Biggest Global Banks 2015

Chinese banks are assuming an increasingly important position among the world’s biggest banks. But European banks are still the largest geographic grouping in our rankings.


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THE BIG GET EVEN BIGGER


At the end of 2014, the first, second and fourth-largest banks in the world, ranked by assets, were Chinese. HSBC was the third-placed bank.

The 10 Chinese banks included in last year’s list of the world’s Biggest Global Banks have all moved up the rankings (with the exception of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which was first last year and retains that position this year). Industrial and Commercial Bank of China remains the only bank in the world with more than
$3 trillion in assets at the end of 2014. China Minsheng Bank enters the top-50 ranking for the first time this year, taking the total number of Chinese banks in the top 50 to 11.

Despite the increasing importance of Chinese banks, European banks still make up the largest geographic group within the 50 Biggest Global Banks. Twenty-one European banks from eight different countries feature in the 2015 list, two fewer than in 2014: KfW and Danske Bank dropped off the list this year.

The profile of the 21 European banks that feature among the world’s 50 largest is very different from the profile of those European banks that feature among the world’s 50 safest. European banks hold the first nine places in the ranking of the World’s Safest Banks, but none of these now features among the world’s biggest. (Last year, KfW was placed in both rankings.) Four Nordic banks feature among the World’s Safest this year, but only one, Nordea, makes the Biggest Global Banks.

The United States contributes seven banks to the biggest 50 ranking this year, one more than last year, as a result of the inclusion of Prudential Financial. Japan and Australia contribute four each and Canada three—in all cases, the same number and the same banks as last year.

The combined total assets of the biggest 50 banks in the world was $68,994 billion at the end of 2014, marginally higher than the $68,488 recorded a year earlier. The increase in the size of Chinese banks was offset by declining asset sizes at many eurozone banks (the euro lost 10% of its value against the dollar during 2014) and Japanese banks (for whom a similar devaluation took place).

In this year’s rankings the 50th-placed bank, China Minsheng Bank, had assets of $656 billion. In 2014’s rankings, the 50th-biggest bank, Danske Bank, had assets of $596 billion.

BIGGEST GLOBAL BANKS 2015

Rank

Bank

Country

Total Assets
USD Mln

1

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China

China

3,368,190

2

China Construction Bank

China

2,736,416

3

HSBC

United Kingdom

2,634,139

4

Agricultural Bank of China

China

2,610,582

5

JPMorgan Chase

United States

2,573,126

6

BNP Paribas

France

2,522,471

7

Bank of China

China

2,492,463

8

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial**

Japan

2,391,680

9

Crédit Agricole

France

2,140,055

10

Barclays

United Kingdom

2,119,410

11

Bank of America

United States

2,104,534

12

Deutsche Bank

Germany

2,074,424

13

Citigroup

United States

1,842,530

14

Wells Fargo

United States

1,687,155

15

China Development Bank

China

1,685,954

16

The Royal Bank of Scotland

United Kingdom

1,640,023

17

Societe Generale

France

1,588,163

18

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group

Japan

1,542,204

19

Banco Santander

Spain

1,537,327

20

Mizuho

Japan

1,534,259

21

Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe (Sparkasse)

Germany

1,523,129

22

Groupe BPCE

France

1,485,126

23

Lloyds Bank

United Kingdom

1,334,316

24

ING

Netherlands

1,205,361

25

UBS

Switzerland

1,074,187

26

UniCredit

Italy

1,024,909

27

Bank of Communications

China

1,024,399

28

Credit Suisse

Switzerland

931,617

29

Goldman Sachs

United States

856,240

30

TD Bank Group

Canada

837,909

31

Royal Bank of Canada

Canada

834,191

32

Rabobank

Netherlands

826,862

33

Nordea

Sweden

812,604

34

Morgan Stanley

United States

801,510

35

Intesa Sanpaolo

Italy

784,785

36

Norinchukin Bank

Japan

779,396

37

China Merchants Bank

China

773,301

38

National Australia Bank

Australia

773,062

39

BBVA

Spain

767,199

40

Prudential Financial

United States

766,655

41

Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Australia

745,527

42

Standard Chartered

United Kingdom

725,914

43

Industrial Bank

China

720,118

44

Bank of Nova Scotia

Canada

714,560

45

Shanghai Pudong Development Bank

China

685,721

46

Commerzbank

Germany

676,956

47

China Citic Bank

China

676,387

48

ANZ Group

Australia

675,733

49

Westpac

Australia

674,639

50

China Minsheng Bank

China

656,175

Source for asset figures: Fitch Solutions, except for ** from bank’s financial statements

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