Top executives at the US merchant bank Goldman Sachs Group are going to receive their bonuses in shares rather than in money.

The thirty members of the company's management committee will not be able to cash the shares in for five years. The firm says the move will ensure that the senior managers take no irresponsible risks.

Goldman Sachs is seen as one of the instigators of last year's banking crisis which was caused by risky investment policies. The company has, however, made a profit over the last six months.

photo: anti-bank protests (Flickr/stoller)