The same banks have remained at the top of the list of the largest banks since 2017. The largest banks in Europe are still the U.K.’s HSBC followed by French financial institutions BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole. The leading European bank, HSBC has total assets of approximately $2,470 billion. By the end of 2017 there were 6,250 banks operating in Europe.
We have also researched for those lists:
- Largest Banks in the Middle East
- largest African Banks in the world
- Largest Chinese Banks in the world
Which are the World’s Largest Banks?
The following list of largest banks in the world is ranked according to total assets and not market capitalization.
China Construction Bank Corporation
China Construction Bank Corporation Beijing-based commercial bank provides comprehensive banking services to personal and business customers through its 14,977 outlets. They have commercial banking branches and subsidiaries in 29 countries.
Agricultural Bank of China
AgBank is one of China’s “Big Four” and has 24,000 branches serving 320 million retail customers and 2.7 million corporate customers. They have branches in London, New York, Tokyo, Frankfort, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong and mainland China. The bank operates in four segments – corporate finance; personal finance; treasury segment and asset management segment.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (Mitsubishi)
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (Mitsubishi) – This Japanese financial services group is a holding company providing financial and investment services including trust banking, commercial banking, assets management services and international finance. Listed on the Tokyo, Nagoya and New York stock exchanges MUFG has capital of 2,141 billion Yen as of September 2019.
Bank of China
One of China’s “Big Four” and at one time China’s only bank. Today they specialize in foreign exchange transactions and have the largest presence in China’s international banking operations. They have an international presence in financial centers across the globe and act as a clearing house for the Chinese currency.
J.P. Morgan Chase
J.P. Morgan Chase – This giant U.S. multinational investment bank and holding company is the largest bank in the U.S. They provide diverse financial services to consumers, large and small companies, governments and institutions. With 250,000 employees the bank has a presence in over 100 markets.
HSBC Holdings PLC.
HSBC Holdings PLC – This British multinational investment bank and holding company operates in 65 countries and territories. Their four global business groups – Retail Banking and Wealth Management; Global Banking and Markets and Commercial Banking serve more than 40 million customers worldwide.
BNP Paribas
The French international banking group BNP Paribas is the largest bank in the Eurozone. They focus on retail banking and services plus corporate institutional banking offering a wide range of financial services to customers around the world.
Bank of America
Bank of America – This multinational investment and financial services company is the second largest in the U.S. and one of the Big Four providing services such as investing, asset management, risk management, online banking and more. Their comprehensive services are offered to individual consumers, large corporations and small and middle-market businesses.
Which are the UK’s Largest Banks?
HSBC
HSBC – Originally established in 1865 in Honk Kong to facilitate financial trade between Europe and Asia HSBC has grown into a multinational investment and holding company providing diverse financial services to 40 million customers worldwide. In preparation for Brexit they plan to move some of their U.K.-based investment bankers to Paris but maintain their head office in London.
Royal Bank of Scotland
RBS offers financial products and services to personal and commercial customers and large corporations and institutions through several brands that include NatWest; Isle of Man Bank and Lombard, among others. They are based in Edinburgh but support their customers in accessing international markets. As RBS is largely U.K.-focused Brexit will not impact them as much as other large British banks.
Lloyds Banking Group
This well-known 260-year old British bank provides personal, business, private and international banking services with products that include investing; home, motor and life insurance; mortgages; loans; cards and accounts. Lloyds is also one of Britain’s Big Four clearing banks and has 1,300 branches in the U.K. with additional offices in 45 countries around the world.
Barclays
Barclays – This multinational investment bank and financial services company operates in four main areas – corporate banking; personal banking; wealth management and investment management. Recently they’ve put an emphasis on FinTech and innovation. In anticipation of Brexit they have expanded their existing subsidiary, Barclays Bank Ireland in order to continue providing services to clients following the departure from the EU.
