As The Banker reported in last year’s Top 100 Russian banks ranking, 2014 was one of the most challenging years in the recent past for Russia’s lenders. The country's banking sector was squeezed by the tumbling rouble as well as international sanctions and this year’s ranking reflects that – the total profits of Russia’s top 100 banks slumped to $6.52bn, down from $26.9bn the year before. Similarly, Tier 1 capital dropped to $98.65bn; it was $132.75bn at the end of 2013.
The drastic drop in profitability translated into a much lower return on capital (ROC), which dropped to 6.61% from 20.3% in 2013.
