For South Africa’s banking sector, the largest in Africa, 2014 passed in a similar vein to 2013 – both years were dominated by the weak performance of the national economy and the ensuing volatility of the rand. In 2013, the rand lost 13% of its value against the dollar, and though 2014 did not see another rapid depreciation, rand volatility remained high.
This hampered the ability of South Africa’s banks to improve their capital adequacy. Four out of its top five lenders have fallen in the Top 1000 World Banks 2015 ranking, with a sixth, African Bank, dropping out of the table entirely.
Standard Bank remains the continent’s largest bank, though it has dropped from 116th to 123rd in the overall ranking and its Tier 1 capital has fallen slightly from $10.56bn to $10.18bn. FirstRand has held its regional ranking position and increased its capital slightly, but Nedbank Group has dropped from 195th position to 216th and has seen its capital base drop to $4.76bn, from $5.11bn. Barclays Africa Group, previously known as Absa Group, would have come third in the African rankings with a Tier 1 capital base of $6.09bn, but is excluded from the main ranking as it is a subsidiary of the UK's Barclays.
Elsewhere, Togo-based pan-African lender Ecobank has improved significantly on its 2013 performance, climbing 90 places to 306th and increasing its capital adequacy by 50%. Nigeria’s banks endured a difficult close to 2014, as the significant slump in oil prices caused havoc with the country's economy. Zenith Bank has held its position as the sixth largest bank in Africa, and First Bank of Nigeria has risen from 424th to 371st on the global list. However, Nigeria’s Guaranty Trust Bank has dropped from 415th to 449th, with its capital base decreasing from $1.95bn to $1.78bn. Access Bank, Fidelity Bank and United Bank for Africa have also slipped down the rankings, though Diamond Bank joins the African top 25 at 579th in the global rankings.
North African banks have had a reasonably solid year, with Morocco’s Attjariwafa climbing to fourth place in the African rankings, exchanging places with local rival Groupe Banques Populaire.
