Actually, life is quite OK in a local or regional Asian bank. There are no late night conference calls with the US & Europe because there aren't any people to talk to as everyone is in the Asian timezone. Sure, you get in early in the morning, but by 6pm or so, all the emails stop and you can go home and relax. It's a little more stressful than a regular retail/industrial job, but actually quite manageable and you have decent family life. Traveling is usually in Asia and it's easy to get back by Friday night. You always have your weekend.

Also, management is less demanding. Compared to a foreign bank, stuff you expect to produce in 1 day, you can take a week. Plus most of the staff disappear by 6pm or so, so you will look like a fool if you stay back in an empty office. The other thing is that zero ang moh around and Indians will tend to be local indians. It's all local boys and girls and a very comfortable environment.

I've compared with friends at foreign banks and these days, local banks now pay as much as foreign banks because foreign banks bonus has been negligible for the past few years. My base is lower, but last year I got 9 months bonus. My friends at foreign banks are lucky if they get 1-3 months. Some got zero. So, they work like a dog. Fly all over the world all the time. Stay up past midnight for conference calls. All to just stay employed since they know that the bonus will be almost nothing. Even this year, foreign banks have already warned that bonuses will be terrible.

The only thing foreign bank employees look forward to is the return of the good old days. But even so, EU regulators have already capped bonuses at a maximum of 12 months and the US is likely to follow. So, even when times are good, shareholders will benefit, but not foreign bank employees.