Analysing banks' balance sheets across the world and finding a comparable figure for their Tier 1 capital across jurisdictions and accounting definitions is a demanding task. Accessing lenders' financial statements can, however, be even harder.
Merit has to go to The Banker's research team for continuously increasing the number of banks that register on our radar, as shown by the large number of new arrivals in the Top 1000 rankings this year. The US has the highest number of new entrants since the 2009 list, with 39 banks, while China follows close behind with a total of 36 lenders. Not all are simply the result of wider research efforts, changes in Tier 1 capital or de-mergers.
The top spot in the chart is indeed held by a new entity, France's Groupe BPCE. It was created out of the merger between Banques Populaires and the Caisse d'Epargne, which had been talked about since 1996. The first step towards such a transaction took place in 2006, with the creation of the banks' joint investment and corporate business subsidiary, Natixis.
BPCE's considerable $54bn Tier 1 capital ranks it within the second percentile of the global ranking. Debt capital markets have become highly familiar with BPCE's name, despite its relatively recent creation, as the group has been actively raising funds to pay back state aid and has been tapping the highly challenging hybrid market with aggressive structures: a strong start for France's new third most-solid lender.
The US's top new bank is also a new financial institution. Second in this ranking and 51st in the global listing, GMAC, also known as Ally Financial, started as a financier to automotive dealers and consumers in 1919. In 2008 the company changed into a bank holding and the following year it launched its online retail banking business.
Thanks to higher Tier 1 capital disclosure, Japan's Nomura Holdings also appears in the ranking and is our third highest new entrant.
New arrivals in the top 1000 ($m)
