World’s Top 50 Safest Commercial Banks 2017

In commercial rankings, which exclude government-supported entities, DZ knocks Toronto-Dominion from the top slot.


Our annual look at the safest banks in the commercial space shows Germany’s DZ bank replacing TD Bank as the world’s safest commercial bank as result of the Canadian bank’s one-notch downgrade by Moody’s in May.

The first six banks on the list are tied with 23 points each, representing two ratings of AA and one of AA-, or an equivalent configuration. DZ is the largest and therefore ranks first, in line with our methodology of ranking banks with the same score by asset size, reflecting the strong positive correlation between asset size and high ratings.

The three big Singaporean banks—DBS, Oversea-Chinese Bank and United Overseas Bank—rank second, fourth and fifth. Sweden’s Svenska Handelsbanken places third.

No commercial bank enjoys an AAA rating from any of the agencies, and only Moody’s has assigned ratings of AA+ (Aa1 in Moody’s notation). Svenska Handelsbanken and RBC are the only banks receiving a AA rating from Fitch.

Global Finance’s ranking of the world’s safest commercial banks excludes banks that are majority-owned by governments or that enjoy sponsorship from their governments or regional bodies.

European banks contribute 19 of the 50 safest commercial banks. This is fewer than the 25 that Europe contributes to the Global Top 50 rankings, but nonetheless shows that strong European banks are not primarily a result of state ownership or sponsorship.

However, the removal of those state-owned/sponsored banks—which include the nine highest-ranked banks in the global list—does open the way for some banks that do not score highly enough for inclusion in the Global Top 50. Nine US banks feature among the 50 Safest Commercial Banks, compared to only five in the global list. Five Australian banks feature in the commercial list, compared to four in the global list. One Japanese bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, slides into the commercial ranking in 50th place.

In contrast, China contributes no banks to the safest-commercial ranking. The two Chinese banks in the global list are both state owned, and none of the privately owned Chinese banks come close to scoring highly enough for inclusion in the 50 Safest Commercial Banks. South Korea contributes one bank to the commercial rankings, compared to three for the global ranking.

One Latin American bank scores highly enough for inclusion—Banco Santander Chile at 45th, with a score of 18.


A score of 17 is the minimum requirement for inclusion in this year’s commercial-bank rankings, equivalent to two ratings of A+ and one of A. However, a score of 17 was not in itself sufficient. Three banks scoring 17 occupy the final positions in the ranking; eleven other banks, including Banco de Chile, scored 17 points but had fewer assets. 

THE 50 SAFEST COMMERCIAL BANKS
Rank Group Name Country Ratings Total Score Assets$ mn StatementDate
Fitch Moody’s S&P
1 DZ Bank Germany AA- Aa1 AA- 23 536,995 12/31/16
2 DBS Bank Singapore AA- Aa1 AA- 23 332,967 12/31/16
3 Svenska Handelsbanken Sweden AA Aa2 AA- 23 289,949 12/31/16
4 OCBC Bank Singapore AA- Aa1 AA- 23 283,402 12/31/16
5 United Overseas Bank Singapore AA- Aa1 AA- 23 235,102 12/31/16
6 Deutsche Apotheker- und Ärztebank Germany AA- Aa1 AA- 23 40,661 12/31/16
7 TD Bank Canada AA- Aa2 AA- 22 878,137 10/31/16
8 Pictet & Cie Switzerland AA- Aa2 N/R 21.5 34,092 12/31/15
9 Royal Bank of Canada Canada AA A1 AA- 21 880,592 10/31/16
10 Rabobank Netherlands AA- Aa2 A+ 21 698,422 12/31/16
11 ANZ Group Australia AA- Aa3 AA- 21 698,054 9/30/16
12 Commonwealth Bank of Australia Australia AA- Aa3 AA- 21 692,914 6/30/16
13 Nordea Sweden AA- Aa3 AA- 21 648,950 12/31/16
14 Westpac Australia AA- Aa3 AA- 21 640,319 9/30/16
15 National Australia Bank Australia AA- Aa3 AA- 21 593,333 9/30/16
16 Swedbank Sweden AA- Aa3 AA- 21 237,713 12/31/16
17 First Abu Dhabi Bank UAE AA- Aa3 AA- 21 185,799 12/31/16
18 Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong A+ Aa2 AA- 21 177,617 12/31/16
19 AgriBank United States AA- Aa3 AA- 21 102,563 12/31/16
20 Fédération des Caisses Desjardins Canada AA- Aa2 A+ 21 100,289 12/31/16
21 U.S. Bancorp United States AA A1 A+ 20 445,964 12/31/16
22 SEB Sweden AA- Aa3 A+ 20 289,184 12/31/16
23 DNB Norway N/R Aa2 A+ 20 281,136 9/30/16
24 HSBC France France AA- A1 AA- 20 178,584 12/31/16
25 CoBank United States AA- N/R AA- 20 126,131 12/31/16
26 National Bank of Kuwait Kuwait AA- Aa3 A+ 20 79,073 12/31/16
27 OP Corporate Bank Finland N/R Aa3 AA- 20 65,256 9/30/16
28 AgFirst United States AA- N/R AA- 20 32,058 12/31/16
29 LGT Bank Liechtenstein N/R Aa2 A+ 20 29,079 12/31/16
30 Farm Credit Bank of Texas United States AA- Aa3 N/R 20 21,222 12/31/16
31 Bank für Sozialwirtschaft Germany AA- N/R AA- 20 8,982 12/31/16
32 Scotiabank Canada AA- A1 A+ 19 668,706 10/31/16
33 Bank of Montreal Canada AA- A1 A+ 19 513,269 10/31/16
34 CIBC Canada AA- A1 A+ 19 374,063 10/31/16
35 Qatar National Bank Qatar AA- Aa3 A 19 197,718 12/31/16
36 HSBC Holdings United Kingdom AA- A1 A 18 2,374,986 12/31/16
37 UBS Switzerland A Aa3 A+ 18 998,995 12/31/16
38 ING Netherlands A+ A1 A+ 18 889,553 12/31/16
39 Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel France A+ Aa3 A 18 517,913 12/31/16
40 BNY Mellon United States AA- A1 A 18 333,469 12/31/16
41 Nationwide Building Society United Kingdom A+ Aa3 A 18 275,935 4/04/16
42 Shinhan Bank South Korea A Aa3 A+ 18 250,604 12/31/16
43 State Street United States AA- A1 A 18 242,698 12/31/16
44 Northern Trust United States AA- A2 A+ 18 123,927 12/31/16
45 Banco Santander Chile Chile A+ Aa3 A 18 55,493 12/31/16
46 Suncorp-Metway Australia A+ A1 A+ 18 47,242 6/30/16
47 Kiwibank New Zealand AA- A1 A 18 13,743 6/30/16
48 BNP Paribas France A+ A1 A 17 2,189,268 12/31/16
49 Wells Fargo United States AA- A2 A 17 1,930,115 12/31/16
50 Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Japan A A1 A+ 17 1,903,411 3/31/16
Note: Ratings valid on July 31, 2017

Our annual look at the safest banks in the commercial space shows Germany’s DZ bank replacing TD Bank as the world’s safest commercial bank as result of the Canadian bank’s one-notch downgrade by Moody’s in May.

The first six banks on the list are tied with 23 points each, representing two ratings of AA and one of AA-, or an equivalent configuration. DZ is the largest and therefore ranks first, in line with our methodology of ranking banks with the same score by asset size, reflecting the strong positive correlation between asset size and high ratings.

The three big Singaporean banks—DBS, Oversea-Chinese Bank and United Overseas Bank—rank second, fourth and fifth. Sweden’s Svenska Handelsbanken places third.

No commercial bank enjoys an AAA rating from any of the agencies, and only Moody’s has assigned ratings of AA+ (Aa1 in Moody’s notation). Svenska Handelsbanken and RBC are the only banks receiving a AA rating from Fitch.

Global Finance’s ranking of the world’s safest commercial banks excludes banks that are majority-owned by governments or that enjoy sponsorship from their governments or regional bodies.

European banks contribute 19 of the 50 safest commercial banks. This is fewer than the 25 that Europe contributes to the Global Top 50 rankings, but nonetheless shows that strong European banks are not primarily a result of state ownership or sponsorship.

However, the removal of those state-owned/sponsored banks—which include the nine highest-ranked banks in the global list—does open the way for some banks that do not score highly enough for inclusion in the Global Top 50. Nine US banks feature among the 50 Safest Commercial Banks, compared to only five in the global list. Five Australian banks feature in the commercial list, compared to four in the global list. One Japanese bank, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi, slides into the commercial ranking in 50th place.

In contrast, China contributes no banks to the safest-commercial ranking. The two Chinese banks in the global list are both state owned, and none of the privately owned Chinese banks come close to scoring highly enough for inclusion in the 50 Safest Commercial Banks. South Korea contributes one bank to the commercial rankings, compared to three for the global ranking.

One Latin American bank scores highly enough for inclusion—Banco Santander Chile at 45th, with a score of 18.

A score of 17 is the minimum requirement for inclusion in this year’s commercial-bank rankings, equivalent to two ratings of A+ and one of A. However, a score of 17 was not in itself sufficient. Three banks scoring 17 occupy the final positions in the ranking; eleven other banks, including Banco de Chile, scored 17 points but had fewer assets. n

THE 50 SAFEST COMMERCIAL BANKS
Rank Group Name Country Ratings Total Score Assets$ mn StatementDate
Fitch Moody’s S&P
1 DZ Bank Germany AA- Aa1 AA- 23 536,995 12/31/16
2 DBS Bank Singapore AA- Aa1 AA- 23 332,967 12/31/16
3 Svenska Handelsbanken Sweden AA Aa2 AA- 23 289,949 12/31/16
4 OCBC Bank Singapore AA- Aa1 AA- 23 283,402 12/31/16
5 United Overseas Bank Singapore AA- Aa1 AA- 23 235,102 12/31/16
6 Deutsche Apotheker- und Ärztebank Germany AA- Aa1 AA- 23 40,661 12/31/16
7 TD Bank Canada AA- Aa2 AA- 22 878,137 10/31/16
8 Pictet & Cie Switzerland AA- Aa2 N/R 21.5 34,092 12/31/15
9 Royal Bank of Canada Canada AA A1 AA- 21 880,592 10/31/16
10 Rabobank Netherlands AA- Aa2 A+ 21 698,422 12/31/16
11 ANZ Group Australia AA- Aa3 AA- 21 698,054 9/30/16
12 Commonwealth Bank of Australia Australia AA- Aa3 AA- 21 692,914 6/30/16
13 Nordea Sweden AA- Aa3 AA- 21 648,950 12/31/16
14 Westpac Australia AA- Aa3 AA- 21 640,319 9/30/16
15 National Australia Bank Australia AA- Aa3 AA- 21 593,333 9/30/16
16 Swedbank Sweden AA- Aa3 AA- 21 237,713 12/31/16
17 First Abu Dhabi Bank UAE AA- Aa3 AA- 21 185,799 12/31/16
18 Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong A+ Aa2 AA- 21 177,617 12/31/16
19 AgriBank United States AA- Aa3 AA- 21 102,563 12/31/16
20 Fédération des Caisses Desjardins Canada AA- Aa2 A+ 21 100,289 12/31/16
21 U.S. Bancorp United States AA A1 A+ 20 445,964 12/31/16
22 SEB Sweden AA- Aa3 A+ 20 289,184 12/31/16
23 DNB Norway N/R Aa2 A+ 20 281,136 9/30/16
24 HSBC France France AA- A1 AA- 20 178,584 12/31/16
25 CoBank United States AA- N/R AA- 20 126,131 12/31/16
26 National Bank of Kuwait Kuwait AA- Aa3 A+ 20 79,073 12/31/16
27 OP Corporate Bank Finland N/R Aa3 AA- 20 65,256 9/30/16
28 AgFirst United States AA- N/R AA- 20 32,058 12/31/16
29 LGT Bank Liechtenstein N/R Aa2 A+ 20 29,079 12/31/16
30 Farm Credit Bank of Texas United States AA- Aa3 N/R 20 21,222 12/31/16
31 Bank für Sozialwirtschaft Germany AA- N/R AA- 20 8,982 12/31/16
32 Scotiabank Canada AA- A1 A+ 19 668,706 10/31/16
33 Bank of Montreal Canada AA- A1 A+ 19 513,269 10/31/16
34 CIBC Canada AA- A1 A+ 19 374,063 10/31/16
35 Qatar National Bank Qatar AA- Aa3 A 19 197,718 12/31/16
36 HSBC Holdings United Kingdom AA- A1 A 18 2,374,986 12/31/16
37 UBS Switzerland A Aa3 A+ 18 998,995 12/31/16
38 ING Netherlands A+ A1 A+ 18 889,553 12/31/16
39 Banque Fédérative du Crédit Mutuel France A+ Aa3 A 18 517,913 12/31/16
40 BNY Mellon United States AA- A1 A 18 333,469 12/31/16
41 Nationwide Building Society United Kingdom A+ Aa3 A 18 275,935 4/04/16
42 Shinhan Bank South Korea A Aa3 A+ 18 250,604 12/31/16
43 State Street United States AA- A1 A 18 242,698 12/31/16
44 Northern Trust United States AA- A2 A+ 18 123,927 12/31/16
45 Banco Santander Chile Chile A+ Aa3 A 18 55,493 12/31/16
46 Suncorp-Metway Australia A+ A1 A+ 18 47,242 6/30/16
47 Kiwibank New Zealand AA- A1 A 18 13,743 6/30/16
48 BNP Paribas France A+ A1 A 17 2,189,268 12/31/16
49 Wells Fargo United States AA- A2 A 17 1,930,115 12/31/16
50 Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Japan A A1 A+ 17 1,903,411 3/31/16
Note: Ratings valid on July 31, 2017

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