Banco do Brasil tops Latin America’s top 200 rankings and pushes last year’s leading bank, Itaú Unibanco, into second place. The former expanded Tier 1 capital by 12.3%, while the latter saw a reduction of 7.88%.
Editor's choice
Brazilian banks have very much staked their claim in the top five banks by Tier 1 capital, with Bradesco, Banco Santander Brasil and Caixa Economic Federal comfortably in third, fourth and fifth places, respectively, unmoved from a year ago.
Some excitement is provided, however, further down the list. Bancolombia has jumped to ninth position from 12th it held previously, with a Tier 1 capital of $5.12bn, 42.5% higher than the previous year. Its acquisition of HSBC’s business in Panama in February will no doubt give a further boost to the Medellín-based lender in next year’s rankings. HSBC Bank Panama currently displays a $794m Tier 1 capital and sits in 55th place.
Chile’s Banco Consorcio is the lender with the most improved Tier 1 capital – 179.7% higher than a year earlier. With a 163.8% increase, Mexico’s Banco Invex has expanded its assets the most in the region. Peru’s Banco de la Nación has achieved the highest return on capital with a jaw-dropping 62.4%, followed by the Argentine operations of Santander, Banco Santander Rio (61.9%), and Citibank (61%). The return on assets table also shows some impressive performances: 13.5% by Mexican microfinance specialist Banco Compartamos; 9.42% by Brazil’s Banco Original; and 7.83% by Banco de San Juan in Argentina.