The latest ranking of EU banks shows balance sheets and capital have shrunk for most on the back of a weakening euro, while Spanish banks managed to increase their profitability and specialised banks emerged with the highest returns. 

Weak economic growth has lowered profitability across the Caribbean Community and Common Market, but the strong Trinidadian banking market and good results elsewhere offer some good news in the region.

Central and eastern European banks in the EU faced a sluggish 2013, but Poland led the region in terms of growth and the Czech Republic in terms of returns. Baltic banks are also starting to rise to the challenge.

There might not be much movement among the top positions in this year’s Top 100 Association of South-East Asian Nations Banks ranking, but Filipino lenders are on the rise, while Indonesia’s banks boast the highest returns. 

While BAC Panama remained in top position, other Colombian-owned lenders fared less well in the Top 100 Central American Banks ranking, leaving the way open for Panamanian, Costa Rican and Guatemalan banks to make up ground.

Wells Fargo has maintained its lead in The Banker's Top 500 Banking Brands survey, but it is the impressive performance of China's leading lenders, many of which have gained several places in the ranking, that really stands out.

Russia's banks endured a tough 2013, as shown by the results in The Banker's Top 100 ranking, with the picture only likely to get bleaker when the impact of a turbulent 2014 is known.

This year’s Top 200 Latin American banks ranking sees Brazil’s behemoth banks reducing in size, while Argentine and Venezuelan lenders continue to show jaw-dropping profitability ratios.

Banks across the Arab world are prospering, according to The Banker’s Top 100 Arab banks ranking, thanks to the health of the financial sector despite ongoing political and security risks in some areas.