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List of banks in Taiwan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This is a list of banks in Taiwan, including the central bank, domestic banks, and foreign banks that have been granted government approval to operate within the territory (Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu).
“Domestic banks” refer to banks whose legal entities are established within Taiwan, regardless of whether their equity is owned by foreign investors.
Among the domestic banks, there are eight commonly referred to as the “Eight Major Government-Owned Banks” or simply the “Eight Major Banks” (Big Eight). These are institutions in which the central government of Taiwan directly or indirectly holds a majority of shares. They include: Bank of Taiwan, Land Bank of Taiwan, Taiwan Cooperative Bank, First Commercial Bank, Hua Nan Commercial Bank, Chang Hwa Bank, Mega International Commercial Bank, and Taiwan Business Bank. Among them, the Bank of Taiwan and the Land Bank of Taiwan remain fully government-owned, while the others have been partially privatized and listed on the stock exchange. As such, six of these banks with publicly traded shares are collectively referred to in capital markets as the “Four Government-Controlled Financial Holdings and Two Government-Controlled Banks”.
In a broader sense, government-affiliated banks also include the Export-Import Bank of the Republic of China and the Agricultural Bank of Taiwan, though due to their specialized operations, they are often not included in general classifications.
Historically, due to stringent financial regulation and long-standing government control, these eight banks have grown to a scale much larger than most other banks. They play a significant role in implementing government policy by managing liquidity and influencing the financial markets. Market participants closely watch their movements as indicators of the central government’s stance on the financial environment. These banks also serve as components of Taiwan’s National Stabilization Fund, stepping in to support the market during periods of financial instability.
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Central bank
Domestic banks
Summarize
Perspective
According to Article 20 of the Banking Act, banks are divided into three types: commercial banks, professional banks, and trust and investment companies. The type or specialization of a bank, except for those established by the government, should be indicated in its name. In the past, there was a category of savings banks, but since commercial banks and professional banks can also engage in savings business, this category was never established and was deleted in the 2000 amendment.
After the implementation of the Trust Enterprise Act, all trust and investment companies in Taiwan have exited the market; the only professional banks still in operation are those established by the government, while private ones have all been transformed into commercial banks.
Professional banks
According to Article 88 of the Banking Act, professional banks are classified into six types: industrial credit, agricultural credit, export-import credit, small and medium enterprise credit, real estate credit, and regional credit. In the past, there were industrial banks and regional credit banks, but they have either transformed or expanded beyond their original regions, becoming commercial banks.
Agricultural Bank of Taiwan is established under the Agricultural Finance Act, not the Banking Act; its supervisory authority is the Agricultural Finance Bureau, Ministry of Agriculture, not the Banking Bureau of the Financial Supervisory Commission.
Commercial banks
Foreign, Hong Kong and Macau banks
Mainland China banks
After the Ma Ying-jeou administration took office, it opened up operations for mainland China banks (also referred to as "mainland-funded banks") in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu. Due to the special political situation across the Taiwan Strait, the legal status and restrictions of mainland China banks are generally similar to those of foreign banks. However, in addition to complying with the Banking Act, they must also adhere to cross-strait regulations such as the Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area Ordinance and the Regulations Governing Financial Business and Investment between the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.
Asset size
This list is compiled based on financial statistics published by the Banking Bureau of the Financial Supervisory Commission, integrating data from branches in Taiwan and domestic banks under the same holding group. Since some foreign banks do not separately disclose financial data for their branches in Taiwan or such data is not publicly available, they are not included in this ranking. These include: Bank of China, Bank of Communications, and China Construction Bank.
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Defunct banks
Domestic banks
Foreign banks
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Notes
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See also
References
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