How much do executives at Austrian banks earn?

Anyone asking this question will first find figures on publicly traded companies. The annual compensation study by the Investors’ Association analyzes the Prime Market companies listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange – most recently, 37 companies. For 2025, the average compensation per executive board member was approximately 1.59 million euros, while the median for CEOs was about 1.70 million. On the DAX, the same figure is a multiple of that amount.

This is of limited help for the Austrian banking market. The vast majority of banks are not publicly traded, and that is precisely where most executive board positions are filled.

We have therefore chosen our own approach for the DELTACON Banking Radar. The compensation benchmarks are based on nine Austrian institutions whose disclosures are structured in such a way that the figures can actually be reconciled. The selection criterion is the quality of disclosure and explicitly not market significance. After cross-checking against the primary sources, we removed two institutions originally included and list them with the reason for exclusion. This is less convenient than a straightforward table, but it is the only way to turn the results into a reliable guideline.

What the ranges provide: an indication of the order of magnitude within which a position falls, broken down by institution type and business unit. What they do not provide: They do not cover every position or every bonus agreement, nor do they claim to do so. Anyone negotiating a compensation package also needs to consider the variable components, vesting periods, and the regulatory limits of the respective institution.

The Banking Radar is published in two volumes: one on risk, compliance, and regulation, and one on finance and management. Supervisory board members and compensation committees can receive the relevant volume upon request.