Western and eastern European banks' capital positions diverge

In 2021, the total Tier 1 capital of the top 10 lenders in western Europe reached $910.89bn — down just over 4% from $952.99bn the previous year. Only Barclays and Crédit Mutuel saw their Tier 1 capital rise year on year. BNP Paribas saw the biggest fall in dollar terms, down from $121.98bn to $113.93bn.

HSBC sits comfortably at the top of the Tier 1 capital ranking for western Europe, with a capital position of $156.29bn, down 2.4% from the year previous. Crédit Agricole, BNP Paribas and Banco Santander maintain second, third and fourth spots, respectively. Barclays, helped by a 5.3% increase in its Tier 1 capital, overtakes Group BPCE to take fifth spot, with the latter moving to sixth. Intesa Sanpaolo drops out of the top 10, after recording a 15.9% decrease in Tier 1.

Meanwhile, the total Tier 1 capital of the 10 largest lenders in central and eastern Europe (CEE) has reached $156.194bn in 2021, up 5.6% year-on-year. Every bank in the top 10 ranking saw their capital rise, apart from the three Polish banks — PKO Bank Polski, Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego and Bank Pekao.

Western Europe top 10 banks ($m)

CEE top 10 banks ($m)

To access the full results, please go to Top 1000 World Banks.