The Big Four (or Big 4) is the colloquial name given to the four main banks in several countries where the banking industry is dominated by just four institutions and where the phrase has thus gained relevance. [1] Some countries include more or fewer institutions in such rankings, leading to other names such as Big Three, Big Five, or Big Six.
Internationally, the term "Big Four Banks" has traditionally referred to the following central banks: [2]
In Australia, the "big four banks" refers to the four largest banks that have historically dominated Australia's banking industry in terms of market share, revenue, and total assets. [3] [4] The "big four banks" of Australia are: [5]
A longstanding policy of the Federal Government in Australia has been to maintain this status quo, called the four pillars policy. The policy has been maintained through the Global Recession of 2008–09, as Westpac acquired St George Bank and the Commonwealth Bank acquired Bankwest, reinforcing the special status of the "big four".
The "Big Four" banks of Austria are: [7]
*separate legal entities operating under a common brand
The big four banks of Belgium [8] are a result of national and international mergers in the early 90s.
In Brazil, the "big four", according to Exame Magazine [9] in 2017:
Name | Description | Year | Net Assets |
---|---|---|---|
Itaú Unibanco | Largest Private bank | 2017 | US$452.6 billion |
Banco do Brasil | Largest State Owned Bank | 2017 | US$430.2 billion |
Caixa Econômica Federal | State Owned Bank | 2017 | US$406.0 billion |
Banco Bradesco | Private Bank | 2017 | US$391.6 billion |
According to the National Bank of Cambodia, the top three largest banks 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: [10]
There are five banks dominating the Canadian banking sector, hence the "Big Five" [11] is used instead of "Big Four".
During the 1920s, the term "Big Four" applied to the Four Northern Banks of the Republic of China (i.e., the four most capitalized commercial banks in Northern China). [12] These were the Yien Yieh Commercial Bank, the Kincheng Banking Corporation, the Continental Bank and The China & South Sea Bank. They were contrasted with the Three Southern Banks of Southern China.
By 1949, the "Big Four" banks were the Bank of China, the Bank of Communications, the Central Bank of China, and the Farmers Bank of China. All four were state-owned. Together with the 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" (四行两局一库). [13]
In the People's Republic of China, the "Big Four" banks (四大银行) are: [14]
In Colombia, the ten biggest banking service networks are: [15] [16]
Name | Description | Year | Net Assets |
---|---|---|---|
Banco de Bogotá | Largest Private Bank | 2017 | COP 3.6 trillion |
Bancolombia | Private Bank | 2017 | COP 2.6 trillion |
Banco Davivienda | Private Bank | 2017 | COP 1.204 trillion |
Banco de Occidente Credencial | Private Bank | 2017 | COP 932.827 billion |
BBVA Colombia | Private Bank | 2017 | COP 346.333 billion |
Banco Agrario de Colombia [ es ] | State owned Bank | 2017 | COP 339.410 billion |
Banco Colpatria | Private Bank | 2017 | COP 253.572 billion |
Banco Caja Social [ es ] | Private Bank | 2017 | COP 238.116 billion |
Citibank Colombia | Private Bank | 2017 | COP 172.051 billion |
Banco Popular [ es ] | Private Bank | 2017 | COP 156.033 billion |
In Czech Republic, the "big three" are: [17]
In France, according to The Banker, [18] the six major banking groups are:
In Hong Kong, some media refer to the following as the "big four": [19]
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. [20]
In India the largest banks, based on total market capitalization, are: [21]
In Indonesia, the term "big four" is not explicitly used. As of 2018, the four largest banks by total assets are: [22]
BRI, Bank Mandiri, and BNI are all controlled by the central government as state-owned enterprises.
In Ireland, the term "big four" applies to the four largest banks by market capitalisation. [23] [24]
In Israel, the term "big five" [26] is used instead of "big four".
In Japan, the term "big three" [27] [28] is used instead of "big four". The related term city bank is also sometimes used for these banks. The "big three" are:
Japan had a "big four" between 2002 and 2005 when the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and UFJ Japan were still separate entities. [29] 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 (where they are constituents of the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX Core30 indices) and the New York Stock Exchange in the form of American depositary receipts; MUFG and SMBC Group are both additionally listed in the Nagoya Stock Exchange and serve as the financial arms of their respective namesake keiretsu (Mitsubishi for MUFG, Sumitomo and Mitsui for SMBC).
According to a consumer survey conducted in 2019, [30] the "big four" retail banks in Latvia are:
In Lebanon, where the banks have retained their banking secrecy laws since 1956, which is prevalent in the whole MENA region, and while adopting international measures to fight money laundering, the "big four" banks consist of: [31]
Furthermore, as of September 2016, there are more than 51 banks in Lebanon, one of the smallest countries in the Middle East, a 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.
The "big four" full-service banks in Luxembourg are: [32]
There are bigger banks in Luxembourg, but these only deliver a limited number of services such as investment banking, private banking, or corporate banking only. Luxembourg is a financial center.
In Macau, the four major banks are: [33]
According to Central Bank of Malaysia, the top four banks by assets size are: [34]
According to Asia Times , the four largest banks in Myanmar are: [37]
The "big four" banks in the Netherlands by market concentration are: [38]
The market leader for the Netherlands, ING Group, is one of the world's largest multinational banking and financial service corporations, with products and services reaching over 41 countries worldwide. [39]
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' [40] [41] [42] or the 'big Aussie banks') also dominate the banking sector in New Zealand, through subsidiaries:
Together they hold over 90% of gross loans and advances in New Zealand [43] as well as close to 90% of all mortgages. [44]
These four NZ subsidiaries are massively profitable and sometimes even outperform the Australian parent companies. [45] 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. [40] State-owned Kiwibank, community trust-owned TSB Bank, SBS Bank (formerly Southland Building Society) and Heartland Bank, the next four largest banks by profit, made NZ$97 million, [46] NZ$73.5 million, [47] NZ$14 million [48] and NZ$7 million (albeit with an underlying result of about NZ$30 million) respectively. [49] Thus, 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.
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 ($821 billion), 33 percent higher than the prior year. [50]
According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the three largest banks in North Macedonia dominate 60% of the banking market share. [51]
In Peru the "big four" are: [53]
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: [54]
The Romanian banking system has almost 40 banks, most detained by local financial vehicles and some subsidiaries of foreign banks. The big four are as follows.
Other major banks are Raiffeisen Bank, Unicredit Bank, and the ING Bank of Holland subsidiary.
Four largest banks by operations and assets in Russia by December 2020: [55] [56]
In South Africa, the "big four" in order of value of assets are: [58]
In South Korea, the "Big Four" are: [59]
As of September 2021, the "big four" in Spain are: [60]
There was 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).
In Sri Lanka, the leading banks are, as of 2020 [61]
State-owned banks,
Privately owned banks,
Foreign-owned leading banks,
In Switzerland, the "big three" hold 45% of all customer deposits. They are: [64]
In 2014, the "big four" [67] together held over 66% of gross loans and controlled more than 67% of total assets in the banking system. [68]
Before the Siamese Revolution, the banking system was controlled by foreign powers, particularly the "big four" European banks. [69] : 160–169
In 2021, the top three largest state-owned banks held over 37.1% of the market share, while Turkey's top four largest foreign-owned banks dominate 22.9% of the overall market share. [70]
Based on the total assets of listed banks at the end of 2017, [71] [72] big five banks in United Arab Emirates are:
In relation to England and Wales, the phrase "big four banks" is currently used to refer to the four largest banking groups:
In relation to Scotland, the phrase "big four" is currently used to refer to the four largest banking groups:
In relation to Northern Ireland, the phrase "big four" is currently used to refer to the four largest banking groups:
Until 1970, the phrase "big five" (as opposed to "little six") [76] was used to refer to the five largest UK clearing banks (institutions which clear bankers' cheques), which in England and Wales were:
After the merger of Westminster Bank, National Provincial Bank and District Bank to form National Westminster Bank (now part of NatWest Group) in 1970, [77] the term "big four" came into use instead.
In the United States, the "big four" banks hold about 45% of all U.S. customer deposits (as of 2018), and each have assets of roughly $1.7 trillion U.S. dollars. As of 2023, they have combined assets of more than $9.2 trillion. [78] The banks are, in order of size: [79] [80]
Regardless of the jurisdiction of charter, the legal entity of these banks are all subsidiaries of Delaware-chartered bank holding companies.
From a retail banking perspective, U.S. Bank and PNC Bank both have significantly more branches than Citibank, the retail banking arm of Citigroup. [81] However, Citigroup still has significantly more assets than U.S. Bancorp and PNC Financial Services. [82]
In Vietnam, the four major banking groups are: [83]
As of the start of 2024, the big four held VNĐ13.5 quadrillion worth of public deposits (bank liabilities), equivalent to 50% of all bank deposits nationwide. Meanwhile, during the annual year 2023, these banks represented 42% of the outstanding loans (bank credit) that were issued over this period nationwide, a total of VNĐ685 trillion. [84]
Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB, abbreviated SEB, is a Swedish bank headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. In Sweden and the Baltic countries, SEB has a full financial service offering. In Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany, and the United Kingdom, the bank's operations are focused on corporate and investment banking services to corporate and institutional clients. The bank was founded in 1972 by the Swedish Wallenberg family, which is still SEB's largest shareholder through major investment company Investor AB. SEB is the largest Swedish bank by both market capitalisation and total assets.
HSBC Holdings plc is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business links to East Asia and a multinational footprint. It is the largest Europe-based bank by total assets, ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.919 trillion as of December 2023.
Banco Bradesco S.A. is a Brazilian financial services company headquartered in Osasco, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is the third largest banking institution by assets in Brazil and Latin America. It is also one of fifty most valuable banks in the world. The bank is listed at the B3 in São Paulo, where it is part of the Índice Bovespa, in the New York Stock Exchange and in the Madrid Stock Exchange.
Royal Bank of Canada is a Canadian multinational financial services company and the largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 20 million clients and has more than 100,000 employees worldwide. Founded in 1864 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, it maintains its corporate headquarters in Toronto and its head office in Montreal. RBC's institution number is 003. In November 2017, RBC was added to the Financial Stability Board's list of global systemically important banks.
The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, commonly known as ANZ Bank, is a multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is Australia's second-largest bank by assets and fourth-largest bank by market capitalisation.
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, commonly abbreviated as HSBC and formerly known as HongkongBank, is the Hong Kong–based Asia-Pacific subsidiary of the HSBC banking group, for which it was the parent entity until 1991. The largest bank in Hong Kong, HSBC operates branches and offices throughout the Indo-Pacific region and in other countries around the world. It is also one of the three commercial banks licensed by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to issue banknotes for the Hong Kong dollar.
The Banque Belge pour l'Étranger was a Belgian bank that channeled many international banking operations of its controlling shareholder the Société Générale de Belgique (SGB) in the first half of the 20th century. It was originally established by the SGB in 1902 in Brussels as the Banque Sino-Belge, at the request of King Leopold II of Belgium.
Bank of Shanghai Co., Ltd. (BOSC) is an urban commercial bank based in Shanghai in China. The bank was ranked 73rd among 1000 banks around the world by The Banker in terms of their Tier 1 capital in 2020.
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited, abbreviated as OCBC, is a Singaporean multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at the OCBC Centre.
Bank of Communications is a Chinese multinational banking and financial services corporation. It was originally established in 1908 and was one of a handful of domestic Chinese banks that issued banknotes in modern history. Following the Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949, the mainland operation of that bank were merged into the People's Bank of China and People's Construction Bank of China under the Communist single-tier banking system, while its continuation in Taiwan eventually became part of Mega International Commercial Bank.
Banco Santander S.A. trading as Santander Group, is a Spanish multinational financial services company based in Madrid and Santander in Spain. Additionally, Santander maintains a presence in most global financial centres as the 19th-largest banking institution in the world. Although known for its European banking operations, it has extended operations across North and South America, and more recently in continental Asia. It is considered a systemically important bank by the Financial Stability Board.
HSBC Continental Europe, known until December 2020 as HSBC France SA, is a subsidiary of HSBC, headquartered in Paris.
Westpac Banking Corporation, known simply as Westpac, is an Australian multinational banking and financial services company headquartered at Westpac Place in Sydney.
Union Bancaire Privée is a private bank and wealth management firm headquartered in Geneva. UBP is one of the largest private banks in Switzerland, and serves private and institutional clients. The bank was founded in 1969 by Edgar de Picciotto.
United Overseas Bank Limited, often known as UOB, is a Singaporean regional bank headquartered at Raffles Place, Singapore, with branches mostly found in Southeast Asia countries.
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%. Source: National Bank of Cambodia
...The only banks with higher market capitalisation were Allied Irish Banks (AIB) and Bank of Ireland, with strong retail and commercial presences. Ulster Bank and National Irish Bank are the other members of the 'Big Four' retail and commercial banks, both owned by overseas parents and not listed on the Irish Stock Exchange
The three largest banks – Komercijalna Banka, Stopanska Banka Skopje (National Bank of Greece is the main shareholder) and NLB Tutunska Banka (NLB Group is the main shareholder) dominate in the banking system, holding together more than 60% of the total market activities.