Traders claiming to have profited from the Brexit vote were slow to identify themselves in the wake of the historic decision for the UK to leave the European Union.

Asian banks are increasingly proving themselves to be much more than just volume-hungry lenders.

The Dutch bank’s return to private hands in late 2015 was the culmination of a huge restructuring operation that has created one of the most profitable and best capitalized institutions in Europe.

Only in investment banking can incumbents welcome new competitors because they bolster margins.

As financing becomes more strategic, the bank is showing where its greatest strengths lie.

This bank is pushing its corporate franchise further and deeper than ever before, becoming a core universal banking partner to many of the world’s biggest companies.

The bank’s approach to SMEs is different and successful: it is international in scope and looks to help companies beyond just lending.

World's best bank: Other European banks may be quitting the US, but it remains an important contributor to BNP Paribas’ revenue stream.

By trying to be different, a lot of the world’s biggest transaction services houses are starting to look remarkably similar.

Only excellent bank management teams can satisfy shareholders, regulators and customers all at once today. BNP Paribas has one of the very best.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Euromoney Awards for Excellence. They were the first of their kind in the global financial publishing industry. The nature of the global banking industry is constantly changing, and this year we made fundamental changes to the categories to reflect this.

In a boom year for global M&A, Morgan Stanley differentiated itself from strong competition by serving up a defensive master class.

The last 12 months have seen performance at last match potential in HSBC’s global banking and markets division. And there’s still a lot more to come.

What happens when you ask hyper-aggressive over-achievers if they think they’re the best in the industry? John Anderson knows all too well.

The key to getting a clients’ attention, and their business, is being good on all aspects of a particular product, rather than vainly attempting to achieve excellence in all products.

The big beasts of DCM are regaining market share just as sovereign issuers are being reminded how much they need the expertise and risk-management capabilities of their relationship banks.

Creating a platform that provides a coherent global service while keeping distinct regional variations has rewarded Citi with a year of further success in transaction banking.

Not only does JPMorgan Chase invest its own philanthropic dollars more broadly across the world than any other bank, it also puts its financial expertise to work to help solve global social and environmental issues.

When his global peers want leadership or advice on the challenge of technology, they turn to BBVA’s executive chairman. Given what he has achieved at the bank, this comes as no surprise.

Bringing a slew of ultra-long syndications for public sector issuers in the past year perfectly demonstrates Barclays’ world-class read of the debt markets.

The financial sector has been slow to embrace a diversity and inclusion agenda, but a small handful of banks are taking charge. Bank of America Merrill Lynch is a role model globally, and the results of that are tangible

Few truly global wealth managers remain, but even if they did it would be hard to compete with UBS, the only bank to put wealth management at its core.

Lazard is not just involved in many of the most complex deals, it takes the lead in advising and structuring them for clients.

In a challenging time for global markets, one firm has shown that a capital-lite, targeted model can not just work but actually gain market share.

More than any other bank, Citi is the one FIG clients turn to when they need global financing solutions.

Find details of all the winners of the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2016 here.

World's best investment bank: Global investment banks have spent the years since the global financial crisis trying to develop diversified and differentiated businesses. Few have succeeded. Quietly, but impressively, HSBC has stuck to its long-term strategy in global banking and markets and built just that. That division, led by Samir Assaf, with the backing of group CEO Stuart Gulliver, delivers impressive returns in difficult markets. And it is increasingly there for its clients on the high-profile deals where you would not have expected it.

World's best bank: BNP Paribas is that rarity – a large bank actually delivering on its promises to stakeholders. It is producing better returns even than many of the US banks, despite being anchored in a low-growth home region, building capital and winning customers – all while proving the benefits of a diversified business model. Its cadre of loyal, long-serving senior executives look to have got the strategy right: staying the course in Asia and the US and running global customer franchises, but only in the select services it excels at.

Putting digital priorities at the heart of what a traditional bank does is easier said than done. At Singapore’s DBS, actions are speaking louder than the words of its rivals

Lloyds has reached a milestone in its bid to transform itself into a lean and simple financial institution, well-suited to the post-crisis regulatory climate.