High earning Citigroup bankers in the UK could have to wait up to three years longer to cash out a portion of their bonuses than their colleagues in the US and elsewhere, due to the Financial Services Authority’s strict new guidelines on the deferral of pay.

Financial News reported yesterday that between 60% and 75% of bonuses paid to Citigroup bankers globally will come in the form of cash or common stock options, which convert to common stock and can be sold into the open market without restrictions as of the beginning of April.