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.
In the rest of the country top 10 there is minimal movement, as Industrial Bank climbs one place to eighth, pushing Shanghai Pudong Development Bank down to ninth.
The slowdown in the pace of growth in China is apparent further down the table. The highest mover in the 2019 ranking is Bank of Guangzhou, which saw its Tier 1 capital increase by 51.55% in 2018. However, this is way below the 106.55% increase recorded by Guangdong Huaxing Bank in the 2018 ranking, when a 51% increase in capital was only enough to claim ninth position.
Even though there are only two new Chinese entrants this year, one of them is hugely significant for banking in the country, with Ant Financial’s MYbank ranking in 881st place globally. The online-only bank has $685m in Tier 1 capital, making it the 146th biggest bank in China.
To find the highest levels in return on capital (ROC) in China requires looking further down the rankings. Bank of Taizhou takes the top position, with a 28.69% return. China Merchants Bank is the only bank in the Chinese top 25 to be in the top five by ROC, with a 15.65% increase.
Top 25: China ($M)
Country Rank | World Rank | Bank | Tier 1 Capital |
1 | 1 | ICBC | 337,539 |
2 | 2 | China Construction Bank | 287,461 |
3 | 3 | Agricultural Bank of China | 242,895 |
4 | 4 | Bank of China | 229,970 |
5 | 11 | Bank of Communications | 101,435 |
6 | 19 | China Merchants Bank | 75,392 |
7 | 22 | Postal Savings Bank of China | 68,555 |
8 | 23 | Industrial Bank | 68,078 |
9 | 24 | Shanghai Pudong Development Bank | 67,941 |
10 | 26 | China Citic Bank | 64,397 |
11 | 28 | China Minsheng Bank | 62,270 |
12 | 39 | China Everbright Bank | 46,666 |
13 | 55 | Ping An Bank | 32,078 |
14 | 56 | Hua Xia Bank | 31,871 |
15 | 61 | Bank of Beijing | 28,271 |
16 | 68 | Bank of Shanghai | 23,507 |
17 | 73 | China Guangfa Bank | 22,898 |
18 | 92 | Bank of Jiangsu | 18,108 |
19 | 107 | China Zheshang Bank | 14,906 |
20 | 124 | Bank of Ningbo | 11,769 |
21 | 129 | Bank of Nanjing | 11,360 |
22 | 137 | Chongqing Rural Commercial Bank | 10,362 |
23 | 142 | Huishang Bank | 10,148 |
24 | 156 | Shanghai Rural Commercial Bank | 9,316 |
25 | 170 | Bank of Hangzhou | 8,327 |
Highest Movers: China
Country Rank | World Rank | Bank | Tier 1 Capital %ch. | Tier 1 Capital $m |
1 | 223 | Bank of Guangzhou | 51.55 | 5,512 |
2 | 313 | Bank of Gansu | 43.46 | 3,651 |
3 | 449 | Bank of Liuzhou | 41.62 | 2,192 |
4 | 651 | Bank of Qinghai | 38.74 | 1,278 |
5 | 780 | Nantong Rural Commercial Bank | 38.55 | 908 |
6 | 124 | Bank of Ningbo | 34.86 | 11,769 |
7 | 237 | Bank of Guiyang | 33.75 | 5,191 |
8 | 73 | China Guangfa Bank | 32.98 | 22,898 |
9 | 258 | Jiangxi Bank | 32.94 | 4,718 |
10 | 356 | Hubei Bank | 29.44 | 3,016 |
Top Five ROC: China
Country Rank | World Rank | Bank | Return on capital % latest |
1 | 423 | Bank of Taizhou | 28.69 |
2 | 496 | Zhejiang Tailong Commercial Bank | 21.32 |
3 | 300 | Shenzhen Rural Commercial Bank | 16.00 |
4 | 401 | Guangdong Nanhai Rural Commercial Bank | 15.77 |
5 | 19 | China Merchants Bank | 15.65 |
New Entrants: China ($M)
World Rank | Bank | Tier 1 Capital ($M) |
546 | Jiangmen Rural Commercial Bank | 1,686 |
881 | MYBank | 685 |