Global Finance names World's 50 safest banks 2009

With bank stability still high on corporate and investor agendas,Global Finance publishes its 18th annual list of the world’s safest banks. After two tumultuous years that saw many of the world’s most respected banks drop out of the top-50 safest banks list, the dust appears to be settling. Those banks that kept an iron grip on their risk exposure before the financial crisis blew up have consistently topped the table and maintain their standing among the top echelon in this year’s ranking. At the same time, the big name banks that lost their safest bank ranking during the credit crunch are still absent from the list as they struggle to rebuild their credit standing.

The “World’s 50 Safest Banks” 2009 were selected through a comparison of the long-term credit ratings and total assets of the 500 largest banks around the world. Ratings from Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch were used.

Global Finance has published its “World’s Safest Banks” listing for 18 years and this ranking has become a recognized and trusted standard of creditworthiness for the entire financial world.

“It’s been a bumpy two years for the rating agencies and many of the banks they evaluate,”says Global Finance publisher Joseph D. Giarraputo. “More than ever customers all around the world are viewing long term creditworthiness as the key feature of the banks with which they do business.”

1. KfW (Germany)
2. Caisse des Depots et Consignations (CDC) (France)
3. Bank Nederlands Gemeenten (BNG) (Netherlands)
4. Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank (Germany)
5. Zuercher Kantonalbank (Switzerland)
6. Rabobank Group (Netherlands)
7. Landeskreditbank Baden-Wuerttemberg-Foerderbank (Germany)
8. NRW. Bank (Germany)
9. BNP Paribas (France)
10. Royal Bank of Canada (Canada)
11. National Australia Bank (Australia)
12. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Australia)
13. Banco Santander (Spain)
14. Toronto-Dominion Bank (Canada)
15. Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (Australia)
16. Westpac Banking Corporation (Australia)
17. ASB Bank Limited (New Zealand)
18. HSBC Holdings plc (United Kingdom)
19. Credit Agricole S.A. (France)
20. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) (Spain)
21. Nordea Bank AB (publ) (Sweden)
22. Scotiabank (Canada)
23. Svenska Handelsbanken (Sweden)
24. DBS Bank (Singapore)
25. Banco Espanol de Credito S.A. (Banesto) (Spain)
26. Caisse centrale Desjardins (Canada)
27. Pohjola Bank (Finland)
28. Deutsche Bank AG (Germany)
29. Intesa Sanpaolo (Italy)
30. Caja de Ahorros y Pensiones de Barcelona (Caixa) (Spain)
31. Bank of Montreal (Canada)
32. The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (United States)
33. DnB NOR Bank (Norway)
34. Caixa Geral de Depositos (Portugal)
35. United Overseas Bank (Singapore)
36. Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. (Singapore)
37. CIBC (Canada)
38. National Bank Of Kuwait (Kuwait)
39. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (United States)
40. UBS AG (Switzerland)
41. Societe Generale (SG) (France)
42. Wells Fargo & Co. (United States)
43. Credit Suisse Group (Switzerland)
44. Banque Federative du Credit Mutuel (BFCM) (France)
45. Credit Industriel et Commercial (CIC) (France)
46. Nationwide Building Society (United Kingdom)
47. U.S. Bancorp (United States)
48. Shizuoka Bank (Japan)
49. Northern Trust Corporation (United States)
50. National Bank of Abu Dhabi (UAE)