Share the article
twitter-iconcopy-link-iconprint-icon
share-icon

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.
Share the article
twitter-iconcopy-link-iconprint-icon
share-icon

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

Was this article helpful?

Thank you for your feedback!

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.
Read more articles from this author