The performance of banking sectors in the eurozone’s two largest countries can be illustrated by the number of banks and total assets of French and German banks in The Banker’s Top 1000 World Banks ranking over the past decade.
Back in 2011, the total assets held by German banks and French banks in the Top 1000 were broadly similar, with German banks holding $7.7tn and French banks holding $8.7tn in assets, despite the fact that Germany had 36 banks in the ranking compared with just seven French banks.