The Banker asks 77 banks around the world what their outlook and strategies are for the next five years and the prospects for the banking system in the country in which they operate.

Western Europe provides the largest group of banks in our analysis: 380 (58.9% of the total). However, smaller banks again predominate with only one bank from the region appearing in the European Top 30 (by Tier 1 capital) and only 10 making the Top 100. This is also perhaps indicative of the limited opportunity for growth in the more mature markets of western Europe and certainly indicative of the recent economic slowdown in the region.

South Europe is the combination of the south-east Europe grouping (which includes Greece, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Albania, Macedonia and Serbia & Montenegro) and the remaining countries of the former Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina and including Republika Srpska, and Kosovo).

The east European grouping consists of 145 banks (22.4% of the total) and is essentially drawn from the European countries of the CIS.
The top 25 is dominated by Russian banks which, as previously mentioned, are achieving rapid growth rates in this post-crisis period in which the banking sector is under better management and the economy is expanding soundly.

Spain’s finance minister, Rodrigo Rato, talks to Karina Robinson about the government’s continued efforts in transforming the country into a dynamic European front player.
‘‘If a few years ago someone had said that Iberia would perform better
than Swissair, I wouldn’t have believed it. Or that Banco Popular would
be admired by all. Or that while France and Germany perform worse than
others, Spain is doing well,’’ says Javier Valls, chairman of
Madrid-based Banco Popular. Europe no longer stops at the Pyrenees, as
that oft-used phrase had it a few decades ago. Not only is Iberia
posting profits while Swissair went bankrupt a couple of years ago, but
Spain also boasts world-class banks such as Banco Popular, BBVA and
Santander Central Hispano, world-class corporations like Telefónica and
oil company Repsol, while its adherence to fiscal rectitude – resulting
in an AAA rating – has produced stronger growth than many of its
northern neighbours.