World's Top 25 High-End Important International Banks

A BANK is a financial intermediary that accepts deposits and channels those deposits into lending activities, either directly by loaning or indirectly through capital markets. A bank links together customers that have capital deficits and customers with capital surpluses.

Due to their importance in the financial system and influence on national economies, banks are highly regulated in most countries. Most nations have institutionalised a system known as fractional reserve banking, under which banks hold liquid assets equal to only a portion of their current liabilities. In addition to other regulations intended to ensure liquidity, banks are generally subject to minimum capital requirements based on an international set of capital standards, known as the Basel Accords.

Banking in its modern sense evolved in the 14th century in the rich cities of Renaissance Italy but in many ways was a continuation of ideas and concepts of credit and lending that had its roots in the ancient world. In the history of banking, a number of banking dynasties - notably the Medicis, the Fuggers, the Welsers, the Berenbergs, and the Rothschilds - have played a central role over many centuries. The oldest existing retail bank is Monte dei Paschi di Siena, while the oldest existing merchant bank is Berenberg Bank.

Bank News, Reviews & Resources

• ad-hoc cash disensing network - Apple patent turns every stranger into an ATM.
• America’s Best Banks 2020 - Forbes.
• Apps That Make Saving as Effortless as Spending - The New York Times.
• BANK - Wikipedia.
• Bank of England helped in sale of looted Nazi gold - BBC News.
• Bankers’ bonuses double since 2008 crash, TUC study finds - "There is ‘no justification for lifting the cap’ on bonuses, said general secretary Frances O’Grady."
• Banks are making big money off of Russian debt - "The sell-off of Russian debt associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin's campaign on Ukraine and the sanctions that have ensued have created a window for a new type of arbitrage that some in the finance world are gobbling up, seeing it as easy money. The idea is what's known as a negative-basis trade, or purchasing dirt-cheap Russian government or corporate bonds along with credit-default swaps which act as insurance on the potential default of a borrower."
• Banks around world in joint pledge on 'green recovery' after Covid - "Climate finance goals declared but campaigners highlight omissions over fossil fuels and poor nations’ support."
• BANKSTER - definition & explanation.
• Barclays, HSBC & Lloyds among UK banks that had links to slavery - "Many bank directors received compensation after slavery was made illegal in 1833."
• Best Banks & Credit Unions In Every State 2021 - Forbes.
  
• Central Banks Consider Bitcoin’s Technology, if Not Bitcoin - The New York Times.
• China International Payment System | CIPS - Reuters.
• Confidential Clients - "These are the people zipping money across the world thanks to the global banking system." By ICIJ.
• Crane Currency - "Founded by the Swedish Central Bank (Sveriges Riksbank) in 1755, one of the oldest banknote paper production facilities still in operation. Crane Currency is a fully integrated supplier of secure, durable and well-designed banknotes for central banks all over the world."
• Credit Suisse leak raises painful questions for the bank - "Bosses will have to prove their aversion to dubious wealthy clients if they are to regain trust of markets and regulators."
• Credit Suisse leak unmasks criminals, fraudsters & corrupt politicians - "Massive leak reveals secret owners of £80bn held in Swiss bank Whistleblower leaked bank’s data to expose ‘immoral’ secrecy laws. Clients included human trafficker and billionaire who ordered girlfriend’s murder Vatican-owned account used to spend €350m in allegedly fraudulent investment Scandal-hit Credit Suisse rejects allegations it may be ‘rogue bank’"
• Credit Suisse pushes back on reports of controversial accounts - "Credit Suisse pushed back Sunday after multiple media outlets reported that the Swiss investment bank had clients that included criminals, alleged human rights abusers and parties facing sanctions."
• Credit Suisse seeks billions from investors in make-or-break overhaul - "Credit Suisse plans to raise 4 billion Swiss francs ($4 billion) from investors, cut thousands of jobs and shift its focus from investment banking towards its rich clients, as the bank attempts to put years of scandals behind it."
• Crooks, kleptocrats & crises: a timeline of Credit Suisse scandals - "A string of controversies have beset Switzerland’s second-largest lender, including Japanese ‘shredding party’ and US sub-prime fraud."
• De La Rue - since 1821. "The world’s largest commercial banknote printer." The world's largest commercial security printer and papermaker. Banknote manufacturer, security printing, papermaking and cash handling systems company with headquarters in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England.
• Elon Musk details his plan to turn Twitter into a bank - "Supposedly, it’ll be simple: one balance that you can spend within the Twitter payment network, or outside it using a debit card or checks."
• Europe’s Largest Bank Suspected Of Greenwashing - "A group of investors worth $2.4 trillion suspect HSBC of greenwashing as it continues to fund coal projects despite pledging to go carbon neutral."
• European banks storing €20bn a year in tax havens - "Barclays and HSBC among banks booking money equivalent to 14% of annual profits in offshore entities."
• Financial Secrecy Index - "Ranks jurisdictions according to their secrecy and the scale of their offshore financial activities. A politically neutral ranking, it is a tool for understanding global financial secrecy, tax havens or secrecy jurisdictions, and illicit financial flows or capital flight."
• Global banks defy U.S. crackdowns by serving oligarchs, criminals & terrorists - "The FinCEN Files show trillions in tainted dollars flow freely through major banks, swamping a broken enforcement system."
  
• Goodbye, Password. Banks Opt to Scan Fingers & Faces Instead - The New York Times.
• HAWALA BANKING - informal value transfer system based on the performance and honour of a huge network of money brokers, which are primarily located in the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and the Indian subcontinent.
• How a French Bank Captured Haiti - "It helped finance the Eiffel Tower as it drained millions from Haiti."
• How Citigroup Escaped Financial Disaster in 2008 - The New York Times.
• How Swiss banking secrecy enabled an unequal global financial system - "Centuries-old code of silence helped Switzerland become a magnet for tax-dodging wealthy clients."
• How the Pandemic Pushed a Generation of Americans to Discover the Perks (and Risks) of Online Banking - "Digital and online banking has already been on the rise in recent years, but the pandemic forced large-scale uptake."
• How to explain offshore banking to a 5 year old - The Guardian.
• How to send money abroad for free - The Telegraph.
• Is a Joint Bank Account Ever a Good Idea? - "'There’s a growing awareness of the dangers of joint bank accounts, particularly in an age where so many relationships are starting online, and there’s enormous potential for romance fraud. Pretty much everyone has come across a horror story where someone merged their finances completely with someone else, and it didn’t end well,' Iona Bain, author of Own It!, tells Vogue."
• ISLAMIC BANKING - Wikipedia
• JPMorgan forces sale of Russian oligarch's megayacht - "A $75-million superyacht linked to a sanctioned Russian steel billionaire was auctioned on Tuesday in Gibraltar, court sources said, in what is understood to be the first sale of its kind since Russia invaded Ukraine in February."
• Lehman Brothers collapse: where are the key figures now? - "Ten years ago this weekend the investment bank’s bankruptcy caused panic in US and UK."
• List of Banks in Liechtenstein - TheBanks.eu.
• List of Banks in Switzerland - TheBanks.eu.
• LIST OF BANKS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD - Wikipedia.
• Meet the Snowden of Swiss Banking - ICIJ.
  
• Monaco on track to establish new investment bank - "Rumours have been rife in recent weeks concerning the establishment of a new bank in Monaco that would be closely aligned with the State. In some cases, the new bank has been described as ‘the Prince’s Bank.’"
• Monzo launches £180-a-year premium account despite downturn - "Digital bank says it is confident its mainly younger customers will pay for extra services."
• Norges Bank Investment Management | Government Pension Fund Global - "We work to safeguard and build financial wealth for future generations." The aim of the oil fund is to ensure responsible and long-term management of revenue from Norway’s oil and gas resources, so that this wealth benefits both current and future generations. The fund’s formal name is the Government Pension Fund Global. The fund's market value: 12 876 282 696 080 NOK as of December 7, 2023.
• Russian oligarch goes to court in bid to open MC bank account - "Boris Rotenberg, a close ally of Putin, is trying to use his status as a Monaco resident in order to oblige a bank to open an account in the Principality, various news sources reported on Wednesday, June 1."
• Shadow banking system - term for the collection of non-bank financial intermediaries that provide services similar to traditional commercial banks.
• SIFI - Systemically Important Financial Institution.
• Swiss Leaks - name of a journalistic investigation, released in February 2015, of a giant tax evasion scheme allegedly operated with the knowledge and encouragement of the British multinational bank HSBC via its Swiss subsidiary, HSBC Private Bank (Suisse).
• Switzerland at risk of EU blacklist after Credit Suisse leak - "Apparent due diligence failures by Swiss bank prompts centre-right calls for EU to review relationship with Switzerland."
• The Average American Has Been With the Same Bank for 14 Years - "Now Is a Good Time to Shop Around."
     
• The World's Most Expensive Bank Limits Staff Water to Cut Costs - Bloomberg.
• Too big to fail - colloquial term in describing certain financial institutions that are so large and so interconnected that their failure is widely held to be disastrous to the economy, and which therefore must be supported by government when they face difficulty.
• Want to stick to your budget? Open six bank accounts - "Dividing money up lets you keep track of it, says financial adviser Victoria Devine, and while six may seem a lot, each has a purpose."
• What is SWIFT & why it might be the weapon Russia fears most - "The 'nuclear option' Russia might fear most."
• What is the Suisse secrets leak & why are we publishing it? - "Banking secrecy is an issue of global public interest that can have a profound impact on the world’s poorest."
• Why does lending people money feel so awkward? - "When friends or family come asking for cash, things can quickly get weird. Why?"
• Why global banks are rushing into China - "China is still the ultimate prize that Western banks can't resist."
• Why the Swiss still love cash - "The Swiss have bucked international trends by revamping their highest-value bank note. So, what’s behind the preference for cash?"
• world's highest ATM: Pakistan's mountaintop bank machine - "It may be an unlikely spot for a cash machine, but the Khunjerab Pass ATM has been serving the small number of residents and border staff - and adventurous tourists - since 2016."

Top 25 Important International Banks

• ACG | ART CAPITAL GROUP - private banking for the art world.
• BANK OF ENGLAND - founded in 1684.
• BIS | BANK FOR INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENTS
• CaixaBank - since 2011. Based in Valencia and Barcelona in Spain. It is Spain's third-largest lender by market value, after Banco Santander and BBVA. CaixaBank has 5,397 branches to serve its 15.8 million customers, and has the most extensive branch network in the Spanish market.
• COUTTS & CO - bankers to H.M. Queen Elizabeth II.
• ECB | EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK - Eurosystem.
• Geneva Swiss Bank - "It is all about connecting wealth."
• GOLDMAN SACHS - founded in 1869 and is headquartered at 200 West Street in the Lower Manhattan area of New York City, with additional offices in international financial centers.
• HSBC INTERNATIONAL - "The world's local bank. We provide offshore banking for customers in over 200 countries and territories."
• IBRD | INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT | WORLD BANK
• ICBC | INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL BANK OF CHINA
• IMF | INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
• INTERBANK - since 1897.
• IOR | Institute for the Works of Religion - since 1942. Commonly known as the Vatican Bank, is a privately held institute situated exclusively on the sovereign territory of the Vatican City.
• JPMORGAN CHASE & CO. - a leading global financial services firm with assets of US$2.1 trillion and operations in more than 60 countries.
• Julius BÄr - founded 1890. Swiss private banking group. It has locations in more than 20 countries. Switzerland and Asia are the group’s two home markets, with the head office being located in Zurich.
• MONEYGRAM - international money transfer.
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• Monte dei Paschi di Siena - founded in 1472. The oldest surviving bank in the world and Italy's third largest bank.
• PAY PAL - "Send Money, Pay Online or Set Up a Merchant Account with PayPal."
• SAXO BANK - among the first financial institutions in the world to develop an Internet-based information and investment trading platform.
• SWIFT | Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication - the global provider of secure financial messaging services.
• THE WORLD BANK GROUP - consists of: IBRD, IDA, IFC, MIGA and ICSID.
• WESTERN UNION - international money transfer.
• WORLD BANK | INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT (IBRD)