Banks are a financial institution critical to our economy and their primary function is to put their account holders’ money to use by lending it out to others. There are several different kinds of banks including retail banks, commercial or corporate banks, and investment banks.
But which is the biggest bank in the world? There are many ways to measure a bank’s size, but it’s usually measured by the number of assets and a metric called “Tier 1 capital” to compare.
Below is a list of the world’s ten largest banks across Asia, Europe, and America. See how do U.S. Banks compare to them!
Top 10 World’s Largest Banks By Assets
| 1 | Industrial & Commercial Bank of China | $4.03 trillion | China |
| 2 | China Construction Bank Corp. | $3.38 trillion | China |
| 3 | Agricultural Bank of China | $3.29 trillion | China |
| 4 | Bank of China | $3.09 trillion | China |
| 5 | Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group | $2.81 trillion | Japan |
| 6 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $2.62 trillion | United States |
| 7 | HSBC Holdings | $2.56 trillion | United Kingdom |
| 8 | Bank of America | $2.35 trillion | United States |
| 9 | BNP Paribas SA | $2.34 trillion | France |
| 10 | Crédit Agricole Group | $2.12 trillion | France |
1. ICBC
| Assests: $4.03 trillion | Return to Assets: 1.08% |
ICBC is headquartered in Beijing, it’s a multinational Chinese banking company founded in 1984. It provides banking services to China and more than 40 other countries across six continents.
ICBC was positioned at 1st in the ranked by Forbes as the world’s largest public company.
2. China Construction Bank Corp.
| Assests: $3.38 trillion | Return to Assets: 1.1% |
China Construction Bank Corporation (CCB) is based in Beijing, China. They are considered one of the “Big Four” Chinese state-owned banks that operates in 29 countries and regions.
They provide different services from provides corporate, commercial, and personal banking services.
3. Agricultural Bank of China
| Assests: $3.29 trillion | Return to Assets: 0.9% |
It’s the third member of the “Big Four” banks in China. With over 300 million retail customers and services a range of international locations from Sydney to Seoul.
4. Bank of China
| Assests: $3.09 trillion | Return to Assets: 0.9% |
The oldest and most international of the Chinese “Big Four” banks is Bank of China. They offer services like insurance, pension, investment banking, and other services to personal, commercial, and corporate clients across six continents.
5. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
| Assests: $2.81 trillion | Return to Assets: 0.31% |
Located in Tokyo, Japan, Mitsubishi UFJ operates in over 50 countries and regions across the world. Mitsubishi UFJ offers a wide range of products and services that include asset management and personal banking.
6. JP Morgan Chase & Co
| Assests: $2.62 trillion | Return to Assets: 1.24% |
JP Morgan Chase has a variety of clients from individuals to giant corporations in over 100 markets. They are also a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average stock market index since they’re a leader in investment and commercial banking.
7. HSBC Holdings
| Assests: $2.56 trillion | Return to Assets: 0.78% |
HSBC is based in London, U.K. They offer different services for retail banking and wealth management, commercial banking, global banking and markets, and global private banking.
8. Bank of America
| Assests: $2.35 trillion | Return to Assets: 1.2% |
Bank of America is one of the most well known banks in the U.S. with more than 5,000 locations and 16,000 ATMs nationwide. They are the second-largest American bank and they offer offering unique features and banking services to consumer and small business clients as well as providing services to corporations and governments.
9. BNP Paribas SA
| Assests: $2.34 trillion | Return to Assets: 0.39% |
BNP Paribas is one of the top banks based in Europe with locations at 72 countries and they provide traditional lending and banking services. Plus investment banking and savings and protection insurance.
10. Crédit Agricole Group S.A.
| Assests: $2.12 trillion | Return to Assets: 0.4% |
The French bank Crédit Agricole is a real estate investor, lender, and asset manager that serves serves multinational corporates as well as individuals through 11,000 branches worldwide.
Top 10 World’s Largest Banks By Tier 1 Capital
Tier 1 capital is when the core capital funds a bank uses to operate on a daily basis. It’s made up of shareholder’s equity and retained earnings.
| Rank | Bank Name | Country | $bn Tier 1 Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ICBC | China | $337.54 |
| 2 | China Construction Bank | China | $287.46 |
| 3 | Agricultural Bank of China | China | $242.90 |
| 4 | Bank of China | China | $229.97 |
| 5 | JP Morgan Chase & Co | US | $209.09 |
| 6 | Bank of America | US | $189.04 |
| 7 | Wells Fargo & Co | US | $167.87 |
| 8 | Citigroup | US | $158.12 |
| 9 | HSBC Holdings | UK | $147.14 |
| 10 | Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group | Japan | $146.74 |
Top 10 Largest Banks In The U.S.
| Rank | Bank Name | Total Assets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $2.74 trillion |
| 2 | Bank of America Corp. | $2.38 trillion |
| 3 | Citigroup Inc. | $1.96 trillion |
| 4 | Wells Fargo & Co. | $1.89 trillion |
| 5 | Goldman Sachs Group Inc. | $925.35 billion |
| 6 | Morgan Stanley | $875.96 billion |
| 7 | U.S. Bancorp | $475.78 billion |
| 8 | PNC Financial Services Group Inc. | $392.84 billion |
| 9 | TD Group US Holdings LLC | $384.07 billion |
| 10 | Capital One Financial Corp. | $373.19 billion |
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Bottom Line
As you can see the in the list that JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America are the two largest banks in the U.S. However, China dominates the world’s largest bank list with the top four in both assets and tier 1 capital rankings.
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