The Big Four (or Big 4) is the
colloquial
Colloquialism (), also called colloquial language, everyday language or general parlance, is the style (sociolinguistics), linguistic style used for casual (informal) communication. It is the most common functional style of speech, the idiom norm ...
name given to the four main
bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
s in several countries where the banking industry is dominated by just four institutions and where the phrase has thus gained relevance. Some countries include more or less institutions in such rankings, leading to other names such as Big Three, Big Five, or Big Six.
International use
Internationally, the term "Big Four Banks" has traditionally referred to the following
central banks:
* The
Bank of England
* The
Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve System (often shortened to the Federal Reserve, or simply the Fed) is the central banking system of the United States of America. It was created on December 23, 1913, with the enactment of the Federal Reserve Act, after a ...
* The
Bank of Japan
* The
European Central Bank
The European Central Bank (ECB) is the prime component of the monetary Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) as well as one of seven institutions of the European Union. It is one of the world's most important centr ...
Australia
In
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, the "big four banks" refers to the four largest banks who have traditionally dominated Australia's banking industry in terms of market share, revenue and total assets. The "big four banks" of Australia are:
*
Australia and New Zealand Banking Group
The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (ANZ) is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria. It is Australia's second-largest bank by assets and fourth-largest bank by ma ...
*
Commonwealth Bank (owned by the
Australian Government
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...
until 1996)
*
National Australia Bank
*
Westpac
Westpac Banking Corporation, known simply as Westpac, is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered at Westpac Place in Sydney, New South Wales.
Established in 1817 as the Bank of New South Wales, ...
A longstanding policy of the
Federal Government in Australia has been to maintain this
status quo, called the
four pillars policy
The four pillars policy is an Australian Government policy to maintain the separation of the four largest Banks of Australia, banks in Australia by rejecting any M&A, merger or acquisition between the four major banks. The policy, rather than form ...
. The policy has been maintained through the
Global Recession of 2008–09, as Westpac acquired
St George Bank
St.George Bank is an Australian bank with its headquarters in Sydney. Since a 2008 merger, the bank has been part of Westpac, having previously been an independent legal entity. In 2010, St.George was deregistered as a company and ceased to be ...
and the Commonwealth Bank acquired
Bankwest
Bankwest is an Australian full-service bank based in Perth, Western Australia. It was sold in October 2008 to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia for 2.1 billion and operates as a division of its parent company.
Bankwest previously had branch ...
, reinforcing the special status of the "big four".
Austria
The "Big Four" banks of
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
are:
*
Erste Bank / Sparkasse* (credit unions)
*
UniCredit Bank Austria
UniCredit Bank Austria AG, branded and widely referred to as Bank Austria, is an Austrian bank, 96.35% owned by Milan-based UniCredit. It was formed in 1991 by merger of Vienna's Länderbank and Zentralsparkasse, acquired Creditanstalt-Bankverein ...
(formerly Bank Austria Creditanstalt)
*
Raiffeisen Bankengruppe*
*
BAWAG P.S.K. (formerly
Österreichische Postsparkasse
Österreichische Postsparkasse (P.S.K.) was a postal savings bank in Austria. It was owned by the Austrian Post Office and thus by the government. It merged on 1 October 2005 with the BAWAG to form BAWAG P.S.K.
History
During the Austro ...
)
*separate legal entities operating under a common brand
Belgium
The big four banks of
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
are a result of national and international mergers in the early 90s.
*
KBC Bank
KBC Group is a Belgian universal multi-channel bank-insurer, focusing on private clients and small and medium-sized enterprises in Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. It was created in 1998 through the merger of Kredietbank ...
, including its CBC Banque subsidiary in the
French Community of Belgium
In Belgium, the French Community (french: Communauté française; ) refers to one of the three constituent constitutional linguistic communities. Since 2011, the French Community has used the name Wallonia-Brussels Federation (french: Féd ...
and KBC Brussels brand in the
Brussels-Capital Region
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
*
Belfius
Belfius Bank and Insurance, known as Dexia Bank Belgium up until 1 March 2012, is a for-profit PLC founded to meet local authority needs. Belfius emerged from the dismantling of the Dexia group, of which it was part until 10 October 2011, when it ...
, government owned bank
*
BNP Paribas Fortis
BNP Paribas Fortis is an international bank based in Belgium and is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas. It was formerly, together with Fortis Bank Nederland, the banking arm of the financial institution Fortis. After the ultimately unsuccessful ABN-AMRO ...
, subsidiary of
BNP Paribas
*
ING Bank
The ING Group ( nl, ING Groep) is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Amsterdam. Its primary businesses are retail banking, direct banking, commercial banking, investment banking, wholesale banki ...
, subsidiary of the
ING Group
The ING Group ( nl, ING Groep) is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Amsterdam. Its primary businesses are retail banking, direct banking, commercial banking, investment banking, wholesale bankin ...
Brazil
In
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, the "big four", according to Exame Magazine in 2017:
Cambodia
According to the
National Bank of Cambodia
The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC; km, ធនាគារជាតិនៃកម្ពុជា, translit=Thônéakéar Chéatĕ ney Kâmpŭchéa) is the central bank of Cambodia. The bank's duties include, ''inter alia'', the management of m ...
, the top three largest bank in Cambodia dominates 39.1% (The largest bank in term of total asset is Canadia Bank at 14.2%, followed by ACLEDA Bank at 12.7%, in third place Advanced Bank of Asia (ABA) at 12.2%) of the overall banking assets as of 2020. These banks are:
*
Canadia Bank
Canadia Bank ( km, ធនាគារ កាណាឌីយ៉ា ) is one of the largest local banks in Cambodia. The bank was established in 1991 and became privatized in 1998. As one of the leading commercial banks in Cambodia, Canadia Bank ...
*
ACLEDA Bank
ACLEDA Bank Plc. (; km, ធនាគារ អេស៊ីលីដា ភីអិលស៊ី, ) is a public limited company, formed under the Banking and Financial Institutions Law of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Based in Phnom Penh, with 261 of ...
*
Advanced Bank of Asia
Canada
There are five banks dominating the
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
banking sector, hence the "Big Five" is used instead of "Big Four".
*
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
*
Toronto-Dominion Bank
Toronto-Dominion Bank (french: links=no, Banque Toronto-Dominion), doing business as TD Bank Group (french: links=no, Groupe Banque TD), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. T ...
(TD)
*
Bank of Nova Scotia
The Bank of Nova Scotia (french: link=no, Banque de Nouvelle-Écosse), operating as Scotiabank (french: link=no, Banque Scotia), is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. One of Canada ...
(Scotiabank)
*
Bank of Montreal (BMO)
*
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC; french: Banque canadienne impériale de commerce) is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at CIBC Square in the Financial District of Toronto, Ontario. ...
(CIBC)
China
During the 1920s, the term "big four" applied to the
Four Northern Banks Four Northern Banks () referred to the four most capitalized commercial banks in the north of the Yangtze River in the Republic of China in the 1920s, in contrast to the Three Southern Banks (南三行) of Southern China.
The four banks were the ...
of the
Republic of China (i.e., the four most capitalized commercial banks in
Northern China). These were the
Yien Yieh Commercial Bank Yien Yieh Commercial Bank () was a bank in Hong Kong. It was established in Beijing in 1915 by Mr. Zhang Zhenfang (), the cousin of Yuan Shikai, to support the specialized salt industry by providing official funds under government supervision. Yien ...
, the
Kincheng Banking Corporation Kincheng Banking Corporation or Kincheng Bank () was a bank in Hong Kong. It was established in Tianjin in 1917 by Mr. Zhou Zuomin (, a native of Huai'an in Jiangsu), Mr. Ni Sichong (, Anhui General Commander) and Mr. Wang Zhilong (, Ni's treasure ...
, the
Continental Bank
Continental Bank () was a bank in China. It specialized in savings, warehouses, trusts and real estate business. It was founded in Tianjin in 1919 by Feng Guozhang, the acting president of Republic of China and Tan Lisun, the former Nanjing direc ...
and
The China & South Sea Bank. They were contrasted with the
Three Southern Banks Three Southern Banks () referred to the three most capitalized commercial banks in the south of Yangtze River in the Republic of China in the 1920s, in contrast to the Four Northern Banks (北四行) of Northern China. With their headquarters i ...
of
Southern China
South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...
.
By 1949, the "big four" banks were the
Bank of China
The Bank of China (BOC; ) is a Chinese majority state-owned commercial bank headquartered in Beijing and the fourth largest bank in the world.
The Bank of China was founded in 1912 by the Republican government as China's central bank, repl ...
, the
Bank of Communications
Bank of Communications Limited (BoComm) (; often abbreviated as ), is the fifth-largest bank in mainland China.
Established in 1908, the Bank of Communications claims a long history in China and is one of the banks to have issued banknotes in mo ...
, the
Central Bank of China
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
and the
Farmers Bank of China
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...
. All four were state-owned. Together with Central Trust of China, Postal Savings and Remittance Bureau of China, and Central Cooperative Treasury of China, these banks were called the "four banks, two bureaus, one treasury" or "四行两局一库".
In the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, the Big Five Banks ("五大银行") are:
#
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
#
Bank of China
The Bank of China (BOC; ) is a Chinese majority state-owned commercial bank headquartered in Beijing and the fourth largest bank in the world.
The Bank of China was founded in 1912 by the Republican government as China's central bank, repl ...
#
China Construction Bank
China Construction Bank Corporation (CCB) is one of the " big four" banks in China. In 2015, CCB was the 2nd largest bank in the world by market capitalization and 6th largest company in the world. The bank has approximately 13,629 domestic branc ...
#
Agricultural Bank of China
Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), also known as AgBank, is one of the " Big Four" banks in China. It was founded on 10 July 1951, and has its headquarters in Dongcheng District, Beijing. It has branches throughout mainland China, Hong Kong, ...
#
Bank of Communications
Bank of Communications Limited (BoComm) (; often abbreviated as ), is the fifth-largest bank in mainland China.
Established in 1908, the Bank of Communications claims a long history in China and is one of the banks to have issued banknotes in mo ...
All five are state-controlled banks with
commercial banking
A commercial bank is a financial institution which accepts deposits from the public and gives loans for the purposes of consumption and investment to make profit.
It can also refer to a bank, or a division of a large bank, which deals with co ...
operations. Since
Bank of Communications
Bank of Communications Limited (BoComm) (; often abbreviated as ), is the fifth-largest bank in mainland China.
Established in 1908, the Bank of Communications claims a long history in China and is one of the banks to have issued banknotes in mo ...
was refounded in 1986, it was sometimes excluded, leaving the rest as "Big Four".
[
]
Colombia
In Colombia, the ten biggest banking service networks are:
Czech Republic
In Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
, according to R. Pazderník, the "big four" are:
*Česká spořitelna
Česká spořitelna is the biggest Czech bank measured by the number of clients (4.7 million) Česká spořitelna, Konsolidované výsledky za rok 2016 (neauditované, IFRS), 28. února 2017 with its headquarters in Vienna. It is a part of the Er ...
, subsidiary of Erste Group
Erste Group Bank AG (Erste Group) is an Austrian financial service provider in Central and Eastern Europe serving 15.7 million clients in over 2,700 branches in seven countries.
History
Erste Group was founded in October 1819 as ''Erste österr ...
*Československá obchodní banka
Československá obchodní banka, a.s. (ČSOB) is one of the largest commercial banks operating in the Czech Republic. It is a universal bank that offers a full range of banking services to individuals and companies. It operates 280 ČSOB brand ...
, subsidiary of KBC Bank
KBC Group is a Belgian universal multi-channel bank-insurer, focusing on private clients and small and medium-sized enterprises in Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia. It was created in 1998 through the merger of Kredietbank ...
*Komerční banka
Komerční banka (“KB”) is a major Czech bank and the parent company of KB Group, a member of the Société Générale international financial group. KB is a universal bank providing a wide range of services in retail, corporate and investme ...
, subsidiary of Société Générale
Société Générale S.A. (), colloquially known in English as SocGen (), is a French-based multinational financial services company founded in 1864, registered in downtown Paris and headquartered nearby in La Défense.
Société Générale ...
(formerly State Bank of Czechoslovakia
The National Bank of Czechoslovakia ( cs, Národní banka Československá) was the central bank of Czechoslovakia between 1926 and 1939. Between 1939 and 1945, its activities were divided into the National Bank for Bohemia and Moravia in Prague ...
)
* Investiční a poštovní banka.
Estonia
* LHV
* Luminor
* SEB
* Swedbank Estonia
Finland
* Danske Bank
* Nordea
Nordea Bank Abp, commonly referred to as Nordea, is a European financial services group operating in northern Europe and based in Helsinki, Finland. The name is a blend of the words "Nordic" and "idea". The bank is the result of the successive m ...
* OP
* Säästöpankkiryhmä
France
In France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, according to The Banker
''The Banker'' is an English-language monthly international financial affairs publication owned by ''The Financial Times'' Ltd. and edited in London, United Kingdom. The magazine was first published in January 1926 through founding Editor, Bren ...
, the five major banking groups are:
* BNP Paribas
* Crédit Agricole
* Crédit Mutuel
Crédit Mutuel is a French cooperative banking group, one of the country's top five banks with over 30 million customers. It traces its origins back to the German cooperative movement inspired by Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen in Alsace–Lorraine ...
* Groupe BPCE
Groupe BPCE (for Banque Populaire Caisse d'Epargne) is a major French banking group formed by the 2009 merger of two major retail banking groups, Groupe Caisse d'Épargne and Groupe Banque Populaire. As of 2021, it was France's fourth largest b ...
* Société Générale
Société Générale S.A. (), colloquially known in English as SocGen (), is a French-based multinational financial services company founded in 1864, registered in downtown Paris and headquartered nearby in La Défense.
Société Générale ...
Germany
* Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...
* DZ Bank
DZ Bank AG () is the second largest bank in Germany by asset size and the central institution for around 800 cooperative banks and their around 8,500 branch offices. Within the German Cooperative Financial Group, which is one of Germany's la ...
* KfW
The KfW, which together with its subsidiaries DEG, KfW IPEX-Bank and FuB forms the KfW Bankengruppe ("banking group"), is a German state-owned investment and development bank, based in Frankfurt. As of 2014, it is the world's largest national d ...
* Commerzbank
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
, some media refer to the following as "big four":
* The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (), commonly known as HSBC (), was the parent entity of the multinational HSBC banking group until 1991, and is now its Hong Kong-based Asia-Pacific subsidiary. The largest bank in Hong K ...
( HSBC Hong Kong)
* Hang Seng Bank
Hang Seng Bank Limited () is a Hong Kong-based banking and financial services company with headquarters in Central, Hong Kong. It is one of Hong Kong's leading public companies in terms of market capitalisation and is part of the HSBC Group, ...
(Principal member of the HSBC Group
HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tr ...
)
* Bank of China (Hong Kong)
Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited () also known as its short name Bank of China (Hong Kong) or BOCHK (), is a subsidiary of the Bank of China (via a Hong Kong-listed intermediate holding company BOC Hong Kong (Holdings)). Bank of China (Hong ...
* Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong)
HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) and Bank of China (Hong Kong) are the three note-issuing banks; Hang Seng and HSBC Hong Kong are both under the common ownership of London-based HSBC Holdings plc. According to Global Retail Banking Cross-sell conducted by RFi group in 2015, HSBC, Bank of China (Hong Kong) and Hang Seng Bank were the top 3 most popular banks in Hong Kong.
India
In India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
the four largest banks, based on total assets, are:
* State Bank of India
*HDFC Bank
HDFC Bank Limited (also known as HDB) is an Indian banking and financial services company headquartered in Mumbai. It is India's largest private sector bank by assets and world's 10th largest bank by market capitalisation . It is the third lar ...
*ICICI Bank
ICICI Bank Limited is an Indian Private bank. It is headquartered at Mumbai. It offers a wide range of banking products and financial services for corporate and retail customers through a variety of delivery channels and specialized subsidiari ...
*Kotak Mahindra Bank Kotak may refer to:
* Kotak (band), an Indonesian rock band
* Kotak (surname), surname and people who bear it
* Kotak Mahindra Bank, an Indian financial service firm
* Kotak Securities, subsidiary of Kotak Mahindra Bank
* Kotak, Iran (disambiguation ...
Indonesia
In Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, the term "big four" is not explicitly used. As of 2018, the four largest banks by total assets are:
*Bank Rakyat Indonesia
PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk ( 'Indonesian People's Bank', commonly known as BRI) is one of the largest banks in Indonesia. It specialises in small scale and microfinance style borrowing from and lending to its approximately 30 milli ...
(BRI)
*Bank Mandiri
PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk or Bank Mandiri, headquartered in Jakarta, is the largest bank in Indonesia in terms of assets, loans and deposits. Total assets as of March 2021, were IDR 1.58 quadrillion (around US$110.56 billion). As ...
*Bank Central Asia
PT Bank Central Asia Tbk, commonly known as Bank Central Asia (BCA) is an Indonesian bank founded on 21 February 1957. It is considered as the largest privately owned bank in Indonesia.
The Asian financial crisis in 1997 had a tremendous impact ...
(BCA)
* Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI)
BRI, Bank Mandiri and BNI are all controlled by the central government
A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or dele ...
as state-owned enterprises.
Ireland
In Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, the term "big four" applies to the four largest banks by market capitalisation. These all operate in both the Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, and have a wider international presence; these banks also issue banknotes in Northern Ireland.
* Bank of Ireland
* Allied Irish Banks
Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is one of the so-called Big Four commercial banks in Ireland. AIB offers a full range of personal, business and corporate banking services. The bank also offers a range of general insurance products such as home, trav ...
* Permanent TSB
Permanent TSB Group Holdings plc, formerly Irish Life and Permanent plc is a provider of personal financial services in Ireland. Irish Life Assurance plc and the Irish Permanent Building Society merged to form the Irish Life and Permanent Group ...
* Ulster Bank
Ulster Bank ( ga, Banc Uladh) is a large retail bank, and one of the traditional Big Four (banking)#Ireland, Big Four Irish clearing banks. The Ulster Bank Group is subdivided into two separate legal entities: NatWest, National Westminster Ban ...
(a wholly-owned subsidiary of NatWest Bank
National Westminster Bank, commonly known as NatWest, is a major retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, it ...
)
Israel
* Bank Hapoalim
* Bank Leumi
* Discount Bank
* Bank Mizrahi-Tefahot
Japan
In Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, the term "big three" is used instead of "big four". The "big three" are:
* Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
is a Japanese bank holding and financial services company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.
MUFG holds assets of around US$3.1 trillion as of 2016 and is one of the "Three Great Houses" of the Mitsubishi Group alongside Mitsubishi Corp ...
* SMBC Group
is a Japanese multinational banking and financial services institution headquartered in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The group operates in retail, corporate, and investment banking segment worldwide. It provides financial products and serv ...
* Mizuho Financial Group
, abbreviated as MHFG, or simply called Mizuho, is a banking holding company headquartered in the Ōtemachi district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The name "" literally means "abundant rice" in Japanese and "harvest" in the figurative sense. Upo ...
Japan had a "big four" between 2002 and 2005, when the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and UFJ Japan were still separate entities. The two merged to form Mitsubishi UFJ, now the largest of the three, in 2005.
These banks are all listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange
The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan. It is the third largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies, and the largest in Asia. It had 2,292 listed ...
(where they are constituents of the Nikkei 225
The Nikkei 225, or , more commonly called the ''Nikkei'' or the ''Nikkei index'' (), is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). It has been calculated daily by the '' Nihon Keizai Shimbun'' (''The Nikkei'') newspaper since 1950 ...
and TOPIX
, commonly known as TOPIX, along with the Nikkei 225, is an important stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) in Japan, tracking all domestic companies of the exchange's Prime market division. It is calculated and published by the ...
Core30 indices) and the New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...
in the form of American depositary receipt
An American depositary receipt (ADR, and sometimes spelled ''depository'') is a negotiable security that represents securities of a foreign company and allows that company's shares to trade in the U.S. financial markets.
Shares of many non-U.S ...
s; MUFG and SMBC Group are both additionally listed in the Nagoya Stock Exchange
Nagoya Stock Exchange (名古屋証券取引所 ''Nagoya Shōken Torihikijo'', NSE) is a stock trading market in Nagoya, Japan. It is Japan's second largest exchange, behind the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
History
The Nagoya Stock Exchange (NSE) is t ...
and serve as the financial arms of their respective namesake '' keiretsu'' ( Mitsubishi for MUFG, Sumitomo and Mitsui
is one of the largest ''keiretsu'' in Japan and one of the largest corporate groups in the world.
The major companies of the group include Mitsui & Co. ( general trading company), Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Nippon Paper Industries ...
for SMBC).
Lebanon
In Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
, where the banks
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Becaus ...
have retained their banking secrecy
Banking secrecy, alternately known as financial privacy, banking discretion, or bank safety,Guex (2000), p. 240 is a conditional agreement between a bank and its clients that all foregoing activities remain secure, confidential, and private. Mos ...
laws since 1956, which is prevalent in the whole MENA
MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...
region, and while adopting international measures to fight money laundering, the "big four" banks consist of:
* Bank Audi
Bank Audi (Arabic: بنك عودة, previously Bank Audi- Saradar) is a Lebanon-based universal bank and financial services company headquartered in Beirut, offering financial products and services in personal banking, business banking, private ban ...
(founded in 1830 and ranked on the Forbes Magazine
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also rep ...
Global 2000 list of largest public companies in the world in 2016)
* Byblos Bank
Byblos Bank (abbreviated as BYB) is a Lebanese bank established in 1963 and headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon. It is the country’s third largest bank by assets. It is one of the Alpha banks in Lebanon, along with Banque Libano-Française S.A.L. ...
(founded in 1950 as "Société Commerciale et Agricole Byblos Bassil Frères & Co.")
* BLOM Bank
BLOM BANK ( French: Banque du Liban et D’Outre Mer; Arabic: بنك لبنان والمهجر) is a Lebanese bank established in 1951 and has been frequently selected as the Best Bank in Lebanon by the most recognized regional and international ...
: Banque du Liban et d'Outre-Mer S.A.L (founded in 1951)
* Fransabank
Fransabank (Arabic: فرنسبنك ) is one of the oldest banks in Lebanon. Today, Fransabank Group has a consolidated presence in eight countries: Lebanon, France, Algeria, Sudan, Belarus, Iraq, UAE (Abu Dhabi) and in Ivory Coast. The Group also ...
(founded in 1921 as Société Centrale de Banque)
Furthermore, as of September 2016, there are more than 51 banks in Lebanon, one of the smallest countries in the Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
, the fact that has always made investors from the Arab countries, especially the GCC petrodollar in addition to the European and world investors, to place their funds in the Lebanese banks.
Luxembourg
The "big four" full-service banks in Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
are:
* Banque et Caisse d'Épargne de l'État
The State Bank and Savings Bank (french: Banque et Caisse d'Épargne de l'État), also known by its Luxemburgish name Spuerkeess (), is the leading national financial institution founded in 1856 and governed by the law of March 24, 1989. Spuerke ...
(Spuerkeess), state owned bank
* Banque Internationale à Luxembourg
Banque Internationale à Luxembourg S.A. (BIL, "International Bank in Luxembourg") is the oldest private bank in Luxembourg. It offers commercial and corporate banking services. Since 2018, it has been majority-owned by China-headquartered Legend ...
,
* BGL BNP Paribas
* ING Luxembourg
There are bigger banks in Luxembourg, but these only deliver a limited number of services such as investment banking, private banking
Private banking is banking, investment and other financial services provided by banks and financial institutions primarily serving high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs)—defined as those with very high levels of income or sizable assets. A bank that ...
or corporate banking
Wholesale banking is the provision of services by banks to larger customers or organizations such as mortgage brokers, large corporate clients, mid-sized companies, real estate developers and investors, international trade finance businesses, ...
only. Luxembourg is a financial center.
Malaysia
According to Central Bank of Malaysia
The Central Bank of Malaysia (BNM; ms, Bank Negara Malaysia) is the Malaysian central bank. Established on 26 January 1959 as the Central Bank of Malaya (''Bank Negara Tanah Melayu''), its main purpose is to issue currency, act as banker and ad ...
, the top four banks by assets size are:
* Maybank
* CIMB
CIMB Group Holdings Berhad () is a Malaysian universal bank headquartered in Kuala Lumpur and operating in high growth economies in ASEAN. CIMB Group is an indigenous ASEAN investment bank. CIMB has a wide retail branch network with 1,080 bran ...
* Public Bank
A public bank is a bank, a financial institution, in which a state, municipality, or public actors are the owners. It is an enterprise under government control.
* RHB Bank
RHB Bank Berhad (), formerly known as RHB Sakura Merchant Bank Berhad, is a Malaysian bank based in Kuala Lumpur and founded in 1994. It is a subsidiary of RHB Capital Berhad, which is one of the largest banks in Malaysia.
RHB Bank has over 1 ...
Mexico
The "big four" in Mexico are:
* BBVA Bancomer
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (), better known by its initialism BBVA, is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Madrid and Bilbao, Spain. It is one of the largest financial institutions in the world, and is present ...
* Citibanamex
Grupo Financiero Banamex S.A. de C.V. has its origins and is the owner of the Banco Nacional de México or Citibanamex (formerly Banamex). It is the second-largest bank in Mexico. The Banamex Financial Group was purchased by Citigroup in August ...
* Banco Santander
Banco Santander, S.A., doing business as Santander Group (, , Spanish: ), is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Madrid and Santander in Spain. Additionally, Santander maintains a presence in all global financial centr ...
* Banorte
Grupo Financiero Banorte, S.A.B. de C.V., doing business as Banorte (''Banco Mercantil del Norte'') and as Ixe, is a Mexican banking and financial services holding company with headquarters in Monterrey and Mexico City. It is one of the four large ...
Myanmar
According to ''Asia Times
''Asia Times'' (), formerly known as ''Asia Times Online'', is a Hong Kong-based English language news media publishing group, covering politics, economics, business, and culture from an Asian perspective. ''Asia Times'' publishes in English and ...
'', the four largest bank in Myanmar are:
* Kanbawza Bank
Kanbawza Bank ( my, ကမ္ဘောဇဘဏ်; abbreviated as KBZ Bank) is a private commercial bank in Myanmar. The bank was established on 1 July 1994 in Taunggyi, Shan State. KBZ Bank shares the same brand as a number of companies in Myanma ...
* Ayeyarwady Bank
Ayeyarwady Bank Public Company Limited ( my, ဧရာဝတီဘဏ်) is an institutional bank headquartered in Yangon.
Products
* Deposit
* Loan and Advances
* Remittances
* Card Payment
* E-Banking Services
* Cash Management
* Trade serv ...
* CB Bank
* Yoma Bank
Netherlands
The "big four" banks in the Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
by market concentration are:
* ING Group
The ING Group ( nl, ING Groep) is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Amsterdam. Its primary businesses are retail banking, direct banking, commercial banking, investment banking, wholesale bankin ...
* Rabobank
Rabobank (; full name: ''Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A.'') is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands. The group comprises 89 local Dutch Rabobanks (2019), a central organisation (Raboban ...
* ABN AMRO
ABN or abn may refer to:
Companies
* ABN AMRO Group, a Dutch bank group
* ABN AMRO, sometimes referred to as "ABN" in shorthand, is a Dutch state-owned bank
* Algemene Bank Nederland, a now-defunct Dutch bank
Radio, news and television organizat ...
* de Volksbank
De Volksbank () is a Dutch retail bank offering financial products to both companies and individuals. Prior to a 2017 restructuring, it was called SNS Bank, which remains its major brand name. It became a subsidiary of SNS Reaal in 1997 when the ...
, state owned banking arm of SNS Reaal
The market leader for the Netherlands, ING Group
The ING Group ( nl, ING Groep) is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in Amsterdam. Its primary businesses are retail banking, direct banking, commercial banking, investment banking, wholesale bankin ...
, is one of the largest multinational banking and financial service corporations in the world, with products and services reaching over 41 countries worldwide.
New Zealand
New Zealand is Australia's closest neighbour, with very close cultural and economic ties. The big four Australian banks (often referred to collectively as the 'big banks'[Parker, Tamsyn]
NZ's big banks record $3.5b profit
''The New Zealand Herald
''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspaper ...
'', 5 November 2013. Accessed 14 April 2014. or the 'big Aussie banks') also dominate the banking sector in New Zealand, through subsidiaries:
* ANZ Bank New Zealand (ANZ), a subsidiary of Australia and New Zealand Banking Group
* ASB Bank (ASB), formerly Auckland Savings Bank, a subsidiary of Commonwealth Bank of Australia
* Bank of New Zealand (BNZ), a subsidiary of the National Australia Bank
* Westpac New Zealand (WBC), formerly WestpacTrust after a merger with Trust Bank
A trust company is a corporation that acts as a fiduciary, trustee or agent of trusts and agencies. A professional trust company may be independently owned or owned by, for example, a bank or a law firm, and which specializes in being a trus ...
, a subsidiary of Westpac Banking Corporation
Together they hold over 90% of gross loans and advances in New Zealand as well as close to 90% of all mortgages.
These four NZ subsidiaries are massively profitable and in some cases even outperform the Australian parent companies. The extent to which they dominate the banking sector can be seen in profits: In the 2012/2013 financial year, the largest of the Big Banks, ANZ New Zealand, made a profit of NZ$1.37 billion. The smallest, BNZ, made a profit of NZ$695 million. State-owned Kiwibank
Kiwibank Limited is a New Zealand state-owned bank and financial services provider with approximately 4% of market share in terms of assets. Kiwibank is owned by the New Zealand Government and provides some of its banking services through i ...
, community trust-owned TSB Bank, SBS Bank
SBS Bank is a registered bank in New Zealand which was founded in 1869. In October 2008 it gained bank registration and the Southland Building Society became SBS Bank. It is a 100% New Zealand owned registered bank that has retained a mutual bu ...
(formerly Southland Building Society) and Heartland Bank
Heartland Bank is a New Zealand owned bank that was created in 2011 through the merging of four financial organisations. Heartland was granted its bank registration by the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in 2012. It specialises in motor vehicle loa ...
, the next four largest banks by profit, made NZ$97 million, NZ$73.5 million, NZ$14 million and NZ$7 million (albeit with an underlying result of about NZ$30 million) respectively. In other words, the profit of New Zealand's next four largest banks (after the Big Four) is equal to less than 30% of the smallest of the Big Four, BNZ.
Nigeria
The term "Big Five" is used instead of four, with five banks dominating the Nigerian banking world. In 2011, these top five banks had a combined balance sheet, including contingents, of 12.9 trillion naira
The naira (sign: ₦; code: NGN) is the currency of Nigeria. One naira is divided into 100 ''kobo''.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is the sole issuer of legal tender money throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It controls the volume ...
($821 billion), 33 percent higher than the prior year.
* Zenith Bank
Zenith Bank Plc is a large financial service provider in Nigeria and Anglophone West Africa. It is licensed as a commercial bank by the Central Bank of Nigeria, the national banking regulator. As of 31 December 2019, it holds $16.1bn in total as ...
* First Bank of Nigeria
First Bank of Nigeria Limited is a Nigerian multinational bank and financial services company in Lagos, Nigeria. It is the premier bank in West Africa. The First Bank of Nigeria Limited operates as a parent company, with the subsidiaries 'FBN B ...
* Guaranty Trust Bank
Guaranty Trust Holding Company PLC also known as GTCO PLC is a multinational financial services group, that offers retail and investment banking, pension management, asset management and payments services, headquartered in Victoria Island, Lagos ...
* Access Bank
* United Bank for Africa
United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) is a Multinational pan-African financial services group headquartered in Lagos and known as Africa’s Global Bank. It has subsidiaries in 20 African countries and offices in London, Paris and New York. In Dece ...
(UBA)
North Macedonia
According to PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is an international professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounti ...
, three largest banks in North Macedonia dominates 60% of the banking market share.
* Komercijalna banka Skopje
Komercijalna banka Skopje ( mk, Комерцијална банка Скопје; abbr. KBS) is a commercial bank with headquarters in Skopje, North Macedonia.
History
It was established in 1955 as Komunalna Banka (business bank for city of Skop ...
* Stopanska Banka
* NLB Tutunska
Pakistan
The "top five" banks of Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
are:
* HBL
* Meezan Bank Limited
*MCB Bank Limited
MCB Bank Limited () is a Pakistani multinational commercial bank which is based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The majority of shares are owned by Pakistani conglomerate Nishat Group and Malaysian bank Maybank. The bank has a network of 1,600 bran ...
*National Bank of Pakistan
National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) () is a Pakistani government-owned multinational commercial bank which is a subsidiary of State Bank of Pakistan. It is headquartered in Karachi, Pakistan. As of September 2020, it has 1,511 branches across Pakist ...
* United Bank
* Allied Bank
Panama
* Banco General
* Banistmo
* Banco Nacional
Banco Nacional was a bank from Brazil. It was taken over by Unibanco in 1995.
The ''Nacional'' brand is better known as main sponsor of Ayrton Senna during most of his racing career in Formula One (1984-1994).
The TV Globo's popular news program ...
* BAC Credomatic
BAC Credomatic is a financial group in Central America, with operations in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua (where it was founded and former headquarters in the city of Managua), Costa Rica (current headquarters), Panama, Grand Cayman, ...
Peru
In Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
the "big four" are:
* Banco de Crédito del Perú
Banco de Crédito del Perú is the largest bank and the largest supplier of integrated financial services in Perú with approximately US$39 billion in total assets and a market share of 30.4% in total loans and 33.5% in total deposits.
Operations ...
* BBVA Perú
BBVA Perú (formerly BBVA Banco Continental) is a Peruvian bank and subsidiary of Holding Continental (an affiliate of BBVA) which holds 92.08% of its equity.
The bank was established in 1951 and its operations are authorized by the Superintende ...
* Scotiabank (subsidiary of the Canadian bank)
* Interbank
Interbank is a Peruvian provider of financial services.
History
In 1897, Elias Mujica opened an agency at Jiron de la Union in Lima's historical center under the name of ''Banco Internacional''. In 1934, branches were opened in Chiclayo and ...
Philippines
The term "Big Four" is not explicitly used in the Philippines. The following are the four largest banks in the country in terms of total assets as of March 2020:
* Banco de Oro
* Metrobank
*Land Bank of the Philippines
Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP; often referred to simply as LandBank), is a government-owned bank in the Philippines with a special focus on serving the needs of farmers and fishermen. While it provides the services of a universal bank, it ...
*Bank of the Philippine Islands
Bank of the Philippine Islands ( fil, Bangko ng Kapuluang Pilipinas, es, Banco de las Islas Filipinas, commonly known as BPI; ) is a universal bank in the Philippines. It is the first bank in both the Philippines and Southeast Asia. It is t ...
Romania
The Romanian banking system has almost 40 banks, most of them detained by local financial vehicles, and some of them subsidiaries of foreign banks. The big four are as follows.
* Banca Comercială Română
Banca Comercială Română (BCR) (SWIFT code: RNCBROBU), a member of Erste Group, is the most important financial group in Romania, including operations of universal bank (retail, corporate & investment banking, treasury and capital markets ...
, now part of the Erste Group
Erste Group Bank AG (Erste Group) is an Austrian financial service provider in Central and Eastern Europe serving 15.7 million clients in over 2,700 branches in seven countries.
History
Erste Group was founded in October 1819 as ''Erste österr ...
* Banca Transilvania
Banca Transilvania S.A. (also BT or TLV) is a banking institution with headquarters in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The bank was founded in 1993 in Cluj-Napoca with a capital of 2 billion RON, of which 79% was Romanian and 21% foreign.
BT is the large ...
, the biggest bank detained by private investors with domestic capital
* BRD – Groupe Société Générale, formerly known as Romanian Bank for Development
* CEC Bank
CEC Bank (prior to May 6, 2008 Casa de Economii și Consemnațiuni, but already known then as ''CEC''),[Sberbank
PJSC Sberbank (russian: Сбербанк, initially a contraction of russian: сберегательный банк, translit=sberegatelnyy bank, lit=savings bank, link=no) is a Russian majority state-owned banking and financial services compa ...]
* VTB Bank
VTB Bank (; formerly known as ''Vneshtorgbank'', , lit. 'International Trade Bank') is a Russian majority state-owned bank headquartered in various federal districts of Russia; its legal address is registered in St. Petersburg; as of 202 ...
* Gazprombank
Gazprombank (russian: Газпромбанк), or GPB (JSC), is a private-owned Russian bank, the third largest bank in the country by assets. Since November 2014, Yuri Shamalov's Gazfond is its largest shareholder.
The bank’s principal busine ...
* Alfa-Bank
ALFA-BANK JSC (Alfa-Bank), is the largest of the private banks in Russia. It was founded in 1990 by Russian businessman Mikhail Fridman, who is still the controlling owner today. Headquartered in Moscow, it operates in seven countries, providi ...
Singapore
In Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
, the "Big Three" are:
* DBS Bank
DBS Bank Limited, often known as DBS, is a Singaporean multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at the Marina Bay Financial Centre in the Marina Bay district of Singapore. The bank was previously known as The De ...
** POSB Bank
POSB Bank, often known as POSB, is a Singaporean bank offering consumer banking services and is the oldest local bank in continuous operation in Singapore. Established on 1 January 1877 as the Post Office Savings Bank,Consulton Research Bureau. ...
* OCBC Bank
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation, Limited (), often known as OCBC Bank (), is a Singaporean multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered in OCBC Centre, Singapore. OCBC Bank was born out of the Great Depression thr ...
** Bank of Singapore
The Bank of Singapore is the private banking arm of OCBC Bank. Formerly known as ING Asia Private Bank, it was acquired by OCBC Bank in 2009 from ING Group for US$1.46 billion. As of 30 September 2022, Bank of Singapore's assets under management ...
* United Overseas Bank
United Overseas Bank Limited (), often known as UOB, is a Singaporean multinational banking corporation headquartered in Singapore, with branches mostly found in most Southeast Asian countries. Founded in 1935 as United Chinese Bank (UCB) by S ...
South Africa
In South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, the "big four" are:
* Absa Group Limited
Absa Group Limited (ABGL; formerly Barclays Africa Group Limited), and originally Amalgamated Banks of South Africa, is a South African-based financial services group, offering personal and business banking, credit cards, corporate and invest ...
, majority owned by Barclays between 2005 and early 2018.
* FirstRand Bank
FirstRand Limited, also referred to as FirstRand Group is the holding company of FirstRand Bank, and is a financial services provider in South Africa. It is one of the financial services providers licensed by the Reserve Bank of South Africa, ...
, operators of First National Bank.
* Nedbank
Nedbank Group is a financial services group in South Africa offering wholesale and retail banking services as well as insurance, asset management, and wealth management. Nedbank Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nedbank Group.
Nedbank's ...
, minority-owned by Old Mutual
Old Mutual Limited is a pan-African investment, savings, insurance, and banking group. It is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, the Namibian Stock Exchange and the Botswana Stock Exchange. It was founded ...
.
* Standard Bank
Standard Bank Group Limited is a major South African bank and financial services group. It is Africa's biggest lender by assets. The company's corporate headquarters, Standard Bank Centre, is situated in Simmonds Street, Johannesburg.
History
...
, spin off from Standard Chartered Bank in 1987.
South Korea
In South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
, the "Big Four" are:
* Woori Bank
Woori Bank (Hangul: 우리은행 ''Uri Eunhaeng'') is a Korean multinational bank headquartered in Seoul. It is one of the four largest domestic banks in South Korea and is showing a strong presence not only for commercial banking but also for co ...
* KB Kookmin Bank
Kookmin Bank or KB Kookmin Bank () is among four of the largest banks ranked by asset value in South Korea, as of the end of March 2014. It is the largest among banks in Korea and the 60th largest in the world as of 2017.
History
The current KB ...
* Shinhan Bank
Shinhan Bank Co., Ltd. () is a bank headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Historically it was the first bank in Korea, established under the name Hanseong Bank in 1897. The bank was reestablished in 1982. It is part of the Shinhan Financial Gro ...
* KEB Hana Bank
Hana Bank (; KEB Hana Bank outside South Korea) is a commercial bank headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. Since its establishment as Korea Exchange Bank in 1967, it provides the largest range of foreign exchange products in South Korea.
History ...
Spain
As of September 2021, the "big four" in Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
are:
* Banco Santander
Banco Santander, S.A., doing business as Santander Group (, , Spanish: ), is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Madrid and Santander in Spain. Additionally, Santander maintains a presence in all global financial centr ...
* BBVA
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (), better known by its initialism BBVA, is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Madrid and Bilbao, Spain. It is one of the largest financial institutions in the world, and is present ...
* Caixabank
CaixaBank, S.A. (), formerly Criteria CaixaCorp, is a Spanish multinational financial services company. CaixaBank is based in Valencia, with operative offices in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain. It is Spain's third-largest lender by market value, ...
* Banco Sabadell
Banco de Sabadell, S.A. ( ca, Banc Sabadell) is a Spanish multinational financial services company headquartered in Alicante and Barcelona, Spain. It is the 4th-largest Spanish banking group. It includes several banks, brands, subsidiaries and a ...
There were formerly a "big six" (''los seis grandes'') composed of three banks that are now part of BBVA (Banco de Bilbao, Banco de Vizcaya, and state-owned Banco Argentaria) and three now combined as Santander (Banco Central, Banco Hispanoamericano, and Banco de Santander).
Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, the leading banks are, as of 2020
State owned banks,
* Bank of Ceylon
Bank of Ceylon (BOC; Sinhala: ලංකා බැංකුව ''Lanka Bænkuwa'', Tamil: இலங்கை வங்கி ''Ilangai Vangi'') is a state-owned, major commercial bank in Sri Lanka. Its head office is located in an iconic cy ...
* National Savings Bank
* People's Bank
Privately owned banks,
* Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC
*Sampath Bank PLC
Sampath Bank PLC ( si, සම්පත් බැංකුව, sampat bæṁkuva) is a licensed commercial bank incorporated in Sri Lanka in 1987 with 229 branches and 373 ATMs island-wide. It has won the "Bank of the Year" award by "The Banker" ...
* Hatton National Bank PLC
* National Development Bank PLC
Foreign owned leading banks,
* HSBC Sri Lanka
HSBC Sri Lanka is a banking and financial services company in Sri Lanka and is a licensed commercial bank supervised by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. It is the largest and one of the oldest bank in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්&zw ...
Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka
* State Bank of India, Sri Lanka
Sweden
In Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
the "big four" are:
* Svenska Handelsbanken
* Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken
* Swedbank
* Nordea
Nordea Bank Abp, commonly referred to as Nordea, is a European financial services group operating in northern Europe and based in Helsinki, Finland. The name is a blend of the words "Nordic" and "idea". The bank is the result of the successive m ...
Switzerland
In Switzerland, the "big three" hold 45% of all customer deposits. They are:
* UBS
* Credit Suisse
* Raiffeisen (Switzerland)
Raiffeisen Switzerland is a cooperative of cooperatives – the union of all independent Swiss Raiffeisen banks. It bears responsibility for the business policy and strategy within the Raiffeisen Group. The 246 independent Raiffeisen banks of Sw ...
Taiwan
In Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, the five "systemic banks" are:
* CTBC Bank
CTBC Bank () is amongst the largest privately owned banks in Taiwan.
History
It was established in 1966 under the name China Securities and Investment Corporation. In 1971, its name was changed to Chinatrust Investment Company Limited. In 1992, i ...
* Cathay United Bank
Cathay United Bank () is one of the largest commercial banks in Taiwan, with a capital value of TW$67 billion (approximately US$2.23 billion) and more than 165 branches located throughout Taiwan. It is part of Cathay Financial Holdings.
History
...
* Taipei Fubon Bank
Taipei Fubon Bank () is a bank based in Taiwan. It was founded on 1 January 2005 from a merger of Fubon Bank with TaipeiBank.
It is 100% held by Fubon Financial Holding Co., Ltd.
* Mega International Commercial Bank
* Taiwan Cooperative Bank
The Taiwan Cooperative Bank (TCB; ) is a publicly listed bank headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. Originally formed by the Japanese during Japanese rule in Taiwan in 1923, TCB was taken over by the Republic of China government in 1946 and has gro ...
Thailand
In 2014, the "big four" together held over 66% of gross loans and controlled more than 67% of total assets in the banking system.
* Bangkok Bank
Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited ( th, ธนาคารกรุงเทพ, RTGS: Thanakhan Krung Thep) is one of the largest commercial banks in Thailand. Its branch network includes over 1,165 branches, As of September 2018 within Thail ...
* Siam Commercial Bank
Siam Commercial Bank ( th, ธนาคารไทยพาณิชย์; ) is a Thai bank that was founded on 30 January 1907.
History
SCB was founded as the "Book Club" on 4 October 1904 by Prince Jayanta Mongkol, a brother of King Ch ...
* Krung Thai Bank
Krungthai Bank ( th, ธนาคารกรุงไทย; ), officially Krungthai Bank Public Company Limited, and sometimes known by its initials KTB, is a state-owned bank under license issued by the Ministry of Finance (Thailand), Ministry ...
* Kasikornbank
Kasikornbank ( th, ธนาคารกสิกรไทย, , Teochew: Khai-thài Ngîng-hâng, , stylised in all caps), often stylised as KBank and formerly known as the Thai Farmers Bank is a banking group in Thailand. KBank was establishe ...
Prior to the Siamese Revolution, the banking system was controlled by foreign powers, particularly the "big four" European banks.
* The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank in 1888 (Now HSBC)
* The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China
The Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China (informally The Chartered Bank) was a bank incorporated in London in 1853 by Scotsman James Wilson, under a Royal Charter from Queen Victoria. in 1894 (Now Standard Chartered Bank Thailand)
* Banque de l'Indochine
The Banque de l'Indochine (), originally Banque de l'Indo-Chine ("Bank of Indochina"), was a bank created in 1875 in Paris to finance French colonial development in Asia. As a bank of issue in Indochina until 1952 (and in French Paci ...
in 1897 (Now Banque Calyon, a subsidiary of Crédit Agricole)
* Mercantile Bank of India
The Mercantile Bank of India, London and China, later Mercantile Bank Ltd (), was an Anglo-Indian bank with business focus in the Far East. It was founded in Bombay in 1853 as the Mercantile Bank of Bombay; and later in 1857 was renamed to Mer ...
in 1923 (Now Citibank Thailand, a subsidiary of Citigroup)
Turkey
In 2021, the top three largest state-owned bank together held over 37.1% of market share, while the top four largest foreign-owned banks in Turkey dominates 22.9% of the overall market share.
State-owned bank
* Ziraat Bank
Ziraat Bankası is a state-owned bank in Turkey founded in 1863. Offers commercial loan support to companies and tradesmen, as well as personal loans such as consumer loans, vehicle loans and housing loans.
History
During the first half of the 1 ...
* Halkbank
Halkbank is a Turkish bank, first incorporated in 1933 as a state-owned bank. After growing throughout much of the twentieth century, it began absorbing smaller-sized state banks around the turn of the millennium. Halkbank is now a publicly trad ...
* VakıfBank
VakıfBank is the second largest bank in Turkey in terms of asset size, established with an initial capital of TL 50 million on January 11, 1954 and later started operating on April 13, 1954. Abdi Serdar Üstünsalih has been selected as the CEO ...
Privately-owned bank
* Garanti BBVA
* Akbank
Akbank T.A.Ş. is one of the largest banks in Turkey. Founded in 1948, , it had revenues of nearly TL 13.7 billion. Listed on the Borsa Istanbul, its largest shareholders are members of the Sabancı family. Akbank is a bank that offers vehicle ...
* Yapı Kredi
Yapı Kredi is one of the first nationwide commercial banks in Turkey, and is the fourth largest publicly owned bank in Turkey by its asset size. It was established in 1944 by Kazım Taşkent. Assets of the bank include credit cards, assets un ...
* Türkiye İş Bankası
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
United Arab Emirates
Based on total assets of listed banks at the end of 2017, big five banks in United Arab Emirates are:
* First Abu Dhabi Bank
First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) ( ar, بنك أبوظبي الأول) is the largest bank in the United Arab Emirates. It was formed following a merger between First Gulf Bank (FGB) and National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD).
FAB offers financial solutio ...
* Emirates NBD
Emirates NBD Bank PJSC is Dubai's government-owned bank and is one of the largest banking groups in the Middle East in terms of assets.
History and profile
Emirates NBD was initially formed as National Bank of Dubai (NBD) on 19 June 1963 by the ...
* Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank
* Dubai Islamic Bank
The Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) is an Islamic bank in Dubai, established in 1975 by Haj Saeed Bin Ahmed Al Lootah. It is the first Islamic bank in the world to have incorporated the principles of Islam in all its practices and is the largest Islami ...
* Mashreq
The Mashriq ( ar, ٱلْمَشْرِق), sometimes spelled Mashreq or Mashrek, is a term used by Arabs to refer to the eastern part of the Arab world, located in Western Asia and eastern North Africa. Poetically the "Place of Sunrise", the n ...
United Kingdom
England and Wales
In relation to England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is Eng ...
, the phrase "big four banks" is currently used to refer to the four largest banking groups:
* HSBC;
* Barclays;
*Lloyds Banking Group; and
*NatWest Group.
Scotland
In relation to Scotland, the phrase “big four” is currently used to refer to the four largest banking groups:
* Royal Bank of Scotland (NatWest Group);
* Bank of Scotland (Lloyds Banking Group);
* Clydesdale Bank (Virgin Money UK plc, Virgin Money UK); and
* TSB Bank (United Kingdom), TSB Bank (Banco Sabadell
Banco de Sabadell, S.A. ( ca, Banc Sabadell) is a Spanish multinational financial services company headquartered in Alicante and Barcelona, Spain. It is the 4th-largest Spanish banking group. It includes several banks, brands, subsidiaries and a ...
).
Northern Ireland
In relation to Northern Ireland, the phrase “big four” is currently used to refer to the four largest banking groups:
* Bank of Ireland;
*Ulster Bank
Ulster Bank ( ga, Banc Uladh) is a large retail bank, and one of the traditional Big Four (banking)#Ireland, Big Four Irish clearing banks. The Ulster Bank Group is subdivided into two separate legal entities: NatWest, National Westminster Ban ...
(NatWest Group);
*Northern Bank trading as Danske Bank (Northern Ireland), Danske Bank; and
*AIB (NI), Allied Irish Banks.
Historical use
Until 1970, the phrase "big five" (as opposed to “little six”) was used to refer to the five largest UK Clearing bank (United Kingdom), clearing banks (institutions which Clearing (finance), clear bankers' cheques), which in England and Wales were:
* Barclays Bank;
* Midland Bank (now HSBC Bank (Europe), HSBC Bank and part of HSBC);
* Lloyds Bank (now part of Lloyds Banking Group);
* National Provincial Bank; and
* Westminster Bank.
After the merger of Westminster Bank, National Provincial Bank and District Bank to form National Westminster Bank (now part of NatWest Group) in 1970, the term "big four" came into use instead.
United States
In the United States, the "big four" banks hold 45% of all U.S. customer deposits (as of 2018), and consist of:
*JPMorgan Chase (headquartered in Manhattan, New York, New York, bank chartered in Columbus, Ohio)
*Bank of America (headquartered and bank chartered in Charlotte, North Carolina)
* Citigroup (headquartered in Manhattan, New York, New York, bank chartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
*Wells Fargo (headquartered in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, bank chartered in Wilmington, Delaware and registered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
Regardless of the jurisdiction of charter, the legal entity of these banks are all subsidiaries of Delaware General Corporation Law, Delaware-chartered bank holding company, bank holding companies.
From a retail banking perspective, U.S. Bancorp (headquartered in Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota, bank chartered in Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio) and PNC Financial Services (headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, bank chartered in Wilmington, Delaware) both have significantly more branches than Citibank, the retail banking arm of Citigroup. However, Citibank still has significantly more assets than U.S. Bancorp and PNC.
Vietnam
In Vietnam, the four major banking groups are:
* Vietcombank
* Agribank (Vietnam), Agribank
* BIDV
* Vietinbank
See also
* Big Five banks of Canada
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Four (Banks)
Banks
Lists of banks