I-BANKING VS TRADITIONAL BANKING

i am working in financial market. hopefully i can answer your questions.

1. i-banking = investment banking = primary market in financial market where new bond/equities are launched to serve various financing needs of the corporations
traditional banking = commercial bank (lending commerical loans to big corporation)/retail bank (the retain banking services that you are using everyday, ATM, savings, FX savings etc.

2. yes, you are right. a fresh graduate who is offered an i-bank job usually makes around HK$ 600k/year. those who progressively moving up to Managing director level in their early 40s, they should be making at least HK$3-4m/year. The reason for this exceptionally high salary is because when you look at the profile and background of the employees in i-bank. they are all academically briliant, that means they hold either bachelor or master degree from top tier universities, U of Chicago, U of Harbard, U penn etc. Since the entry point is very high, only very limited number of people can satisfy the demanding criteria, therefore, those who are qualified are deemed to be top-notched, that's why they are paid high.

3. as said
a. you need to have degree from top tier university either in your home country or other countries
b. complete bilingual: excellent in English + your mother tongue
c. street smart