A bank formed by a mega-merger in 2017 has moved the Middle East’s centre of gravity to the UAE. James King reports. 

Profitability is resurgent among western European landers, and there are strong showings from Asia-Pacific and North America. Stefanie Linhardt reports.

Western European institutions have seen a distinct improvement on their poor 2017 figures, with most top banks increasing their capitalisation. HSBC remains local leader but has ceded a place on the global ranking. Stefanie Linhardt reports.

Australian banks held on to the top Asia-Pacific rankings (excluding China and Japan) again, though Singapore’s DBS Bank moved up into the top five. Adrienne Klasa reports.

Japan’s banking behemoths have retained their dominance in the country rankings, with leader Mitsubishi UFJ Finanical Group also jumping a place in the global rankings, as Adrienne Klasa reports.

Russian banks dominate the central and eastern Europe rankings, taking the top places for Tier 1 capital, profitability and highest mover. However others experienced bailouts and nationalisations that pushed them down or out of the list, as Stefanie Linhardt reports.

Brazil may have been hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons, but its banks are still thriving. Meanwhile, Argentina dominates the return on capital table. Silvia Pavoni reports.

A more lax regulatory environment has given a boost to large US lenders, with the 'Big Four' of JPMorgan, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup all recording impressive performances in 2017. Silvia Pavoni reports.