“God’s Work”

The chief executive of Goldman Sachs believes banks do “God’s work” and serve a social purpose. His remarks come soon after Goldman faced worldwide media attention over the mammoth size of its staff bonuses. But Lloyd Blankfein said big bonuses and the size of profits were a sign that the world economy was recovering. “We help companies to grow by helping them to raise capital. Companies that grow create wealth. This, in turn, allows people to have jobs that create more growth and more wealth. We have a social purpose,” he told The Sunday Times. In an interview he admitted that people were angry at the actions of bankers: “I know I could slit my wrists and people would cheer,” he said.