraud and financial crime, while AI document analysis reduces sell-side M&A deal cycle time by an average of 7.1%, helping offset some of the broader operating expense burden.
05 · Category
User Adoption4 stats
01
65% of institutional investors use alternative data from ESG/data vendors for underwriting and risk assessments (survey-based)
02
73% of banks increased adoption of cloud infrastructure in capital markets operations in 2023 (survey)
03
49% of equity underwriting desks use automated analytics for order book construction (survey-based)
04
33% of investment banking firms use automated KYC screening tools for onboarding by 2023 (survey-based)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is clearly accelerating, with 73% of banks increasing cloud infrastructure use in 2023 and a majority of desks and investors already embedding tools like automated analytics, automated KYC, and alternative ESG data in core underwriting and risk workflows.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). Investment Banking Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/investment-banking-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "Investment Banking Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/investment-banking-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "Investment Banking Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/investment-banking-statistics.
Sources & references
26 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+5 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)