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Australia |
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| Michael Smith, ANZ. Healthy growth puts the bank in the lead |
ANZ wins best bank in Australia as it grew assets at a healthy lick during the awards period and posted an impressive return on equity. ANZ is also the most valuable banking brand in Australia, according to a recent survey. Last year, it posted a fourth straight year of record annual profit, this time with an 11% rise year-on-year to $6.3 billion.
ANZ is now the third-largest banking group in Australia behind National Australia Bank and Commonwealth Bank. It is expected to make its plans for the rest of Asia clearer in the coming weeks amid reports that it may be forced to reconsider its stakes in several smaller regional lenders.