Italy: total assets of banking system 2008-H1 2017
As of the first semester of 2017, the total assets of the Italian banking system amounted to 3.92 trillion euros. According to the data provided by the Bank of Italy, over the period considered the assets of the banking sector fluctuated between 3.63 trillion euros in 2008 and a peak of 4.2 trillion euros in 2012. When compared to other European countries, the Italian banking system ranked fourth in terms of total assets in 2018 behind the UK, which topped the ranking with over 14.1 trillion U.S. dollars, France and Germany.
Intesa Sanpaolo and UniCredit dominate the market in Italy
In 2020, most of the assets of the Italian banking sector (approximately 1.9 trillion euros) were held by the two leading banking institutions in the country: UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo. The two banking groups have dominated the Italian market for the last decade. UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo boasted respectively 2.5 and 3.1 thousand branches around the country in 2021 and employed over 90 thousand individuals each in 2018. Moreover, both banking groups are present in several other European markets as well as outside Europe.
Recovering but still vulnerable
Since the financial crisis, the Italian banking sector has been recovering due to government actions undertaken to deal with the most problematic banks. However, Italian banks remain weak. The reduction of non-performing loans (NPLs) has progressed. The stock of gross NPLs of Italian banks declined, reaching a value of approximately 324 billion euros in the first semester of 2017. Bad loans (debt with the worst recovery prospects) also decreased while the bad debt coverage ratio improved.
Intesa Sanpaolo and UniCredit dominate the market in Italy
In 2020, most of the assets of the Italian banking sector (approximately 1.9 trillion euros) were held by the two leading banking institutions in the country: UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo. The two banking groups have dominated the Italian market for the last decade. UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo boasted respectively 2.5 and 3.1 thousand branches around the country in 2021 and employed over 90 thousand individuals each in 2018. Moreover, both banking groups are present in several other European markets as well as outside Europe.
Recovering but still vulnerable
Since the financial crisis, the Italian banking sector has been recovering due to government actions undertaken to deal with the most problematic banks. However, Italian banks remain weak. The reduction of non-performing loans (NPLs) has progressed. The stock of gross NPLs of Italian banks declined, reaching a value of approximately 324 billion euros in the first semester of 2017. Bad loans (debt with the worst recovery prospects) also decreased while the bad debt coverage ratio improved.
