Total assets is one of the main measures of a bank's prosperity. It is defined as all assets owned by a bank. This includes, but is not limited to cash and balances, loans and advances to banks and customers, as well as debt securities. At the end of 2024, HSBC Holdings was the leading European bank in terms of total assets, with close to ***** trillion U.S. dollars. In 2024, HSBC was also among the largest banks globally in terms of market capitalization. Market capitalization Rankings of banks can be constructed using a multitude of indicators. Frequently employed to determine the size of a bank, is market capitalization, or the total dollar market value of a company's or bank'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, HSBC topped the ranking of European banks based on market capitalization, with a market cap of over *** billion U.S. dollars. Largest digital banks in Europe 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. In Europe, the largest digital bank is Revolut, with total assets exceeding ** billion euros in 2023. The UK-based digital bank reached the milestone of ** million users at the end of 2024, making it by far the largest European digital bank in terms of customer base.

Total assets are a popular way that regulators and academics alike use to measure the size of a bank mainly because they are easily available from all banks through financial statements but also because they are comparable between banks. This is in contrast to market capitalization which is only available from banks listed on the stock market despite showing a true current value of a company for potential investors.

Between 2010 and 2019, HSBC Holdings led the way in terms of total assets. In 2020, however, BNP Paribas took over, and managed to stay in the leading position in 2021 as well. Between 2010 and 2021 the largest five banks of Europe have remained stable with BNP Paribas and HSBC Holdings consistently leading the way. 2020 saw Société Générale fall out of the top five and be replaced by Barclays PLC.

Despite a slight decline in its financial assets, Deutsche Bundesbank remained the largest central bank in Europe in 2023, with assets valued at approximately *** trillion euros. The Bank of France followed, holding assets totaling *** trillion euros. The Bank of Italy ranked third, while the Bank of England also reported over one trillion euros in assets at the end of 2023.

The three largest banking sectors in Europe - France, Germany, and Spain - represented more than **** of Europe's total banking assets in 2024. According to European Banking Authority (EBA) data, France dominated with the largest banking sector, boasting assets exceeding ************* euros. In contrast, Cyprus, Iceland, and Malta maintained the smallest banking sectors by asset value.

HSBC Holdings maintained its position as the largest bank in the United Kingdom throughout the entire period from 2012 to 2024, despite experiencing a modest recovery in recent years. In 2024, HSBC's total assets reached approximately **** trillion British pounds, representing a slight decrease from the previous year. HSBC also ranked among the world's ten largest banks in terms of total assets. Which is the largest bank in Europe? Based on the high value of its total assets, HSBC positioned for many years as the largest bank in Europe. In 2023, HSBC was followed by two French banks, BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole, whose total assets amounted to **** and **** trillion U.S. dollars, respectively. HSBC also dominates in market capitalization Rankings of banks can be constructed using multiple indicators. Market capitalization - the total dollar market value of a bank's outstanding shares - is frequently used to determine a bank's size. This is calculated by multiplying the current market price of one share by the total number of outstanding shares. In 2024, HSBC was the leading bank in Europe based on market capitalization.

As of June 2025, there were a total of 4,752 credit institutions operating in the European Union. Across Europe, approximately 1.8 million individuals were employed by credit institutions, with some bank employees looking after more than 200 customers each. The German banking sector In 2025, Germany had more than twice as many banks operating than any other European country, despite a steady downward trend for years. Germany has 3 main types of banks, which include commercial, savings (or Sparkassen) and cooperative banks. Despite the declining number of banks, the German bank sector's assets increased steadily during the last decade, amounting to over 10 trillion euros in 2024. What is the leading bank in Europe? In 2024, HSBC was the largest bank in Europe, in terms of market capitalization. The British headquartered bank also led the European banking sector in terms of assets and tier 1 capital. The UK giant also ranked first in terms of revenue. When it comes to digital banking, Revolut stands out as the leading player, with its customer base rising sharply in recent years, reaching over 52 million at the end of 2024.

Europe's digital banking landscape is dominated by UK-based neobanks, with ******* leading the pack. As of December 2024, ******* held assets exceeding ** billion euros, followed by Wise and Starling Bank, each with over ** billion euros in assets. This concentration of financial power in the UK's digital banking sector underscores the country's pivotal role in shaping the future of European fintech.

The return on equity (ROE) of European banking sectors showed significant disparities in the last quarter of 2024, with Romania leading at **** percent and Liechtenstein trailing at *** percent. This wide range reflects the diverse financial landscapes across the continent, influenced by factors such as market conditions, regulatory environments, and economic stability. While ROE is a crucial indicator of banking efficiency, it's important to consider it alongside other metrics for a comprehensive view of the industry's health. Digital transformation reshaping European banking The banking sector in Europe is undergoing a digital revolution, with online banking penetration reaching impressive levels. In 2024, Denmark lead with a ***** percent penetration rate, closely followed by Norway at **** percent. This shift towards digital banking is not only changing how traditional banks operate but also paving the way for the rise of digital-only banks. Neobanks like Revolut have seen rapid growth, with the UK-based fintech reaching ** million users by November 2024, highlighting the increasing consumer preference for digital financial services. Consolidation and asset growth in European banking Despite the high number of banks operating in Europe, with ***** institutions in the EU as of December 2024, the industry is dominated by a few large players. In 2023, HSBC Holdings lead European banks with total assets exceeding *** trillion U.S. dollars in 2023, followed closely by BNP Paribas SA with over *** trillion U.S. dollars. This concentration of assets among top banks, coupled with the ongoing digital transformation, suggests a trend towards consolidation in the European banking sector, potentially impacting future ROE figures across the continent.

Return on assets (ROA) is a ratio used to measure how well a company is using its assets to generate income. The ratio is calculated by dividing the Net Income by the average total assets over a given period. As of the end of 2021, Sberbank had the highest return on assets among the leading European banks, ranked by market capitalization. Sberbank was followed by the Spanish BBVA, the Swiss UBS, and the UK-based Lloyds Banking Group. Return on capital Sberbank was also a leading bank in terms of return on capital (ROC). Return on capital is used by financial companies such as banks as not only a measurement of profitability, but as an indication of the banks' ability to create value on the amount invested by the shareholders. European banking sector To discover much more on Europe's leading banks and the European banking sector, you can read our report "European Banking Sector". The report takes an in-depth look at the health of Europe’s banks, the fall in high street banking as well as the rise in online only banks, and how incumbent banks are meeting the demands of a digital future.

Capital ratios express a bank's capital as a percentage of its risk-weighted assets (RWAs). Following the Basel III accord, European banks faced higher capital requirements phased in from ***************, establishing a new minimum Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio of *** percent. As of the last quarter of 2024, all European banking systems exceeded the required CET1 ratio. Cyprus, Latvia, and Bulgaria maintained the highest CET1 ratios, while the Netherlands and Greece recorded the lowest. European Banking Authority stress test Since 2014, the European Banking Authority has conducted stress tests to assess whether Europe's largest banks could withstand another financial crisis. These tests measure each bank's capital ratio under a 3-year adverse scenario. In the 2025 stress test, all institutions except La Banque Postale were determined to have sufficient capital to weather a potential financial crisis. Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE emerged as the top performer in this latest assessment. Liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) As of *****************, it became a requirement for banks to hold a minimum of ** percent in high quality liquid assets (HQLA), which allowed them to survive in times of liquidity stress lasting up to ** days. This minimum requirement was to increase annually by ** percent until it reaches 100 percent as of 2019. As of *************, all European countries were able to meet this minimum requirement.

Banco Santander has seen the growth of its total assets more than quadruple between 2001 and 2024. During this period, total assets grew from 358 billion euros in 2001 to nearly 1.84 trillion euros in 2024. During the same period, attributable profit to the bank more than quadrupled. Employees and branches The number of bank branches for the Banco Santander Group fluctuated globally between 2012 and 2023. The Spanish bank employs 206 thousand staff and has a customer base that grew by four millions between 2022 and 2023. As of the end of 2023, there were almost 1,900 Banco Santander branches in Spain. Despite Spain having the largest number of Santander branches in Europe, the UK boasted having more customers, second only to Brazil on a global scale. Santander focuses its operations Compared to other leading European banks, the Banco Santander Group operates in far less countries globally. In 2023, the French bank BNP Paribas operated in more than four times as many countries worldwide than Banco Santander. In fact, the Spanish bank operates in less countries than any of the other top ten leading European banks.

As of 2023, Banca Mediolanum was the Italian bank with the highest return on equity (ROE) among the ten largest banks in the country in terms of total assets, with 25.7 percent. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena ranked second, with a ROE of 23.5 percent.

As of 2021, HSBC had the highest amount of pre-tax profit of the largest banks in Europe. HSBC had almost ** billion U.S dollars in pre-tax profits that year. Pre-tax profit displays the amount of profit a company has made before paying corporate income taxes. Essentially, it is the calculation of deducting all expenses from revenue except taxes.

Tier 1 capital

Tier 1 capital displays the financial strength of a bank as it shows the bank’s core capital including equity capital and disclosed reserves. Regulators use tier 1 capital for the purpose of ensuring that banks have enough capital in case of unexpected losses. As of 2021, HSBC had the highest amount of tier 1 capital of any bank in Europe with over *** billion U.S dollars. Although HSBC has the most in tier 1 capital, they did not make the list for best performing European banks for fully loaded CET1 capital ratios.

Leading banks in assets

Another way in measuring a banks strength, size and health is through its total assets. Total assets are one of the main measures of a bank's prosperity and is defined as all assets owned by a bank. This includes, but is not limited to; cash and balances, loans and advances to banks and customers, as well as debt securities. Europe’s largest bank in 2021 had almost than three trillion euros in total assets.

The total assets of the NatWest group decreased considerably over the years, plummeting from 2.4 trillion British pounds in 2007, to approximately 708 billion British pounds in 2024. Previously called as the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Group after one of its subsidiaries, the group was renamed NatWest in 2020, taking the brand under which the majority of its business was delivered. History of RBS Even after the rebranding, the Royal Bank of Scotland remains one of the major subsidiaries of the group. Founded in Edinburgh in 1727, the Royal bank of Scotland is an amalgamation of hundreds of past banks. As the second bank to be established in Scotland, it initially traded only within its home country up until 1783, opening its first branch in Glasgow in the same year. Banks are well known as acquirers, as they constantly look to strengthen their financial positioning and swallow those that could compete with. In 1864, RBS made its first acquisition, buying the Dundee Banking Co. Europe’s leading banks Compared to European banks in 2023, The Royal Bank of Scotland was fourteenth in terms of total assets, and fourteenth for tier one capital.

HSBC and Standard Chartered had the highest Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) capital ratios among the five largest banks in the United Kingdom in 2024, with ratios of 14.9 percent and 14.2 percent, respectively. Barclays and NatWest ranked third, with a CET1 ratio of 13.6 percent. Capital ratios express a bank’s capital as a percentage of its risk-weighted assets (RWAs). Capital requirements for European banks were raised after the Basel III accord and phased in on the 1st of January 2015, with a new minimum requirement of CET1 ratio of 4.5 percent. The United Kingdom's largest banks have all continued to meet the minimum requirement up to 2023.

Among the largest ** European banks in terms of total assets, HSBC had the highest risk-weighted assets (RWA) as of 2021. Risk weighted assets (RWA) are used to calculate the minimum amount of capital that must be held by a bank to reduce the risk of insolvency.It is unsurprising that the larger European banks in terms of assets also had higher RWA, with HSBC Holdings reporting risk-weighted assets valued at approximately ***** billion euros in 2021.

In 2023, the total assets of banking corporations in the United Kingdom were the highest of the observed European countries, with almost ***** trillion U.S. dollars. France and Germany finished the top three countries in Europe for total banking sector assets in 2023, with approximately ***** trillion U.S. dollars and ***** trillion U.S. dollars, respectively.

The share of total assets of the five largest credit institutions in Ireland increased overall between 2007 and 2023, despite some fluctuation. The concentration ratio, a measure of the percentage market share in an industry held by the largest firms within that industry, was just over 69 percent in 2023.

The global Debt Collection Software for Banks market is experiencing robust growth, driven by the increasing need for efficient and compliant debt recovery solutions within the financial sector. The market, estimated at $2.5 billion in 2025, is projected to exhibit a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 12% from 2025 to 2033. This growth is fueled by several key factors: the rising volume of non-performing assets (NPAs) across various banking segments (retail, commercial, and investment), the increasing adoption of cloud-based solutions offering scalability and cost-effectiveness, and the stringent regulatory compliance requirements demanding automated and transparent debt collection processes. Furthermore, the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into debt collection software is enhancing efficiency and improving prediction accuracy, further stimulating market expansion. The market segmentation reveals a strong preference for cloud-based solutions over on-premise deployments, reflecting the ongoing digital transformation within the banking industry. Retail banks represent the largest segment, followed by commercial and investment banks. Geographically, North America and Europe currently dominate the market, but significant growth opportunities are emerging in Asia-Pacific and other developing regions as financial institutions in these areas increasingly adopt sophisticated debt management technologies. However, challenges remain, including data privacy concerns, integration complexities with existing banking systems, and the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive customer data. The competitive landscape is fragmented, with a mix of established players like Experian and FIS alongside numerous specialized niche providers. The market's future growth will depend on the continued innovation in AI and ML-powered solutions, the expansion of cloud adoption, and the successful navigation of regulatory compliance and cybersecurity challenges.

The monthly balance sheet statistics form the nucleus of the banking statistics. They cover the assets and liabilities of domestic banks (MFIs), with the status of a deposit-taking credit institution within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms, broken down by balance sheet items. The figures are to be reported monthly, in the form of a statistical balance sheet reflecting the position in the books as at the end of the month. In addition, supplementary returns are required in which the major balance sheet items are classified by the debtors’ and creditors’ economic sector, by type and by maturity. Moreover, a number of off-balance-sheet data are to be reported as additional items, for example contingent liabilities, lending commitments, savings turnover, debits to non-banks’ giro accounts. Since the start of the European monetary union on 1 January 1999, all credit institutions which meet the MFI definition are required to report (MFIs are all institutions whose business is to receive deposits and/or close substitutes for deposits (for example, by issuing debt securities) and, for their own account, grant credit (including by investing in securities); in the German banking statistics they are also referred to as banks). Essentially, specialised credit institutions (investment companies that are subject to a separate reporting requirement, central securities depositories, housing enterprises with savings facilities and institutions only conducting guarantee business) were exempt from this requirement and still are. The reports from banks in Germany with no legally dependent branches abroad and the partial reports from banks with a network of branches abroad containing the data on their domestic branches are consolidated to yield reports on ”Banks in Germany (MFIs)”. This corpus of reporting institutions forms the core of the banking statistics. It provides the data for the overall monetary survey, from which the figures for the monetary aggregates are derived. This is why the tables presenting the data on this corpus of reporting institutions constitute the largest part of this Statistical Supplement.