Investment banking involves advising organizations on mergers and acquisitions, as well as a wide array of capital raising strategies. Markets is divided into "sales and trading" (including "structuring"), and "research". Investment banking is split into front office, middle office, and back office activities. While large service investment banks offer all lines of business, both "sell side" and "buy side", smaller sell-side investment firms such as boutique investment banks and small broker-dealers focus on investment banking and sales/trading/research, respectively. Investment banks offer... Show more

Investment banking involves advising organizations on mergers and acquisitions, as well as a wide array of capital raising strategies. Markets is divided into "sales and trading" (including "structuring"), and "research".

Investment banking is split into front office, middle office, and back office activities. While large service investment banks offer all lines of business, both "sell side" and "buy side", smaller sell-side investment firms such as boutique investment banks and small broker-dealers focus on investment banking and sales/trading/research, respectively. Investment banks offer services to both corporations issuing securities and investors buying securities.

For corporations, investment bankers offer information on when and how to place their securities on the open market, an activity very important to an investment bank's reputation. Therefore, investment bankers play a very important role in issuing new security offerings.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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