2015 Global 2000: The World's Largest Banks

Banks are easy to hate, but they remain among the largest and most powerful companies on Earth.

The FORBES Global 2000 is a comprehensive list of the world’s largest, most powerful public companies, as measured by a composite score of revenues, profits, assets and market value. This year’s Global 2000 companies hail from 61 countries and account for combined revenues of $39 trillion, profits of $3 trillion, with assets worth $162 trillion, and a market value of $48 trillion.

Full list: The Global 2000 Companies In 2015

This year, banks and diversified financials dominate with 434 spots -- more than one fifth of the world's largest companies -- representing the largest share of any industry. For the first time since our first ranking in 2003, China's "Big Four" banks took over the top 4 spots. Among the world's 100 largest banks, China houses the most with 13 banks in total, while the U.S. places second with 11 spots. Canada comes third with 6 spots, followed by the U.K., Japan, Spain, and France.

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China stands out, as it has the highest rank among the world's largest banks across all four metrics ($166 billion in sales, $44 billion in profit, $3.32 trillion in asset, and $278 billion in market value). The juggernaut also tops the overall Global 2000 list for the third consecutive year. This year, Bank of China moved up 5 spots to No. 4 this year, replacing JPMorgan Chase , the largest U.S. bank. Wells Fargo is the second-highest ranked U.S. bank on our list, as it trails JPMorgan Chase in sales and assets. HSBC remains the largest European banks, while Spain's Banco Santander rose to No.10 thanks to its rising profits.