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. Some countries include more or fewer institutions in such rankings, leading to other names such as Big Three, Big Five, or Big Six.
International use
Internationally, the term "Big Four Banks" has traditionally referred to the following central banks: The Bank of England The Federal Reserve The Bank of Japan The European Central Bank
Australia
In Australia, the "big four banks" refers to the four largest banks that have traditionally dominated Australia's banking industry in terms of market share, revenue, and total assets. The "big four banks" of Australia are: Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Commonwealth Bank of Australia (owned by the Australian Government until 1996) National Australia Bank Westpac Banking Corporation
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".
Austria
The "Big Four" banks of Austria are: Erste Bank / Sparkasse* (credit unions) UniCredit Bank Austria (formerly Bank Austria Creditanstalt) Raiffeisen Bankengruppe* BAWAG P.S.K. (formerly Österreichische Postsparkasse) *separate legal entities operating under a common brand
Belgium
The big four banks of Belgium are a result of national and international mergers in the early 90s. KBC Bank, including its CBC Banque subsidiary in the French Community of Belgium and KBC Brussels brand in the Brussels-Capital Region Belfius, government-owned bank BNP Paribas Fortis, subsidiary of BNP Paribas ING Bank, subsidiary of the ING Group
Brazil
In Brazil, the "big four", according to Exame Magazine in 2017:
Cambodia
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: Canadia Bank ACLEDA Bank Advanced Bank of Asia
Canada
There are five banks dominating the Canadian banking sector, hence the "Big Five" is used instead of "Big Four". Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD) Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) Bank of Montreal (BMO) Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
China
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). 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" or "四行两局一库".
In the People's Republic of China, the Big Five Banks ("五大银行") are: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Bank of China China Construction Bank Agricultural Bank of China Bank of Communications
All five are state-controlled banks with commercial banking operations. Since Bank of Communications was refounded in 1986, it was sometimes excluded, leaving the rest as "Big Four".
Colombia
In Colombia, the ten biggest banking service networks are:
Czech Republic
In Czech Republic, the "big three" are: Česká spořitelna, subsidiary of Erste Group Československá obchodní banka, subsidiary of KBC Bank Komerční banka, subsidiary of Société Générale (formerly part of State Bank of Czechoslovakia)
Estonia
LHV
Luminor
SEB
Swedbank Estonia
Finland
Danske Bank
Nordea
OP
Säästöpankkiryhmä
France
In France, according to The Banker, the six major banking groups are: BNP Paribas Crédit Agricole Société Générale Groupe BPCE Crédit Mutuel La Banque postale