Global Finance Names The World’s 50 Safest Banks 2015

NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2015 — Global Finance has announced its 24th annual ranking of the World’s 50 Safest Banks. The full list of the 2015 safest banks appears on the following pages and will be published in the November issue.


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Despite the still-challenging economic environment in Europe, the continent’s banks continue to dominate the top spots on the World’s Safest Banks 2015 ranking. Germany’s KfW has once again taken the top spot, followed by Zurcher Kantonalbank of Switzerland and Germany’s Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank. However, European firms no longer hold all of the top positions. TD Bank Group, of Canada, has continued its upward march—and this year has taken a coveted spot on the top-10 list—moving up from 11th place last year to take over 10th position from French bank Societe de Financement Locale (SFIL), which has dropped to 14th this year.

The three Singaporean banks that placed in the top-15 last year each moved up one place, to come in 11th (DBS), 12th (Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp) and 13th (United Overseas Bank). Australian banks rank well this year, taking positions 17 through 20.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has made a stellar showing this year, jumping up an astonishing 29 places in the rankings to go from 44th to 15th. The top-ranking US bank this year is AgriBank, which comes in at 30th.

New names on the list this year include Germany’s Deutsche Apotheker- und Arztebank, Banque Pictet & Cie of Switzerland, Kiwibank of New Zealand, Norway’s DNB and LGT Bank of Liechtenstein.

“There have been some big changes in the Safest Banks ranking for 2015—reflecting the volatile markets within which many banks are now operating,” says Global Finance publisher and editorial director Joseph D. Giarraputo.

“Geopolitical risk continues to be a concern in regions as diverse as Europe, the Middle East and Asia. This ranking offers companies and investors an objective tool for evaluating the stability and security of the world’s banks—both globally and by region,” Giarraputo notes.

Global Finance’s annual ranking of World’s 50 Safest Banks have been the recognized and trusted standard of financial counterparty safety for more than 20 years. Winners were selected through an evaluation of long-term foreign currency ratings—from Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch—and total assets of the 500 largest banks worldwide.

In addition to the World’s 50 Safest Banks, the full report also includes the following rankings: World’s 50 Safest Commercial Banks, Safest Banks by Country, 50 Safest Banks in Emerging Markets, Safest Islamic Financial Institutions in the GCC, Safest Banks by Region (Asia, Australasia, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America, Middle East/Africa, North America and Western Europe) and Safest Emerging Markets Banks by Region (Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa).

The full results of this exclusive survey will be published in the November issue of Global Finance. The safest banks will be presented awards at a special ceremony to be held during the Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Lima, Peru on October 10.

Rank

Bank Name

Country

1 KfW Germany
2 Zürcher Kantonalbank Switzerland
3 Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank Germany
4 L-Bank Germany
5 Bank Nederlandse Gemeenten Netherlands
6 Nederlandse Waterschapsbank Netherlands
7 NRW.BANK Germany
8 Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations France
9 Banque et Caisse d’Epargne de l’Etat Luxembourg
10 TD Bank Group Canada
11 DBS Bank Singapore
12 Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp Singapore
13 United Overseas Bank Singapore
14 Société de Financement Locale (SFIL) France
15 Banque Cantonale Vaudoise** Switzerland
16 Royal Bank of Canada Canada
17 National Australia Bank Australia
18 Commonwealth Bank of Australia Australia
19 ANZ Group Australia
20 Westpac Australia
21 DZ BANK Germany
22 Svenska Handelsbanken Sweden
23 Deutsche Apotheker- und Ärztebank* Germany
24 Banque Pictet & Cie* Switzerland
25 Rabobank Netherlands
26 Nordea Sweden
27 Bank of Nova Scotia Canada
28 Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong
29 National Bank of Abu Dhabi UAE
30 AgriBank United States
31 Caisse centrale Desjardins Canada
32 Kiwibank* New Zealand
33 China Development Bank China
34 Sparkassen-Finanzgruppe (Sparkasse) Germany
35 Bank of Montreal Canada
36 Agricultural Development Bank of China China
37 Export-Import Bank of China China
38 CIBC Canada
39 DNB* Norway
40 Korea Development Bank South Korea
41 HSBC France France
42 Industrial Bank of Korea South Korea
43 Pohjola Bank Finland
44 Qatar National Bank Qatar
45 CoBank United States
46 National Bank of Kuwait Kuwait
47 Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) South Korea
48 BancoEstado Chile
49 LGT Bank* Liechtenstein
50 AgFirst United States

* New entry to the ranking
** Greatest gain over position on the 2014 list

Ratings current as of August 14, 2015


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About Global Finance

Global Finance, founded in 1987, has a circulation of 50,050 and readers in 180 countries. Global Finance’s audience includes senior corporate and financial officers responsible for making investment and strategic decisions at multinational companies and financial institutions. Global Finance also targets the 8,000 international portfolio investors responsible for more than 80% of all global assets under professional management.

Its website — GFMag.com — offers analysis and articles that are the heritage of 28 years of experience in international financial markets. Global Finance is headquartered in New York, with offices around the world. Global Finance regularly selects the top performers among banks and other providers of financial services. These awards have become a trusted standard of excellence for the global financial community.

For editorial information please contact:
Andrea Fiano | afiano@gfmag.com

To obtain rights to use Global Finance’s World’s Best Banks 2015 logo, please contact:
Chris Giarraputo | chris@gfmag.com

The unauthorized use of Global Finance Award logos is strictly prohibited.

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