Banks in Brazil

Banco do Brasil Banco Bradesco Banco Safra Caixa Economica Federal Santander Brasil Banco Votorantim
Banco do Brasil Bradesco Safra CAIXA Santander Votorantim

The Brazilian banking system is dominated by five banks: Banco do Brasil, Itau, Caixa, Bradesco and Santander. The four largest banks control over 70% of assets and loans according to the Central Bank. In 2017, Moody's revised its outlook for Brazilian banking system to stable from negative.
Banking Hours: Banks in Brazil are normally open from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., Monday through Friday except for holidays.

Banco Bradesco – One of the country's largest banks along with Banco do Brasil, Itau Unibanco and Caixa. As of May 17, 2018, it had a market capitalization of US$55 billion.

Banco do Brazil – The largest bank in Brazil and Latin America with total assets of BRL 1.4 trillion (March 2017). It also has the largest services network among the Brazilian institutions by number of branches and ATMs.

Banco Safra – The eighth largest bank in Brazil in terms of total assets and equity. As a full-service commercial bank, it operates in all areas of the financial sector.

Banco Santander Brasil – The largest division of Spanish bank Santander in Latin America accounting for approximately 50% of total profit of the group.

Banco Votorantim – One of the ten largest financial institutions in Brazil. The Bank is owned by Votorantim Group and Banco do Brasil.

Banco Citibank S.A. (Citi Brasil) – A local unit of US-based Citigroup Inc.

Banco ABC Brasil – A Brazilian subsidiary of Arab Banking Corporation (ABC), Bahrain. The Bank's main target is the large and middle-sized Brazilian corporations.

Banrisul (Banco do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul S.A.) – The largest bank in Southern Brazil. It was established on September 12, 1928 and is controlled by the State of Rio Grande do Sul which owns approximately 57% of total shares. It focuses on retail customers, SMEs and public sector entities. The Bank has over 500 local branches and employs approximately 11,300 people. It also has branches in Miami (USA) and the Cayman Islands.

Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), founded on June 20, 1952, is the main provider of long-term financing in Brazil. It is the largest development bank in Latin America. The Bank offers several financial support mechanisms to Brazilian companies as well as public administration entities. In 2009, the Bank inaugurated its branch in Montevideo (Uruguay) and a new subsidiary in Europe (London). BNDES is 100% owned by the Federal Government.

Caixa Economica Federal – A government-owned Brazilian commercial bank established in 1861. With more than 85 million customers, it is one of the largest financial institutions in Latin America.

Central Bank of Brazil (Banco Central do Brasil) – The principal monetary authority of the country. The Bank was established on December 31, 1964.

HSBC Bank Brasil was one of the largest financial institutions in Brazil with presence in 543 municipalities in all regions. It was acquired by Banco Bradesco in 2016.

Itau Unibanco – The largest financial conglomerate in the Latin America and one of the largest banks in the world by market value. The investment banking business carried out through Itaú BBA S.A. It was selected as the Best Investment Bank in Latin America by Global Finance. As of December 1, 2017, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. had a market capitalization of US$79 billion.

Mercantil do Brasil – A mid-sized bank with more than 1.1 million customers and over BRL12.4 billion (US$4 billion) in assets. The Bank is headquartered in the State of Minas Gerais and has approximately 190 domestic branches and one branch in Grand Cayman.

Nossa Caixa was the country's seventh largest bank by deposits with a presence in all 645 municipalities of Sao Paulo. It was incorporated into the Banco do Brasil in 2008.

Top 50 Banks in Brazil

The following are the 50 largest banks in Brazil in terms of total assets. State bank Banco do Brasil is the largest bank in the country and Latin America.

Rank Bank Headquarters Total Assets, US$b
(June 30, 2016)
Full Name
1 Banco do Brasil Brasilia 446.354  
2 Itau Unibanco Sao Paulo 406.580 Itau Unibanco Holding S.A.
3 Caixa Economica Federal Brasilia 374.815  
4 Bradesco Osasco 321.786 Banco Bradesco S.A.
5 BNDES Rio de Janeiro 288.863 Brazilian Development Bank
6 Santander Brasil Sao paulo 187.005 Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A.
7 BTG Pactual Rio de Janeiro 65.882 Banco BTG Pactual S.A.
8 Safra Sao Paulo 43.357 Banco Safra S.A.
9 Votorantim Sao Paulo 33.367 Banco Votorantim S.A.
10 Citibank (Brasil) Sao Paulo 24.624 Banco Citibank S.A.
11 Banrisul Porto Alegre 20.962 Banco do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul S.A.
12 Nordeste Fortaleza 13.183 Banco do Nordeste do Brasil S.A. (BNB)
13 JP Morgan Sao Paulo 12.249 Banco J.P. Morgan S.A.
14 BNP Paribas Sao Paulo 12.180 Banco BNP Paribas Brasil S.A.
15 Credit Suisse (Brasil) Sao Paulo 11.594 Banco de Investimentos Credit Suisse (Brasil) S.A.
16 Sicredi * Porto Alegre 9.743 Banco Cooperativo Sicredi S.A
17 Bancoob Brasilia 9.380 Banco Cooperativo do Brasil S.A. – Bancoob
18 Banco Pan Sao Paulo 8.350 Banco Pan S.A. (formerly Banco Panamericano S.A.)
19 Societe Generale Sao Paulo 8.272 Banco Societe Generale Brasil S/A
20 ABC Brasil Sao Paulo 7.018 Banco ABC Brasil S.A.
21 Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Sao Paulo 6.439 Banco de Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Brasil S/A
22 Rabobank Sao Paulo 6.375 Banco Rabobank International Brasil S.A.
23 Deutsche Bank Brasil Sao Paulo 6.357 Deutsche Bank S.A. - Banco Alemão
24 Daycoval Sao Paulo 6.337 Banco Daycoval S.A.
25 BofA Merrill Lynch Sao Paulo 6.324 Bank of America Merrill Lynch Banco Multiplo S.A.
26 Volkswagen Sao Paulo 6.092 Banco Volkswagen S.A.
27 Banestes Vitoria 5.761 Banestes SA Banco do Estado do Espirito Santo
28 BMG Sao Paulo 5.759 Banco BMG S.A.
29 BRDE Porto Alegre 4.802 Banco Regional de Desenvolvimento do Extremo Sul
30 CCB Brasil * Sao Paulo 4.325 China Construction Bank (Brasil) Banco Múltiplo S/A (formerly Banco Industrial e Comercial (BicBanco))
31 Banco de Brasilia Brasilia 4.249 BRB Banco de Brasilia S.A.
32 Amazonia Belem 3.969 Banco da Amazonia S/A (formerly Banco de Credito da Amazonia)
33 GMAC Sao Paulo 3.810 Banco GMAC S.A.
34 Morgan Stanley Sao Paulo 3.802 Banco Morgan Stanley S.A.
35 Mercantil do Brasil Belo Horizonte 3.485 Banco Mercantil do Brasil S.A.
36 Banco Alfa Sao Paulo 3.446 Banco Alfa de Investimento S.A.
37 Goldman Sachs Sao Paulo 3.330 Goldman Sachs do Brasil Banco Multiplo S.A.
38 Credit Agricole Brasil Sao Paulo 2.981 Banco Crédit Agricole Brasil S/A
39 Mercedes-Benz Sao Paulo 2.886 Banco Mercedes-Benz do Brasil S.A.
40 Pine Sao Paulo 2.613 Banco Pine S.A.
41 Banco Des. de Minas Gerais (BDMG) Belo Horizonte 2.216 Banco de Desenvolvimento de Minas Gerais S.A.
42 CNH Industrial Capital Curitiba 2.134 Banco CNH Industrial Capital S.A..
43 Classico Rio de Janeiro 2.054 Banco Classico S.A.
44 Fibra Sao Paulo 1.922 Banco Fibra S.A.
45 Parana Banco Curitiba 1.800 Parana Banco S.A.
46 Banpara Belém 1.744 Banco do Estado do Pará SA - Banpara
47 BES Investimento * Sao Paulo 1.670 BES Investimento do Brasil S.A.
48 Fidis * Betim 1.619 Banco Fidis S.A.
49 Lage Landen Porto Alegre 1.534 Banco De Lage Landen Brasil S.A.
50 Barclays (Brasil) * Sao Paulo 1.461 Banco Barclays S.A.
51 IBM Rio de Janeiro 1.307 Banco IBM S.A.

* Data as of December 31, 2015.