The global banking sector has seen significant growth in recent years, with the market capitalization of the 100 largest banks reaching 7.4 trillion euros in early 2025. This marks the highest value observed since 2016, reflecting a strong recovery and expansion in the banking industry. The upward trend is particularly noteworthy given the fluctuations experienced in previous years, including the sharp decline during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Chinese banks dominate global rankings While market capitalization provides one measure of bank size, total assets offer another perspective. In 2023, Chinese banks occupied the top four positions globally based on total assets, with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) leading at approximately 6.3 trillion U.S. dollars. However, when ranked by market capitalization, JPMorgan Chase took the top spot, with ICBC falling to third place. This highlights the different metrics used to assess bank size and influence in the global financial landscape. China's banking sector continues to expand The growth in market capitalization of the world's largest banks is mirrored by the expansion of China's banking sector. By 2023, the number of banking institutions in China had reached 4,425, showing relative stability in recent years after a period of increase. Additionally, the value of bank assets in China amounted to over 50 trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, nearly tripling over the past decade. This rapid growth underscores China's increasing importance in the global banking industry and its potential influence on overall market capitalization trends.

In 2024, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) was the world's largest bank by total assets, reaching nearly 6.7 trillion U.S. dollars. The next three largest banks were also based in China: the Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Bank, and Bank of China. The largest non-Chinese bank that year was JPMorgan Chase, with total assets exceeding four trillion U.S. dollars. Largest bank by market capitalization The value of total assets is a common measure of a bank's prosperity, and is defined as all assets owned by the bank. Another common indicator is the bank's market capitalization, which is used to determine the size of the bank. The market capitalization is the market price of one share multiplied by the number of shares outstanding. Ranked by market capitalization instead of total assets, JPMorgan Chase was the largest bank in the world in 2024, while ICBC ranked third. How do digital banks compare? Digital banks have surged in popularity over the past decade, attracting millions of customers with their convenient mobile interfaces, lower fees, and innovative financial products. Despite this impressive user growth, their financial footprint remains dwarfed by traditional banking institutions. A prime example is WeBank, which despite boasting approximately 400 million users - making it the world's largest digital bank by customer count - managed total assets of only about 74 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

In 2024, the value of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China's assets amounted to **** trillion U.S. dollars. The bank was not only the largest bank in China but also the largest bank in the world. When the bank went public in Hong Kong, it was the most valuable IPO in history at the time. Banking industry in China As one of the world’s largest players, the Chinese banking industry documented an increase in total assets, reaching around *** trillion yuan in 2023. Although the banking sector in China developed as a state-owned and policy-driven industry in the early opening up and reforming period, today, it has evolved into a more diversified and competitive market. Most of the leading state-owned banks, such as the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, were restructured into joint-stock companies in the early 2000s, while a growing body of commercial banks started their operations on a regional level. In addition, more and more banks specialize in segmented areas. For instance, Ping An Bank grew the fastest as a private banking service provider, partly due to synergies with its well-established insurance business. Furthermore, the rapid-expanding internet economy allowed for the rise of non-physical banks like WeBank, which is backed by Tencent and China Zheshang Bank. A thriving yet chaotic digital payments market China’s financial industry is an early adopter of new technologies and innovations, and the fintech-empowered digital payments market in China is one of the fiercest battlefields in this sector. Companies with the most impressive performances are the third-party payment service operators backed by internet tycoons such as WeChat Pay and Alipay. Both had a user base of over *********** as of 2025. Confronted with the increasing threat of non-bank channel payments, traditional commercial banks have been pushing forward their digitalization transition. As of November 2024, monthly active app users of the Industrial and Commercial Bank amounted to almost ** million.

Deutsche Bank had the largest amount of total assets among German banks as of 2021. Other leading institutions included the DZ Bank and KfW. All of them are headquartered in Frankfurt. Deutsche Bank is the largest bank in the country, totaling over **** trillion euros in assets. Bank assets Germany is Europe’s largest economy, housing several banks of international importance which look back on a long history. By definition, assets are owned and have value. Banks hold assets in a variety of forms. The first one that undoubtedly comes to mind is cash; others include share certificates, consumer loans, equipment, property or land. These are further classified based on whether they bring value within a specified time period or not. While Deutsche Bank was ahead in Germany, it is worth noting that asset sums decreased in recent years. Leadership challenges Deutsche Bank is among the largest banks in the world as of 2021, based on assets, ranking **** in a list published by S&P Global. It also ranks among the ten leading banks in Europe, also referring to total assets. Future asset development, as for many banks around the world, is facing new pressure due to the continued effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and climbing inflation levels.

In 2024, JPMorgan Chase was the commercial bank with the highest revenue in the United States, with a total revenue of over 177 billion U.S. dollars. Bank of America and Wells Fargo followed, with 101.9 and 82.3 billion U.S. dollars, respectively. These three banks were also the largest banks in terms of total assets in the United States that year. Commercial banking A commercial bank is a bank that offers financial services to private customers and companies, such as accepting deposits, checking services or loans. Commercial banks earn money through interest rates on the loans that they offer. Such rates are significantly higher than the interest rates paid to the bank customers for depositing their assets in a bank. This difference in rates is called net interest income, which is one of the leading indicators of bank performance. Commercial vs investment banks Some banks specialize only in commercial or investment banking, while some banks combine both divisions in their operations. Investment banks specialize in managing assets of their clients, underwriting securities or supervising merger and acquisition transactions.

HSBC stood as Europe's only bank with a market capitalization exceeding 100 billion U.S. dollars as of December 31, 2024. The UK-based financial institution reached a market value of approximately ****** billion U.S. dollars, significantly ahead of its closest European competitor, UBS, which was valued at ***** billion U.S. dollars. Throughout the past decade, despite market fluctuations, HSBC has consistently maintained its position as Europe's most valuable bank by market capitalization. European banking: single representative in global elite Among the world's 15 largest banks by market capitalization in December 2024, HSBC was Europe's sole representative. JPMorgan Chase, headquartered in the United States, led the global rankings with a market value exceeding *** billion U.S. dollars. What is market capitalization? Market capitalization - calculated by multiplying a company's outstanding shares by its share price -serves as a widely used measure of company size. While this metric provides investors with an easily calculated indicator for risk assessment, it represents just one way to evaluate banks' performance. European banks can also be measured by other important metrics, including total assets, revenue, and cost-to-income ratio (CIR). These alternative measurements may paint a different picture of their relative strength and market position.

**** was the largest bank in the United Kingdom in 2024, boasting total assets of over ************** U.S. dollars. As of 2024, **** was also the largest bank in Europe, and it stood as one of the global banking industry's leading institutions. Barclays held the second highest value of assets in the UK, followed by Lloyds. Market capitalization of the banking sector in Europe and the UK A different measure, frequently employed to determine the size of a bank, is market capitalization, or the total dollar market value of a company's outstanding shares. Market capitalization is calculated from the current market price of one share and the number of shares outstanding for a company. In 2024, **** was the largest bank in terms of market capitalization trading on the London Stock Exchange and overall in Europe. What does HSBC do? HSBC is a British multinational bank and financial services institution headquartered in London, United Kingdom. The bank serves customers with commercial banking, global private banking, global banking and markets, and personal financial services. The largest geographical region of the bank, in terms of revenue generation, is Asia. At the end of 2024, the bank had roughly ******* employees around the world.

Turkmenistan: Bank concentration: percent of bank assets held by top three banks: The latest value from 2019 is 100 percent, unchanged from 100 percent in 2018. In comparison, the world average is 65.58 percent, based on data from 159 countries. Historically, the average for Turkmenistan from 2015 to 2019 is 100 percent. The minimum value, 100 percent, was reached in 2015 while the maximum of 100 percent was recorded in 2015.

Monaco: Bank concentration: percent of bank assets held by top three banks: The latest value from 2002 is 100 percent, an increase from 90.55 percent in 2001. In comparison, the world average is 73.24 percent, based on data from 131 countries. Historically, the average for Monaco from 2000 to 2002 is 92.61 percent. The minimum value, 87.27 percent, was reached in 2000 while the maximum of 100 percent was recorded in 2002.

As of January 14, 2025, the market capitalization of ************** amounted to ****** billion U.S. dollars, making it the largest bank in the United States. By this measure, the second-largest bank was ***************, followed by ***********. ************** and *************** are also the two largest banks in the world by market capitalization. What is market capitalization? Market capitalization, or stock market value, is the total value of shares issued by a publicly traded company. It reflects the equity value of a company. Market cap is calculated by multiplying the market price of one share by the number of shares outstanding. For example, the market cap of Bank of America can be calculated by multiplying its share price by the number of shares it has issued. Other measures of company size Total assets also allow to determine the size of a bank. Instead of focusing on the stock price, this metric measures the size of the bank’s operations by counting the size of its balance sheet. Bank revenue and income are also common indicators used to compare banks and their performance.

Financial Intermediary Funds (FIFs) are multilateral financing arrangements for which the World Bank provides Trustee services that include committing and transferring funds to project implementers (generally international organizations such as multilateral development banks or UN agencies). In all cases the World Bank as Trustee is required to act in accordance with instructions of independent governing bodies.

In fulfilling its responsibilities, the World Bank as Trustee complies with all sanctions applicable to World Bank transactions.

Funding Decisions represent amounts approved by the FIFs governing bodies for projects fees and administrative budgets. Funding to projects can be done through various financial products, including grants and concessional loans.

As of 2024, four banks in Ireland held assets exceeding 100 billion euros. Citibank Europe led the group with assets totaling ****** billion euros, making it the country’s largest bank. It was followed by Bank of Ireland, with approximately ****** billion euros in assets, and Allied Irish Banks (AIB), which ranked third with ****** billion euros.

Bermuda: Bank concentration: percent of bank assets held by top three banks: The latest value from 2021 is 96.63 percent, a decline from 96.87 percent in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 67.43 percent, based on data from 135 countries. Historically, the average for Bermuda from 2003 to 2021 is 97.57 percent. The minimum value, 94.46 percent, was reached in 2017 while the maximum of 100 percent was recorded in 2003.

France's banking sector continued to be dominated by traditional powerhouses in 2024, with BNP Paribas leading the pack. The bank's total assets reached an impressive 2.8 trillion U.S. dollars, solidifying its position as the largest bank in France. Crédit Agricole followed closely behind with 2.69 trillion U.S. dollars in assets, while Groupe BPCE and Société Générale rounded out the top four with assets exceeding 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars each. Financial performance and market presence BNP Paribas' leadership extends beyond total assets. The bank's market capitalization also saw substantial growth, reaching 79.3 billion euros in January 2024. This financial strength is further reflected in BNP Paribas' brand value, which exceeded 14 billion U.S. dollars in 2025, making it the most valuable French banking brand globally. Digital banking revolution While traditional banks maintain their dominance, the French banking landscape is experiencing a digital transformation. BoursoBank, a subsidiary of Société Générale, has emerged as the leading digital bank in France with 6.3 million customers in 2024. This growth aligns with the increasing penetration of online banking in France, which reached 72 percent in 2024, surpassing the EU average.

Macao: Bank concentration: percent of bank assets held by top three banks: The latest value from 2021 is 76.48 percent, an increase from 73.67 percent in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 67.43 percent, based on data from 135 countries. Historically, the average for Macao from 2000 to 2021 is 83.93 percent. The minimum value, 72.21 percent, was reached in 2016 while the maximum of 100 percent was recorded in 2005.

Lesotho: Bank concentration: percent of bank assets held by top three banks: The latest value from 2021 is 100 percent, an increase from 90.95 percent in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 67.43 percent, based on data from 135 countries. Historically, the average for Lesotho from 2000 to 2021 is 97.38 percent. The minimum value, 90.95 percent, was reached in 2020 while the maximum of 100 percent was recorded in 2000.

Malaysia: Bank concentration: percent of bank assets held by top three banks: The latest value from 2021 is 52.99 percent, an increase from 52.85 percent in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 67.43 percent, based on data from 135 countries. Historically, the average for Malaysia from 2000 to 2021 is 67.69 percent. The minimum value, 46.44 percent, was reached in 2012 while the maximum of 100 percent was recorded in 2006.

As of the first quarter of 2024, Bank Mandiri was the largest bank in Indonesia in terms of assets. Along with Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI), Bank Central Asia (BCA), and Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), they were the only Indonesian banks with total assets exceeding *************** Indonesian rupiah (around ** billion U.S. dollars). Banking sector in IndonesiaIndonesia’s banking sector has continuously been on the rise. The growth of the middle-class and overall population resulted in the ongoing development of the finance industry. As of January 2024, there were about ************ rural banks and *** commercial banks available. The market is regulated by the financial service authority, whereas the central bank of Indonesia, Bank Indonesia (BI), is responsible for foreign exchange supervision and payment systems. Digital banking services in Indonesia Indonesia is one of the most adaptable countries to digital banking services in the world. The majority of the rather young population are open to digital payment methods as well as digital consumption in general. Not surprisingly, the mobile wallet penetration increased over the past years, and almost reached ** percent in 2023. For traditional banks, this development could be perceived as a threat and an opportunity. The possibility of reaching customers without a physical presence could lead to an increase in clients. On the other hand, a lack of technological know-how and the slow implementation and enforcement of digital actions could allow smaller competitors to establish themselves in a more favorable position.

Colombia: Bank concentration: percent of bank assets held by top three banks: The latest value from 2021 is 73.77 percent, an increase from 63.4 percent in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 67.43 percent, based on data from 135 countries. Historically, the average for Colombia from 2000 to 2021 is 71.01 percent. The minimum value, 51.28 percent, was reached in 2003 while the maximum of 100 percent was recorded in 2006.

Laos: Bank concentration: percent of bank assets held by top three banks: The latest value from 2021 is 63.08 percent, a decline from 79.44 percent in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 67.43 percent, based on data from 135 countries. Historically, the average for Laos from 2008 to 2021 is 83.91 percent. The minimum value, 63.08 percent, was reached in 2021 while the maximum of 100 percent was recorded in 2009.