In the top five largest banks in Africa four are South African, according to The Banker. Standard Bank has strengthened its position as the continent's largest lender, a position it has held for more than two decades with a 5.8% gain in Tier 1 capital base. According to market news, it is the only one of the big four to record such an increase. Meanwhile, in the top 1000, Starndard Bank has fallen five places to 157th.

In the second position follows FirstRand, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and the Namibia Stock Exchange (NSX), FirstRand Limited is the largest financial institution by market capitalization in Africa, its Tier 1 capital rating is $7.746 million in the ranking, remaining second on the continent with Tier 1 capital base down 15.5%.

The Absa Group, ranked as one of Africa's largest diversified financial services groups by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and with a presence in 14 countries, ranks third with tier 1 capital valued at $7.6 million.

NedBanc Group, in fifth position in the ranking, with a Tier 1 capital valued at $5, 5 million.

Outside of South Africa, the bank operates in five Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries, through subsidiaries and banks in Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Swatini (Swaziland) and Zimbabwe, by June 2021 its total assets were R1.2 trillion.

Despite being behind FirstRand and Absa in the main Top 1000 rankings, NedBank is third in the overall country performance table, thanks largely to stronger performance in operational efficiency and liquidity metrics.

After posting gains across the board in 2019, only three of the country's seven lenders in the 2021 ratings saw an increase in Tier 1 capital position in 2020, as greater impairments affected the balance sheets of these banks.

Only the Bank of Egypt, the National Bank of Egypt was on the list of the five largest banks in Africa, placed fourth, with a Tier 1 capital of $5, 463 million.

It is known as the oldest commercial bank in Egypt, responsible for issuing and managing investment certificates on behalf of that country's government. NBE's total assets represented 31.5% of Egyptian banks' total assets by the end of March this year.

Source MA