Abstract: This paper constructs a regression model by using the panel data of 16 listed banks in China for 2009—2016 years, and searches the impact of executive compensation gap and business structure on bank risk taking. Empirical results show that: there is a significant negative correlation between executive compensation gap and bank risk taking. There is also a significant negative correlation between the business structure and the risk taking. There is a lag effect on the impact of executive compensation gap on bank risk taking. Therefore, it is necessary to reform the executive compensation system, improve the executive compensation structure, implement a diversified business strategy, increase non-interest income, and reduce the risk of banks.