| Rank | Bank | City | Fiscal period | Shareholder equity ($m) | Equity growth (%) | Total assets ($m) | Asset growth (%) | Net income ($m) | Income growth (%) | ROAE (%) |
| Bahamas | ||||||||||
| 1 | British American Bank | Nassau | 1997 | 18 | 3.6 | 145 | 1.8 | 3 | -8.3 | 19.2 |
| Bahrain | ||||||||||
| 1 | Arab Banking Corporation | Manama | 1997 | 2,046 | 3.8 | 23,582 | 2.6 | 188 | 16.1 | 9.4 |
| 2 | Gulf International Bank | Manama | 1998 | 731 | 5.4 | 10,209 | 7.2 | 82 | -5.0 | 11.5 |
| 3= | Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait | Manama | 1998 | 265 | 1.1 | 2,517 | 10.0 | 28 | -65.8 | 10.8 |
| 3= | National Bank of Bahrain | Manama | 1998 | 265 | 3.5 | 2,298 | -11.1 | 41 | 1.3 | 15.6 |
| Bangladesh | ||||||||||
| 1 | Agrani Bank | Dhaka | 1997 | 61 | -6.6 | 1,928 | 5.6 | 19 | -34.9 | 31.3 |
| Barbados | ||||||||||
| 1 | Barbados National Bank | Bridgetown | 1997 | 38 | 32.3 | 385 | 11.4 | 5 | 203.1 | 14.4 |
| 2 | Caribbean Commercial Bank | Bridgetown | 1997 | 14 | 4.1 | 88 | 11.6 | 1 | 450.0 | 4.0 |
| Belarus | ||||||||||
| 1 | Belagroprombank | Minsk | 1997 | 48 | -2.4 | 521 | 0.6 | 3 | -59.8 | 7.5 |
| 2 | Belpromstroi Bank | Minsk | 1997 | 43 | 0.0 | 379 | -6.3 | 9 | -43.9 | 24.6 |
| 3 | Belvneshekonombank | Minsk | 1997 | 22 | 424.8 | 279 | 31.1 | 8 | -43.9 | 66.1 |
| Belgium | ||||||||||
| 1 | Fortis Bank (proforma) | Brussels | 1998 | 9,879 | 17.8 | 323,567 | 12.0 | 1,183 | 26.6 | 13.0 |
| 2 | KBC Bank | Brussels | 1998 | 7,072 | 21.9 | 163,065 | -3.2 | 1,602 | 77.6 | 25.6 |
| 3 | Crédit Communal de Belgique | Brussels | 1998 | 4,326 | 13.0 | 122,982 | 4.1 | 538 | -36.6 | 13.2 |
| 4 | Bacob Bank | Brussels | 1998 | 2,201 | 8.3 | 75,356 | -1.1 | 266 | 74.3 | 12.6 |
| Belize | ||||||||||
| 1 | Atlantic Bank | Belize City | 1997 | 7 | 5.6 | 66 | 23.7 | 0.4 | 100.0 | 5.4 |
| Benin | ||||||||||
| 1 | Bank of Africa Benin | Cotonou | 1997 | 18 | 6.2 | 202 | -0.8 | 5 | 37.6 | 29.2 |
| 2 | Continental Bank Benin | Cotonou | 1997 | 9 | 2.5 | 47 | 7.3 | 1 | 56.5 | 15.3 |
| Bermuda | ||||||||||
| 1 | Bank of Bermuda | Hamilton | 1998 | 442 | 11.2 | 10,102 | 1.9 | 61 | 25.7 | 14.6 |
| 2 | Bank of Butterfield | Hamilton | 1998 | 236 | -16.8 | 5,008 | 13.1 | 2 | -76.0 | 1.0 |
| 3 | Bermuda Commercial Bank | Hamilton | 1998 | 33 | 9.8 | 467 | -24.4 | 4 | 48.3 | 13.8 |
| Bolivia | ||||||||||
| 1 | Banco BISA | La Paz | 1997 | 52 | 20.0 | 572 | 14.7 | 13 | 45.3 | 29.4 |
| 2 | Banco Mercantil | La Paz | 1997 | 41 | 20.1 | 551 | 9.3 | 8 | 20.2 | 21.3 |
| 3 | Banco Nacional de Bolivia | La Paz | 1997 | 37 | 14.8 | 636 | 12.0 | 6 | 31.3 | 17.3 |
| Botswana | ||||||||||
| 1 | First National Bank of Botswana | Gaborone | 1998 | 33 | 25.7 | 378 | 55.3 | 10 | 68.5 | 33.9 |
| Brazil | ||||||||||
| 1 | Banco do Brasil | Brasilia | 1998 | 5,487 | 2.0 | 107,228 | 9.9 | 720 | 40.1 | 13.8 |
| 2 | Banco Bradesco | São Paulo | 1998 | 5,415 | -1.2 | 56,736 | 2.6 | 894 | 14.3 | 17.1 |
| 3 | Banco Itaú | São Paulo | 1998 | 4,096 | 3.2 | 40,549 | -2.4 | 759 | 18.4 | 19.5 |
| 4 | Banco do Estado de São Paulo (Banespa) | São Paulo | 1998 | 3,430 | -2.6 | 20,995 | -59.9 | 132 | -92.8 | 3.9 |
| 5 | Caixa Economica Federal | Brasilia | 1998 | 2,965 | -28.7 | 94,902 | -5.1 | 320 | -11.9 | 9.4 |
| 6 | União de Bancos Brasileiros (Unibanco) | São Paulo | 1998 | 2,841 | 3.0 | 26,257 | 4.2 | 441 | 13.9 | 16.4 |
| 7 | Banco Mercantil Finasa | São Paulo | 1998 | 998 | -0.6 | 6,104 | 10.3 | 100 | -3.6 | 10.3 |
| 8 | Banco Meridional do Brasil | Porto Alegre | 1998 | 893 | 384.3 | 8,351 | 24.6 | 84 | -199.8 | 15.8 |
| 9 | Banco Real Group | São Paulo | 1998 | 805 | 9.0 | 14,187 | 10.2 | 92 | 4.7 | 12.0 |
| 10 | Nossa Caixa Nosso Banco | São Paulo | 1998 | 802 | 2.6 | 11,231 | -4.2 | 96 | -33.9 | 12.5 |
| 11 | Banco Safra | São Paulo | 1998 | 771 | 2.4 | 12,622 | -4.3 | 118 | -15.7 | 16.0 |
| 12 | Banco do Nordeste do Brazil | Fortaleza | 1998 | 733 | 11.4 | 5,780 | 21.7 | 61 | 2.0 | 9.2 |
| 13 | Banco BBA Creditanstalt | São Paulo | 1998 | 538 | 35.7 | 6,830 | 28.0 | 114 | 32.3 | 24.3 |
| 14 | Banco do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (Banrisul) | Porto Alegre | 1998 | 398 | 22.2 | 12,387 | 15.5 | -628 | 1,601.9 | -179.6 |
| 15 | Banco Mercantil do Brasil | Belo Horizonte | 1998 | 378 | 0.4 | 1,966 | 17.6 | 24 | -21.0 | 6.8 |
| 16 | Banco Boavista Interatlântico | São Paulo | 1998 | 349 | 75.5 | 3,798 | -16.0 | 26 | -107.4 | 9.6 |
| 17 | Banco Fiat | São Paulo | 1998 | 334 | 24.7 | 2,171 | -9.5 | 90 | 44.1 | 31.1 |
| 18 | Banco do Estado de Santa Catarina | Florianopolis | 1997 | 256 | -1.6 | 2,504 | 5.5 | 25 | -7.2 | 10.2 |
| 19 | Banco Icatú | Rio de Janeiro | 1998 | 242 | 3.0 | 1,732 | 8.4 | 37 | -29.9 | 16.2 |
| 20 | Banco Votorantim | São Paulo | 1998 | 241 | -2.1 | 3,928 | 33.0 | 43 | 164.4 | 18.2 |
| 21 | Banco Rural | Belo Horizonte | 1998 | 226 | 29.2 | 2,064 | 34.9 | 84 | 70.2 | 43.4 |
| 22 | Banco Pactual | Rio de Janeiro | 1998 | 222 | -4.0 | 1,994 | 4.3 | 67 | 10.6 | 30.9 |
| 23 | Banco BBM | Salvador | 1998 | 215 | -3.6 | 1,963 | -16.1 | 59 | 125.3 | 28.2 |
| Brunei | ||||||||||
| 1 | Development Bank of Brunei | Darussalam | 1997 | 128 | 0.2 | 384 | 33.4 | 6 | 20.8 | 4.8 |
| 2 | Islamic Bank of Brunei | Darussalam | 1997 | 69 | -14.1 | 556 | -15.6 | 5 | -63.3 | 7.0 |
| 3 | Baiduri Bank | Darussalam | 1997 | 37 | -7.0 | 405 | 24.5 | 5 | 19.1 | 14.8 |
| Bulgaria | ||||||||||
| 1 | Bulbank | Sofia | 1997 | 236 | 39.7 | 1,510 | -58.4 | 201 | 54.1 | 146.6 |
| 2 | United Bulgarian Bank | Sofia | 1997 | 116 | 53.8 | 444 | 38.2 | 58 | 20.2 | 88.2 |
| Burundi | ||||||||||
| 1 | Banque de Crédit de Bujumbura | Bujumbura | 1997 | 7 | -19.6 | 51 | -18.9 | 1 | -34.1 | 11.9 |
| 2 | Banque Commerciale du Burundi (Bancobu) | Bujumbura | 1997 | 4 | 13.5 | 50 | -3.5 | 1 | 314.8 | 39.6 |
