Banking In South Africa
Banking in South Africa is centred on the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), it is the monetary authority and controls gold and foreign exchange reserves.
Commercial Banking In South Africa
Commercial banking in the country is dominated by the “big five” banks; Standard Bank, FirstRand, Absa, Nedbank, and Investec. As of March 2020, they control nearly 90% of the sector’s total assets.
Global Performance Of Banks In South Africa
In the 2022 study, total Tier 1 capital across all banks in the ranking reached $10.38 trillion, an increase of 4.7% from 2021.
The minimum Tier 1 capital needed to enter the 2022 ranking reached an all-time high of $556 million.
“Profits saw a healthy rebound, with aggregate pre-tax figures reaching a record-breaking $1.44trillion. This is a 53.7% year-on-year increase, compared to a decrease of 19.2% in the 2021 ranking. However, much of this boost can be attributed to a reduction or reversal in last year’s credit impairment charges for expected loan losses that didn’t materialise,” The Banker said.
China continues to outpace the US in terms of both Tier 1 capital and asset growth, underpinned by a strong domestic economy which grew at 8.1% in 2021. China expanded its aggregate Tier 1 capital by 14.4% (versus 4.7% for the US) and total assets by 10.9% (versus 8.8% for the US).
China has more than double the Tier 1 capital ($3.38 trillion) and almost double the assets ($41.53 trillion) compared to the US, with 186 banks. Overall, it holds 32.5% of the world’s Tier 1 capital and 26.9% of its assets.
The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of China, and Bank of China held onto the top four spots in the ranking for the fifth year in a row. With Bank of Communications edging into 10th position, Chinese banks now make up half of the top 10 for the first time.
How Many Banks In South Africa
Banking system in South Africa includes 10 locally controlled banks, 7 foreign controlled banks, 3 mutual banks, 2 co-operative banks as well as about 50 branches and representative offices of foreign banks. The total assets of banking sector amounted to approximately ZAR 6 trillion according to data from South African Reserve Bank.
Absa Bank – A leading South African bank with over 9 million retail and corporate customers. It operates as a subsidiary of Barclays Africa Group. As of January 5, 2018, it had a market capitalization of ZAR 3.4 billion.
African Bank – The commercial bank headquartered in Midrand. It focuses on providing unsecured personal loans to residents of South Africa.
Al Baraka Bank – The pioneer of Islamic banking in South Africa. It operates as a subsidiary of the Bahrain-based Al Baraka Banking Group.
Barclays Africa Group – (formerly Absa Group) – One of largest financial services companies in Africa with over 12 million customers and 42,000 employees.
Bidvest Bank – A leading foreign exchange specialist in South Africa. It focuses on all major currencies through a correspondent global network.
Capitec Bank Holdings – A commercial bank headquartered in Stellenbosch. As of October 25, 2017, it had a market capitalization of ZAR 108 billion (US$7.9 billion).
FirstRand Group – One of the largest financial institutions in the country. It includes FirstRand Bank, First National Bank, Rand Merchant Bank and WesBank. As of December 1, 2017, the Group had a market capitalization of ZAR 317 billion (US$23 billion).
First National Bank (FNB) is the oldest bank in South Africa established in 1838. It operates as a subsidiary of FirstRand Group.
Grindrod Bank (GRDB) – A competitive investment bank serving private, corporate and institutional customers. It is rated by GCR and has a stable outlook of BBB+ (ZA).
HBZ Bank – A wholly owned subsidiary of Habib Bank AG Zurich. It was launched in 1995 and maintains branches in Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng. HBZ has a division specializing in Islamic banking.
Investec Bank Ltd – is a focused specialist bank and asset management company. It provides investment, corporate and private banking services.
Mercantile Bank Holdings – An investment holding company, providing international and domestic banking services to retail and corporate customers. It has two subsidiaries: Mercantile Bank and Mercantile Insurance Brokers that provides life insurance and short-term broking services. Mercantile Bank Holdings is a division of Caixa Geral de Depositos S.A.
MMI Holdings – A financial services group providing insurance, savings, asset management, investments, healthcare administration and employee benefits.
Nedbank Group – The South Africa’s fourth largest banking group as measured by assets. It offers a wide range of wholesale and retail banking services, wealth management and insurance products. The Bank is 54% owned by the parent company, Old Mutual plc.
Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) – The investment banking arm of the FirstRand Group and one of the leading corporate and investment banks in Africa.
Sasfin Bank – A niche banking and financial services group headquartered in Waverley. The company serves individuals and businesses, focusing on corporate clients and high net worth individuals.
South African Reserve Bank – The central bank of the RSA. It maintains that South Africa has a growing economy based on the principles of a market system, private and social initiative, effective competition and social fairness.
Standard Bank Group – The largest bank in South Africa by assets and earnings. It is a full-service financial group with operations in 20 African countries. As of June 30, 2017, it had total assets of ZAR 1.95 trillion.
Ubank Ltd (formerly Teba Bank) – A South African bank operating in the microfinance sector. It operates primarily within the gold and platinum mining communities.
United Bank – Allied Bank, United Bank and Volkskas Bank stop trading under their own names, from this point they all trade under the name “ABSA”.
WesBank – The largest provider of vehicle finance in South Africa, financing 1 in 3 new cars sold. The company operates as a division of FirstRand Bank.
