Top 1000 World Banks - Slowing growth in China cannot prevent banks' global dominance

China’s big four state banks take the top four spots in the Top 1000 again, with their Tier 1 capital growing between 2.46% and 11.37% on last year's results. However, this marks a slowdown on the increase recorded in the 2018 ranking. Kimberley Long reports.

by Kimberley Long

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China’s banks continue their dominance of the Top 1000, with ICBC taking the top spot in both the Chinese and global rankings with Tier 1 capital of $338bn in 2018, a 4.14% increase, while China Construction Bank – in second place in both – increased its Tier 1 capital by 5.6% to $287bn. Agricultural Bank of China's Tier 1 capital climbed 11.37% to $243bn to see it snatch third place. This pushes Bank of China down into fourth, with its $230bn in Tier 1 capital representing a growth of 2.46%

Bank of Communications holds onto 11th place in the overall ranking, and fifth place in the country ranking, despite seeing its Tier 1 capital decline by 1.36%. It is the only bank in the top 50 ranked Chinese lenders to see its capital drop.

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Kimberley Long

Kimberley Long is the Asia editor at The Banker. She joined from Euromoney, where she spent four years as transaction services editor. She has a BA in English Language and Literature from the University of Liverpool, and an MA in Print Journalism from the University of Sheffield. Between degrees she spent a year teaching English in Japan as part of the JET Programme.

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