High returns on assets are often shown by emerging markets, but this was not always true in the 2016 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking, with the US showing strongly in this field.

The trend in falling loan-to-deposit ratios continued in the 2016 Top 1000 World Banks ranking, as the aggregate ratio dipped.

Asia-Pacific, North America and western Europe continue to dominate the Top 1000 in terms of Tier 1 capital share and the number of banks. Elsewhere, the Middle East shows some growth, but Africa and central and eastern Europe are going backwards.

The dollar’s resilience has helped the US produce a large number of new arrivals in the 2016 Top 1000 World Banks ranking, while healthy numbers of European and Asian banks have returned to the list.

While US and Chinese banks continue to dominate the income tables, some of the more notable performances come from the UK (HSBC), Japan (Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group) and Russia (Sberbank).

Russian banks have suffered through the stormy financial conditions of the past two years, but its lenders remain the largest in the central and eastern Europe region. However, Romania, and Banca Transilvania in particular, provide the region's good news story.

Almost all the leading Japanese lenders have moved up the ranking thanks to strong growth in Tier 1 capital, while its three mega-banks continue to dominate the country ranking.

Most of the big names held fast in North America, with JPMorgan still out in front and only a little movement further down the rankings.

Australian banks maintain a firm grip on the top four places in the Asia-Pacific (excluding China and Japan) rankings, while new entrants from Taiwan and climbers from India make their mark.