The alarmist news stories, however, have obscured the healthy state of the banks and of many of the local economies, as evidenced in this year’s compilation of the Top 25 in Latin America.
Putting aside the usual rivalry between Brazilian banks Banco Itaú and Banco Bradesco (whereby the latter replaced its rival in first place in the Top 25 Latin American banks and rose to a 69th world ranking from 107 in 2005) what is most striking is the huge jump in the three top banks’ Tier 1 capital.
