Safest banks in Europe, 2024 ranking

What are the safest banks in Europe? In today's financial landscape, it is more important than ever to diversify and mitigate the risks associated with banks and financial institutions.
In this article, after having discovered which are the most solid Italian banks, we will explore the safest banks in Europe in 2024.
The safest banks in Europe in 2024 The ECB implicitly reveals the ranking of the safest European banks through the calculation of the P2R, a specific capital requirement for individual banks determined by the European Central Bank itself during the SREP, a prudential review and evaluation process for European credit institutions.
The ECB report, updated to 19 December 2023, returns the P2R of the European banks under examination.
How is it interpreted? Also called the “Pillar 2 lower risk parameter”, the greater the demand for additional capital during the stress test, the lower the solidity.
The lower the P2R, the safer a bank is.
In first place, with equal merit, stands an Italian bank, with a P2R of only 1%: Credito Emiliano.
Pos.Bank nameP2R 1 Credito Emiliano Holding SpA 1.00% 1 SFIL SA 1.00% 2 Kutxabank, SA 1.20% 3 Bankinter, SA 1.39% 4 Banca Mediolanum SpA 1.50% 4 DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale 1, 50% 4 HASPA Finanzholding 1.50% 4 Intesa Sanpaolo SpA 1.50% 4 Investeringsmaatschappij Argenta NV 1.50% 5 Nordea Bank Abp 1.60% 6 Banque et Caisse d'Epargne de l'Etat, Luxembourg 1.65% 6 ING Groep NV 1.65% 7 Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, SA 1.68% 8 Banco Santander, SA 1.74% 9 Bpifrance 1.75% 9 CaixaBank, SA 1.75% 9 Confédération Nationale du Crédit Mutuel 1, 75% 9 Crédit Agricole SA 1.75% 9 Erwerbsgesellschaft der S-Finanzgruppe mbH & Co.
KG 1.75% 9 Münchener Hypothekenbank eG 1.75% 10 BNP Paribas SA 1.77% 11 Hamburg Commercial Bank AG 1.80% 11 Swedbank Baltics AS 1.80% 12 Mediobanca – Banca di Credito Finanziario SpA 1.82% 13 DSK Bank AD 1.85% 14 KBC Group NV 1.86% 15 Landesbank Baden-Württemberg 1.87% 16 DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank 1.88% 17 Caixa Geral de Depósitos, SA 1.90% 17 Coöperatieve Rabobank UA 1.90% 17 Erste Group Bank AG 1.90% 18 The Bank of New York Mellon SA 1.95% 19 AB SEB bankas 2.00% 19 ABANCA Corporación Bancaria SA 2.00% 19 AS “SEB banka” 2.00% 19 AS SEB Pank 2.00% 19 Bayerische Landesbank 2.00% 19 BNG Bank NV 2.00% 19 Finecobank SpA 2.00% 19 Ibercaja Banco, SA 2.00% 19 Kuntarahoitus Oyj 2.00% 19 La Banque Postale 2.00% 19 OTP Luxembourg S.à.rl (Nova Kreditna Banka Maribor dd) 2.00% 19 RCI Banque SA 2.00% 19 UBS Europe SE 2.00% 19 UniCredit SpA 2.00% 20 Raiffeisenbankengruppe OÖ Verbund eGen 2.01% 21 Akcinė bendrovė Šiaulių bankas 2.05% 22 Bank of America Europe Designated Activity Company 2.10% 22 BPCE SA 2.10% 23 Nova Ljubljanska banka dd Ljubljana 2.12% 24 BAWAG Group AG 2.15% 25 Belfius Banque SA 2.16% 26 ABN AMRO Bank NV 2.25% 26 Banco de Sabadell, SA 2, 25% 26 COMMERZBANK Aktiengesellschaft 2.25% 26 Deutsche Apotheker- und Ärztebank eG 2.25% 26 Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen Girozentrale 2.25% 26 Nederlandse Waterschapsbank NV 2.25% 26 OP Osuuskunta 2.25% 26 Unicaja Banco, SA 2.25% 26 Volksbank Wien AG 2.25% 26 Volkswagen Bank GmbH 2.25% 27 Bank of Ireland Group plc 2.35% 28 Société Générale SA 2.42% 29 BPER Banca SpA 2.45% 30 AS “Citadele banka” 2.50% 30 Banco Comercial Português, SA 2.50% 30 Banco de Crédito Social Cooperativo, SA 2.50% 30 Banque Internationale à Luxembourg SA 2.50% 30 Cassa Centrale Banca – Credito Cooperativo Italiano SpA 2.50 % 30 Citibank Europe plc 2.50% 30 JP Morgan SE 2.50% 30 Luminor Holding AS 2.50% 31 Banco BPM SpA 2.52% 32 Iccrea Banca SpA – Istituto Centrale del Credito Cooperativo 2.53% 33 AIB Group plc 2.60% 34 Deutsche Bank AG 2.65% 35 BANCA MONTE DEI PASCHI DI SIENA SpA 2.75% 35 Bank of Cyprus Holdings Public Limited Company 2.75% 35 Bank of Valletta plc 2.75% 35 BofA Securities Europe SA 2.75% 35 Eurobank Ergasias Services and Holdings SA 2.75% 35 Goldman Sachs Bank Europe SE 2.75% 35 Morgan Stanley Europe Holding SE 2.75% 35 National Bank of Greece SA 2.75% 35 Norddeutsche Landesbank – Girozentrale 2.75% 35 State Street Europe Holdings Germany S.à.rl & Co.
KG 2.75% 36 Banca Popolare di Sondrio SpA 2.79% 37 Raiffeisen Bank International AG 2.80% 38 LSF Nani Investments S.à .rl (Novo Banco, SA) 2.85% 39 Barclays Bank Ireland PLC 2.94% 40 Agri Europe Cyprus Limited 3.00% 40 ALPHA SERVICES AND HOLDINGS SA 3.00% 40 Atlantic Lux HoldCo S.à.rl ( Aareal Bank AG) 3.00% 40 Citigroup Global Markets Europe AG 3.00% 40 Crelan SA; Crelan NV 3.00% 40 de Volksbank NV 3.00% 40 Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG 3.00% 40 HSBC Continental Europe 3.00% 40 Piraeus Financial Holdings SA 3.00% 40 Quintet Private Bank (Europe) SA 3.00 % 41 MDB Group Limited 3.20% 42 Addiko Bank AG 3.25% 43 AS LHV Group 3.40% 44 Hellenic Bank Public Company Limited 3.45% 45 Ulster Bank Ireland Designated Activity Company* 3.60% – Danske Bank A/S, Finland Branch1 na How to evaluate the security of a bank? Net of the ranking of the safest European banks, it is essential to understand how to evaluate – even independently – the safety of a bank.
There are several key factors to consider: 1) Deposit Protection Deposit insurance protects your money in the event of a bank failure.
Each country has its own deposit insurance system, so it is important to know the protections provided.
The FITD operates in Italy, a private law consortium established by Italian banks in 1987 on a voluntary basis.
Today it is mandatory, with the implementation of community directives.
All Italian banks are members of the FITD, but not cooperative credit banks and branches of non-EU banks authorized in Italy.
Its objective is to guarantee the depositors of member banks.
Specifically, deposits of up to 100,000 euros are guaranteed for each depositor to be considered per individual person and per individual bank.
For this reason, amounts exceeding the coverage limit of 100,000 euros are not reimbursed by the FITD.
2) Credit Rating Credit ratings evaluate the financial strength and stability of a bank.
The higher a bank's rating, the safer it is considered.
Ratings are assigned by rating agencies such as Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch.
Attention: it is also advisable to take other factors into consideration, since rating agencies are not infallible, as demonstrated by the 2008 financial crisis.
3) Quality of assets The quality of the assets held by a bank refers to the creditworthiness of its debtors and the overall quality of its loan portfolio.
High-quality assets indicate lower risk of insolvency, which is critical to a bank's stability.
However, even banks with high-quality assets can be vulnerable to hidden risks from specific sectors.
4) Liquidity A bank's liquidity refers to its ability to meet financial obligations such as withdrawals and loan payments.
Banks with strong liquidity can better manage periods of financial stress.
Conclusions Choosing a safe bank at European level is essential to protect your assets and mitigate financial risks.
Carefully consider key factors such as deposit protection, credit ratings, capital adequacy, asset quality, liquidity and overall financial stability to understand which European banks are the safest.
Diversifying deposits and investments in reputable banks in different jurisdictions can provide greater security and stability.