Organisational Geographies of Finance: Opening the Black Box of Global Investment Banks

For some time, economic geographers have been interested in the geographies of transnational corporations. However, these debates have not yet included a discussion of the geographies of global investment banks. This paper seeks to open the black box of global investment banks. It shows that although our understanding of the geographies of financial markets was advanced over the recent years, a discussion of the internal relations of banks remain on the agenda. To understand the investment strategy and practice of banks, it is necessary to understand the different forms of knowledge practices alongside its social and spatial division of labour. I argue that the creation of knowledge within banks is shaped not only by the local context but also through the occupational specialisms. I will conclude that a non‐uniform view of financial market institutions is essential: it allows a clearer picture of the actors who are involved in the internal decision‐making processes of global investment banks. In turn this provides an idea of the responsibilities and influence of specific actors with respect to banks' investment practices.