Biggest Emerging Markets Banks 2015

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A BIG COUNTRY WITH BIG BANKS

China’s increasing prominence on the world financial stage has been proven yet again: Of the 50 biggest emerging markets banks in this year’s ranking, the top 12 are all Chinese. The biggest of the big is Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which boasts assets of $3,368 billion. That total also qualifies ICBC as the largest bank in the world—even when compared with developed market financial institutions.

In all, 19 Chinese banks make Global Finance’s list of the 50 biggest emerging markets banks, ranked by 2014 asset size. That’s the same number as last year.

The combined assets of the 19 banks was $20,145 billion, up 13% from 2013. In contrast, the combined assets for non-Chinese banks in the Biggest 50 list declined slightly, down to $6,585 billion.

The biggest emerging markets bank in the world that doesn’t happen to be Chinese is Banco do Brasil, with $481 billion in assets as of the end of 2014. Sberbank of Russia is next, with $448 billion.

There are five new entries on this year’s list: CTBC Bank and Mega International Commercial Bank, both from Taiwan; National Bank of Abu Dhabi; India’s Punjab National Bank; and Malaysia’s Public Bank. The five who fall out of the list are Vnesheconombank and Gazprombank, both of Russia; Taishin Financial Holding, of Taiwan; Standard Bank of South Africa; and Korea Finance Corporation, which is not included because it merged with Korea Development Bank in December. As a result of the tie-up, Korea Development Bank’s assets grew by 60%, moving KDB up 11 places to become the 25th-largest emerging markets bank in the world.

South Korea contributes eight of the world’s 50 largest emerging markets banks, and Taiwan contributes three. When combined with Chinese banks, these three Asian countries contribute 30 of the biggest 50.

Six banks from Brazil make the list, four from India and three from Turkey. Malaysia and Russia each have two banks in the ranking.

Source for asset figures: Fitch Solutions