Banks from the Asia-Pacific region now make up 385 of The Banker’s 2021 Top 1000 World Banks ranking, an increase of 13 institutions from last year, thanks to the strong performance of China’s leading lenders.
In contrast, the number of banks from North America decreased by five to 193 institutions, and the number of banks from the Middle East declined by four to 64. Despite the profit squeeze at many European banks, the number of banks from the region increased by three to 223.
In the 2021 Top 1000 World Banks ranking, China’s banks have managed to consolidate their leading position even further, with ICBC, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China and Bank of China holding the top four positions for the fourth year in a row.
Capital levels at Chinese banks continue to grow significantly, up 18.6% year-on-year, compared with the global average of 12.7%. They now account for 30% of global aggregate Tier 1 capital in the Top 1000, compared with 11% in 2011 and just 5% in 2001. And China accounts for 62% of Asia-Pacific’s Tier 1 capital, compared with 15% for Japan, the next largest contributor to the total.
The US is the only country in the Top 1000 ranking to feature more banks than China, although the gap is narrowing. China has 144 banks in this year’s ranking (compared with 143 last year) and the US has 178 (compared with 184).
