Forty years after BankAmerica topped The Banker's first global bank rankings in 1970, the US-based bank has once again taken the number one spot in 2010. While Bank of America, JPMorgan and Barclays all participated in 1970 and 2010, this 40th anniversary of the listings shows that much else has changed in the sector. The Banker's editor emeritus Stephen Timewell reports.

While Chinese banks continued to dominate The Banker's Asian ranking in terms of number and profits, Australia also put in a standout performance, recording the second highest Tier 1 capital despite only accounting for a small proportion of the region's banks. Writer Michelle Price

There were mixed fortunes for Saudi Arabia's 12 banks, with 2008's most profitable brands retaining their positions with modest growth, impressive gains for NCB, some disappointing declines, while just one institution posted a loss.

All but three of the Top 75 central American banks remained in profit last year according to The Banker's ranking, with Panama recording stand-out results.

As the central bank of Russia tightens capital requirements, the country's Top 50 banks look set to continue accumulating capital and assets at the expense of smaller players. Writer Philip Alexander

Using hard data to gauge which international finance centres are leading the world, The Banker's ranking tables make for some fascinating - and often surprising - insights. Writer Silvia Pavoni

The Banker's Top 100 African Banks ranking shows Nigerian banks chipping away at the dominance of their South African counterparts, a situation that will look very different once the recent bailouts in the west African country are taken into account. Writer Charlie Corbett

Although the pre-tax profits of Latin American banks have slipped, Tier 1 capital figures have grown by 14% and Brazil has firmly held onto its regional dominance. Writer Silvia Pavoni