Lunchtime Links: SocGen, Cantor and Standard Chartered are all hiring

SocGen is well on the way to fulfilling its aim of recruiting 15-20 M&A bankers in 2010. Fresh from hiring

six senior bankers last month, it's brought on another

two senior coverage bankers (one of whom is joining from Deutsche, which is also keen on ramping up in M&A.). Combined with the addition of Fiona Paulus from RBS in January, that makes 12 hires so far. Only another three to go.

Separately, it emerged yesterday that Cantor Fitzgerald is also hiring. Bloomberg reported that it wants 9 people for its debt advisory team. And Standard Chartered (total bonus pool $1.1bn) wants to hire people in Asia, where it says the market is red hot.

Standard Chartered and HSBC are the new Goldman Sachs . (Pestowire)

Brevan Howard is persistently poaching from banks. (Bloomberg)

Deutsche has created a Nordic FX team. (Banking Times)

BarCap hires ex-Goldman man to head Asian corp finance team. (Capital IQ)

The biggest banks in the US and Europe set aside close to $300bn (€221.5bn) for compensation and benefits in 2009. (Financial News)

RBS Coutts has relocated its global co-chief investment officer from London to HK. (Bloomberg)

UK government took 57% of FTSE 100 gross profits in taxes last year. (Telegraph)

Greek public sector workers get got Christmas and Easter bonuses. (Financial Times)