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.

PRIVATE BANKS are banks owned by either the individual or a general partner(s) with limited partner(s). Private banks are not incorporated. In any such case, creditors can look to both the "entirety of the bank's assets" as well as the entirety of the sole-proprietor's/general-partners' assets.

These banks have a long tradition in Switzerland, dating back to at least the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685). Private banks also have a long tradition in the UK where C. Hoare & Co. has been in business since 1672.

Bank News, Reviews & Resources

• ad-hoc cash disensing network - Apple patent turns every stranger into an ATM.
• America’s Best Banks 2020 - Forbes.
• Apple’s New Savings Account Draws Nearly $1 Billion In Deposits In First Four Days - "The account’s eye-catching 4.15% annual return, plus the ubiquity of iPhones, is likely the main driver for account openings, especially when the average bank is paying less than half a percent. By the end of launch week, roughly 240,000 accounts had been opened, one source adds. The account is offered through a partnership with Goldman Sachs Bank USA."
• Apple’s Partnership With Goldman Is The Future Of Banking - "As trust in traditional banks falters, the two most iconic names in tech and finance are joining together to create what might become America’s mightiest FinTech."
• 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.
• Bank runs, bailouts, rescues: are the ghosts of 2008 rising again? - "The travails of Credit Suisse and others have stirred up bad memories for a public still scarred by the financial crisis."
• 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 & Worst Banks Of 2023 - Forbes.
• 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.
• Coutts chief quits & crisis wipes £1bn off NatWest shares - "Ousting of boss of private bank may not be last departure as prime minister fails to back chairman Howard Davies."
• 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 says £55bn left bank in lead-up to rescue by UBS - "Credit Suisse said customers pulled more than 61bn Swiss francs worth of assets from the bank at the start of the year, laying bare the scale of the panic that contributed to its failure and emergency takeover by its rival UBS last month."
• Credit Suisse ‘seriously breached’ obligations on Greensill, says regulator - "Swiss bank is seeking to recover $10bn of funds linked to collapsed supply chain finance firm."
• 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."
• Credit Suisse still has a fight on its hands despite $54 billion lifeline - "The venerable but troubled bank, founded in 1856, is one of the biggest financial institutions in the world and categorized as a 'global systemically important bank,' along with just 30 others, including JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America and the Bank of China. Customers withdrew 123 billion Swiss francs ($133 billion) from Credit Suisse in 2022 - mostly in the fourth quarter - and the bank reported in February an annual net loss of nearly 7.3 billion Swiss francs ($7.9 billion), its biggest since the global financial crisis in 2008."
• 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."
• GOBankingRates - "We are here to guide you through every step of your financial journey. We empower our audience to live richer in your bank account, richer in your personal goal fulfillment, and richer in how you explore the world."
• 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."
• Is my money safe? What you need to know about bank failures - "The recent failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, which catered mostly to the tech industry, may have you worried about your money. They were the second- and third-biggest bank failures in U.S. history."
• ISLAMIC BANKING - Wikipedia
• JPMorgan allegedly processed more than $1bn for Epstein over 16 years - "Lawyers for US Virgin Islands claimed the bank reported the transactions as suspicious to the treasury following his death. JPMorgan reported the transactions as suspicious to the US treasury department following Epstein’s suicide in 2019, Mimi Liu, a lawyer for the territory, said at a hearing concerning its lawsuit against the largest US bank."
• 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."
• JPMorgan to pay Jeffrey Epstein victims $290m in lawsuit settlement - "District judge Jed Rakoff approved the ‘very large’ amount in addition to a $75m payout agreement with Deutsche Bank."
• Key points from Coutts' dossier on Nigel Farage - "The 40-page document reveals all of the evidence Coutts accumulated about Nigel Farage to feed back to its Wealth Reputational Risk Committee. They decided that his mortgage, professional and personal accounts would be 'exited' from July 2023."
• 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."
• NatWest chair Howard Davies pledges to stay on after Farage row, says Alison Rose was a ‘great leader’ - "Davies says NatWest has lost a ‘great leader’, following departure of Alison Rose this week, but must now look forward."
• Nigel Farage bank account shut for falling below wealth limit, source tells BBC - "Nigel Farage fell below the financial threshold required to hold an account at Coutts, the prestigious private bank for the wealthy, the BBC has been told. It is understood he was subsequently offered a standard account at NatWest which owns Coutts. Mr Farage has said he believes his account is being shut for political reasons and he has since been turned down by nine other lenders."
• 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.
• Private BANK - Wikipedia.
• 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.
• Silicon Valley Bank: why did it collapse & is this the start of a banking crisis? - "Until last Friday Silicon Valley Bank was the 16th largest bank in the US, worth more than $200bn."
• 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 biggest loser of the Credit Suisse rescue? Switzerland - "Too big for Switzerland? Credit Suisse rescue creates bank twice the size of the economy."
• 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.
• Truong My Lan: Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44bn fraud - "It was the most spectacular trial ever held in Vietnam, befitting one of the greatest bank frauds the world has ever seen."
• UBS agrees to takeover of stricken Credit Suisse for $3.25bn - "Swiss government forces through takeover at well below market value amid fears of global banking crisis."
• US bank taken over in biggest failure since 2008 - "US regulators have shut down Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and taken control of its customer deposits in the largest failure of a US bank since 2008."
• 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 Banks Are Suddenly Closing Down Customer Accounts - "Surprised individuals and small-business owners can’t pay rent or make payroll, and no one ever explains what they did wrong."
• 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."
• world’s biggest banks are still pouring money into fossil fuels - "Banks have pledged to go green, but last year they poured billions of dollars into expanding the capacity of fossil fuel production despite the accelerating climate crisis. Banks provided $673 billion to finance the fossil fuel industry last year, even as oil and gas companies made $4 trillion in profits, according to the annual Banking on Climate Chaos report, authored by a group of nonprofits including The Rainforest Action Network and the Sierra Club. While Canadian banks are providing a rising share of the money, US lenders still dominate the market and accounted for 28% of all fossil fuel financing in 2022, said the report."

Top 25 Important International Banks

• Art Capital Group | Art Financing Company | Art Backed Loans - since 1999. "Art Capital Group was the first independent specialty art finance firm in the marketplace, and has underwritten over $5 billion in art-backed loans."
• BANK OF ENGLAND - founded in 1684. "Promoting the good of the people of the United Kingdom by maintaining monetary and financial stability."
• BIS | BANK FOR INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENTS - "The Bank for International Settlements was established in 1930. It is the world's oldest international financial institution and remains the principal centre for international central bank cooperation."
• 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 - founded in 1692. Private Banking & Wealth Management. "Coutts has more than 300 years of experience which underpins how we operate today. As a bank, we aspire to provide an exceptional service. But we are so much more than a bank. We are a trusted partner, adviser, and friend to our clients. There is a reason why families stay with us for generations. We are committed to helping clients reach their potential, connecting with and contributing to our wider society."
• ECB | EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK - since 1998. "The first step towards creating the ECB was the decision, taken in 1988, to build an Economic and Monetary Union: free capital movements within Europe, a common monetary authority and a single monetary policy across the euro area countries."
• 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 - since 1865. "The world's local bank. We provide offshore banking for customers in over 200 countries and territories." Whether you’re living, studying or investing abroad, our international banking services help you feel at home wherever you are.
• IBRD | INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT | WORLD BANK - since 1944. "The world’s largest development bank, IBRD provides financial products and policy advice to help countries reduce poverty and extend the benefits of sustainable growth to all of their people."
• ICBC | INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL BANK OF CHINA - since 1984.
• IMF | INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND - since 1944. "The IMF was established in 1944 in the aftermath of the Great Depression of the 1930s. 44 founding member countries sought to build a framework for international economic cooperation. Today, its membership embraces 190 countries, with staff drawn from 150 nations."
• INTERBANK - since 1897. Peruvian provider of financial services.
• 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. - since 1871. "Our company is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.6 trillion and operations worldwide. Our rich history spans over 200 years. We are a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small business, commercial banking, financial transactions processing and asset management."
• Julius BÄr - founded 1890. "The international reference in wealth management." Julius Baer is present in over 25 countries and around 60 locations. Headquartered in Zurich, we have offices in key locations including Bangkok, Dubai, Dublin, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Mexico City, Milan, Monaco, Mumbai, Santiago de Chile, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Tel Aviv and Tokyo. Our client-centric approach, our objective advice based on the Julius Baer open product platform, our solid financial base and our entrepreneurial management culture make us the international reference in wealth management.
• MONEYGRAM - since 1980. "Fast, Simple, Reliable: Send Money Direct to a Bank Account."
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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.
• ONE Swiss Bank - "It is all about connecting wealth." ONE swiss bank was created through the merger of GS Banque founded in 2004 as Banque Bénédict Hentsch & Cie. and Banca Arner founded in 1984.
• PAY PAL - since 1998. "Shop. Send. Manage." More places to shop. More ways to make your money work harder.
• SAXO BANK - since 1992. "Make the most of market moves." Access a wide range of investment options, intuitive trading tools and market insights to help you execute your trading strategies. 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 - since 1973. "Trusted every instant." Swift is the way the world moves value. We do this every single instant of every single day, right across the world. No other organisation can address the scale, precision, pace and trust that this demands.
• THE WORLD BANK GROUP - since 1944. "With 189 member countries, staff from more than 170 countries, and offices in over 130 locations, the World Bank Group is a unique global partnership: five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries."
• WESTERN UNION - since 1851. American multinational financial services company headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
• WORLD BANK | INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT (IBRD) - since 1944. International financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and International Development Association (IDA), two of five international organizations owned by the World Bank Group.