Double-digit asset and Tier 1 capital growth indicate a return to better days for banks in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 2017. The recovering global oil price and domestic reforms in some of the region’s bigger economies contributed to an improving operating environment. After a sharp decline in assets and capital 2015, the recovery seen in 2016 has continued at a steady pace.
The Top 100 CIS banks’ assets as a whole grew by 6.82%, while aggregate Tier 1 capital growth was 16.07%, outstripping broader economic growth, and with little change from 6.88% asset and 16.12% Tier 1 capital growth in 2016. Overall assets totalled $199.03bn, with Tier 1 capital standing at $21.04bn. Aggregate return on assets (ROA) across the banks was 1.28%, up from 0.61% in 2016. (The figures do not include Russian banks, which The Banker ranks separately.)