Bonuses for top bankers to rise more than 40% to €200,000

Managing directors at banks in London are expecting a 44% rise in bonuses for 2013 even as European authorities seek to scale back compensation, according to a recruiter’s survey.

The average bonus for MDs may increase to £166,955 (€197,712) from £115,618 a year earlier, Astbury Marsden said in an emailed statement. That’s more than double their average salary, up from 88% in 2012, the recruitment firm said.

“Despite pressure to keep a lid on bonuses, as the economy recovers and bank profits start to return, it’s not unreasonable that bonus expectations also rise,” Mark Cameron, chief operating officer at Astbury Marsden in London, said.