"BASICALLY NOTHING"
China, for example, boasts three of the world's four biggest banks, yet the leaders of those banks -- Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank Corp and Bank of China -- are among the lowest paid of those surveyed by Reuters. The chairman and the president of each of the banks are paid roughly $230,000 per year.
"That's basically nothing for the leaders of these huge Chinese financial institutions," said Laura Thatcher, who leads law firm Alston & Bird's executive compensation practice in Atlanta. "I can't imagine why they would work for nothing."
So how, exactly, do the Chinese do it?
The Chinese banks, which are state-controlled, are typically led by bureaucrats appointed by the central government, and executive pay is capped.
Being the head of a Chinese bank does come with perks, just like running a U.S. bank. The top Chinese bank executive gets such non-cash benefits as a car, driver, medical insurance, food and housing. Experts note that many American and European executives receive similar benefits.
Some of the Chinese bank executives may be willing to accept the pay level of a top government official in the hope of moving into a powerful political position in the future.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE58M2QU20090923