The “big four banks” in the United States are JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citibank. These banks are not only the largest in the United States, but also rank among the top banks worldwide by market capitalization, with JPMorgan Chase being the most valuable bank in the world. Total assets of banks As the largest bank in the United States, JPMorgan Chase had total assets worth close to 3.5 trillion U.S. dollars as of December 2024. Despite being the bank with the highest market capitalization in the world, the bank ranked only fifth in terms of total assets worldwide, while the top four positions were all held by Chinese banks. Stability in the banking sector in the United States In the third quarter of 2024, all the "big four" banks in the United States maintained a common equity tier 1 (CET1) capital ratio significantly above the required minimum of 4.5 percent. JPMorgan Chase reported a CET1 ratio of 15.31 percent. Meanwhile, the highest CET1 ratio among U.S. banks during this period was 16.74 percent, achieved by TD Bank, the tenth-largest bank in the country in 2024.

As of December 2022, JPMorgan Chase had the highest value of deposits across all FDIC-insured institutions in the United States. JPMorgan Chase's value of deposits amounted to roughly 2.44 billion U.S. dollars, which was followed by Bank of America, with deposits just above two billion U.S. dollars. Silicon Valley Bank, which collapsed in March 2022, had 175.38 billion U.S. dollars worth of deposits.

The quarterly net incomes of the U.S.' five largest banks all declined substantially in 2022 when compared to 2021. U.S. Bancorp seemed to be the most able to maintain a steady growth rate, particularly between 2012 and 2019. Bank of America, on the other hand, had notable fluctuations over the years. Despite the differences, there seems to be one thing in common: After a sharp increase in four out of the five largest U.S. banks' quarterly income growth rate in the first quarter of 2021, there was a steady decline throughout the rest of 2021. As of 2022, none of the observed banks managed to produce a positive income growth rate. In 2023, however, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo all performed significantly better.

JPMorgan Chase was the leading bank in the United States as of December 2024, with its market share of total assets amounting to 14.31 percent. This means that the value of assets of JPMorgan Chase was equivalent to 14.31 percent of the total value of assets of all FDIC-insured institutions in the United States. Bank of America and Wells Fargo followed, with 10.71 and 7.06 percent of the total banking assets, respectively. The value of JPMorgan Chase's total assets exceeded 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars in 2024. JPMorgan Chase: an industry leader in U.S. banking JPMorgan Chase is undoubtedly one of the leading financial services companies in the United States. It does not only rank first in terms of market share of total assets, but it also has the largest market capitalization and value of total and domestic deposits. The New York-based banking giant is also among the largest banks globally. In terms of assets, JPMorgan Chased ranked fifth in 2023, with only four Chinese banks having had higher amounts of assets. Bank failures in the U.S. The failures of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank in March 2023 marked the first bank failures in the U.S. since 2021. The total assets lost in the failure of these two banks amounted to 319.4 billion U.S. dollars. In comparison, the total assets of the 371 U.S. bank failures between 2010 and 2022 amounted to 168 billion U.S. dollars. Both SVB and Signature Bank had a disproportionately low share of deposits of less than 250,000 U.S. dollars in the fourth quarter of 2022 (2.7 percent and 6.2 percent, respectively), which meant that the majority of deposits held at these banks were not secured by the FDIC.

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.

JPMorgan Chase dominated the U.S. banking landscape in 2023, reporting a net income of 47.5 billion U.S. dollars, almost 20 billion more than Bank of America, which ranked second. Wells Fargo ranked third, with a net income of roughly 22 billion U.S. dollars. These three banks were also the largest banks based on total assets. The substantial lead held by JPMorgan Chase underscores its position as the financial powerhouse among American banks, reflecting its robust performance across various banking sectors. Market capitalization and global standing JPMorgan Chase's financial prowess extends beyond net income. With a market capitalization of 491.76 billion U.S. dollars as of December 31, 2023, it stood as the most valuable bank in the United States. Its massive market capitalization also made it the largest bank globally, with Bank of America following from a distance. This impressive valuation, coupled with its substantial net income, cements JPMorgan Chase's status as a financial titan. Asset base of JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase's leadership is also evident in its asset base. The bank held 8.56 percent of total banking assets in the United States as of December 2023, surpassing Bank of America and Wells Fargo. This substantial market share translated to over 3.9 trillion U.S. dollars in total assets.

In 2024, Itaú Unibanco was the largest bank in Brazil based on total assets, with total assets exceeding *** billion U.S. dollars. Banco do Brasil ranked second, with assets amounting to approximately ***** billion U.S. dollars. The total value of assets of Brazilian banks added up to roughly *** trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, a figure that has been consistently increasing since 2002. Brazilian banking network Brazil was the country with the highest number of bank branches in Latin America, with ***** branches in 2023. However, in terms of accessibility, the South American country lags some regional counterparts. In 2023, the density of bank branches in Brazil reached only ** per 100,000 adults; in comparison to ** bank branches per 100,000 adults in Mexico. Digital banks in Brazil With the use of financial technology increasing around the world, online banking is becoming ever more popular, and the Brazilian market is no exception. In fact, Brazil is home to one of the leading digital banks worldwide, Nubank. Nubank's active users increased sharply in 2024, exceeding ** million, and its operating revenue reached over ** billion U.S. dollars.

Many banks today report and publish data of their environmental footprint and set targets to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. North America has the third highest number of member banks of the Net-Zero Banking Alliance, as 17 North American banks are signatories. According to reporting of the largest banks in the United States, JPMorgan Chase reported the highest total GHG emissions in 2022. All banks' highest CO2 emissions were from scope 2 - indirect GHG emissions (location-based). JPMorgan Chase's scope 2 emissions in 2022 amounted to 783,616 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

Among the four largest banks headquartered in the United States, JPMorgan Chase had the highest number of active mobile customers in 2024. Over ** million JPMorgan Chase customers were active mobile banking users. Bank of America had the second-highest number of active mobile customers, which was roughly ** million.

As of December 2024, BBVA led the ranking of largest banks in Mexico, with total assets amounting to over *** billion U.S. dollars. It was followed by Banorte, with total assets worth over *** billion U.S. dollars. Banco Santander ranked third, followed by Citibanamex and HSBC. Digital banking in Mexico Digital banking in Mexico experienced significant growth in recent years, offering convenience and accessibility to a large portion of the population. In 2024, there were a total of ** digital banks in the country, almost twice as many as five years before. The most popular digital banks include Nubank, Ualá, and Klar. Fintech’s future and presence in Mexico Fintech, or financial technology, aims to update and enhance financial services for corporations as well as consumers. The number of fintech users in Mexico is forecast to increase consistently in the future., with the digital payment segment accumulating the largest user base. This coincides with the dominance of the payment and remittances segment of fintech in 2024: There were *** fintech companies operating in the payment and remittances sectors, making it one of the leading segments for the nation’s fintech sector.

In 2024, JPMorgan was the world's leading bank in terms of investment banking revenue, generating around 8.1 billion U.S. dollars from the start of the year until the end. In 2024, JPMorgan was also the largest bank in the United States by total assets, followed by Bank of America and City Group. Global investment banking is dominated by U.S. banks The top five investment banks globally were all American multinational firms. In 2024, the two leading investment banks by revenue were JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs. While JPMorgan outpaced Goldman Sachs, both banks reported revenues exceeding six billion U.S. dollars. BofA Securities and Morgan Stanley ranked third and fourth, with revenues of approximately 5.4 billion and 5.2 billion U.S. dollars, respectively. Together, these four banks held nearly a third of the global investment banking market share in terms of revenue in 2024. Investment banking fees Unsurprisingly, JPMorgan was also the leading bank in terms of investment banking fees. These fees represent the returns banks earn for offering investment services, such as facilitating mergers and acquisitions. In 2024, the largest value of investment banking fees came from services provided to the financial sector.

As of January 1, 2024, Sberbank was the largest Russian bank by net assets, which amounted to over ** trillion Russian rubles. VTB bank listed second with approximately ** trillion Russian rubles in net assets. Gazprombank, founded by the Russian energy company Gazprom, ranked in the third place. Sberbank in a nutshell Founded in 1841, Sberbank is one of the largest financial institutions in the country. In 2022, Sberbank reported over ** trillion Russian rubles net annual loans. With a brand value of roughly *** billion U.S. dollars, Sberbank ranked as the most valuable Russian brand in 2021 and was featured in the ranking for the best employers in Russia in 2022. High consumer engagement remains one of the main objectives for the institution, hence in 2022, Sberbank’s customer satisfaction index ranged between the low of ** percent and the high of ** percent. General outlook of the Russian banking industry In 2023, the total assets of the Russian banking sector exceeded *** trillion Russian rubles, having increased from the previous year. The number of bank accounts in the country has been growing steadily even though the count of credit institutions shrank over the past years, from *** in January 2013 to *** in January 2023.

National Bank of Egypt (NBE) as the leading bank in Egypt in terms of asset value held. As of June 2023, the bank held almost 155 billion U.S. dollars. Banque Misr and Commercial International Bank (CIB) followed with 104 billion U.S. dollars and 27 billion U.S. dollars as of December 2022 and 2023, respectively. QNB Al Ahli, Banque du Caire, and Arab African International Bank were also leading banks in Egypt in terms of assets.

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.

As of the fourth quarter of 2022, Capital One, Citizens Bank, and PNC had the highest share of deposits below 250,000 U.S. dollars as a percentage of total deposits among the observed banks. Both Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank had a disproportionately low share of deposits less than 250,000 U.S. dollars. As deposits below 250,000 U.S. dollars are typically insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), this means that both of these banks were highly exposed to risk of a bank run. The collapse of SVB and Signature Bank in March 2023 were among the largest bank failures in U.S. bank history.

South Africa's Standard Bank Group was the largest bank in Africa as of 2024, with total assets worth nearly 170 billion U.S. dollars. Operating in 20 countries on the continent, the bank group also led the African banking sector by tier 1 capital. Ranking as the second-biggest bank in Africa, the National Bank of Egypt accumulated an asset value of around 167 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. Overall, South Africa concentrated four out of the top 10 institutions with the largest assets in Africa. Main banking markets As of 2021, the total assets of the banking sector in Sub-Saharan Africa corresponded to 76.9 percent of the region's GDP. The ratio, which offers an insight into the relationship between services provided by banks and the economy' size, increased substantially compared to previous years. Among countries, South Africa dominates the African banking industry with financial assets worth around 420 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. Additionally, the aggregate tier 1 capital of major South African banks reached roughly 42.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. North African nations, such as Egypt and Morocco, follow as main players in Africa’s banking sector. Financial inclusion has improved in Africa Around five out of 10 Africans had a bank account in 2023, according to Statista forecasts. The banking penetration rate on the continent almost doubled compared to 2013 and might keep increasing in the coming years. By 2025, the share of people with a bank account is expected to reach 60 percent. Among financial institutions, the Standard Bank Group and the National Bank of Egypt counted the highest number of customers in Africa, each with around 14 million clients in 2020.

The National Bank of Egypt was the leading banking service provider in Egypt in terms of its tier 1 capital. In 2022, the bank's capital reached about 7.5 billion U.S. dollars. Banque Misr followed with capital worth five billion U.S. dollars. Arab African International Bank and Commercial International Bank (CIB) ranked third and fourth, with tier 1 capital of around 2.01 and 1.9 billion U.S dollars, respectively. Assets and financial investment measurement A closer look at Egypt’s leading banks’ portfolio reveals that Banque Misr has the largest profit margin out of the banks under review. It reported a profit of close to 1.49 billion U.S. dollars in late 2021. However, the National Bank of Egypt had the highest value in assets, with 167.41 billion U.S. dollars in June 2021. Interestingly, other financial measurements, such as return on equity, showed a different picture regarding leading banks. The highest return on equity shares are Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Egypt at 33 percent and Crédit Agricole Egypt at 32 percent. ROE measures a company's profitability relative to shareholders' equity. A high ROE means higher profits per dollar of equity, and banks rely on equity to support lending. Therefore, a high ROE indicates higher profitability relative to capital invested, which institutions can use to absorb potential losses. A slow but growing banking infrastructure As of 2021, approximately 30 percent of adults in Egypt had a bank or financial institution account. Bank penetration in the country saw significant growth over the past decade but experienced a decrease between 2017 and 2021. Nevertheless, Egypt’s banking infrastructure has steeply increased. There were over 29 ATMs per 100,000 adults in Egypt in 2022. The country registered an annual increase in ATM penetration during the observed period, with the most significant growth occurring in 2021. Similarly, the number of commercial bank branches in Egypt increased annually between 2005 and 2021, dropping only in 2022, with the latter recording around 4,630 branches. Moreover, there was an increase of over 1,000 branches in 2019.

In terms of assets, Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) was the biggest bank operating in Kenya as of 2024. The institution registered an asset value of approximately 13.9 billion U.S. dollars. Equity Bank Group followed, with assets worth almost 12 billion U.S. dollars. Both institutions also led among banks with the largest level of tier 1 capital in the country. Kenya’s banking landscape In 2023, Kenya's largest bank was KCB Bank Kenya with a market share of just over 14 percent. This was followed by Equity Bank which had a share of more than 10 percent. Similarly, when considering Kenya’s largest banks in terms of value of deposits the same banks were at the top of the list. Furthermore, the rate of bank account penetration in 2020 was particularly high in Kenya compared to other African countries, with a penetration rate of 86 percent. African banking revenue soars The estimated African banking revenue in 2022 was 129 billion U.S. dollars. This was considerably higher than the previous year. The countries with the largest banking industries in Africa in the form of capital were South Africa and Egypt ,respectively. Kenya ranked fifth on the list, however, its industry was far smaller than the above-mentioned countries.

In 2024, the value of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China's assets amounted to 6.59 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 417 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 one billion 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 64 million.

A 2022 survey conducted among consumers of leading banks in the United States found that the security of personal information was a leading factor in their choice of a financial institution, with an index value of 100. Survey participants rated the factor of the bank services requiring low or no fees as the second important factor, while fraud protection ranked third with an index value of 83.