Global banks generate record $125bln fee haul in 2020 Business December 30, 2020 New York: Investment banks across the world generated a record $124.5 billion in fees this year as companies raced to raise cash to outlast the pandemic. The windfall came as lenders earned all-time high fees underwriting debt and equity offerings for clients such as aerospace group Boeing, property rental site Airbnb and telecoms group SoftBank, according to data provider Refinitiv. It was a âvery robust year for underwriting both debt and equityâ said Jason Goldberg, an analyst at Barclays. âYou saw a bump this year as companies looked to access capital markets to shore up their balance sheets in the face of pandemic-related uncertainty.â