What banking system does the UK use?
The banking system in the UK
The UK banking sector consists of a number of private UK banks, international banks, and building societies. A few large banks dominate the sector, competing for market position. In total, there are currently 344 banks in the UK and 52 building societies.
The banking system in the UK
The UK banking sector consists of a number of private UK banks, international banks, and building societies. A few large banks dominate the sector, competing for market position. In total, there are currently 344 banks in the UK and 52 building societies.
The Bank of England is a central bank, not a commercial bank. We provide banking services for the UK Government, other central banks and some financial sector firms.
A few large banks currently occupy a major share of the banking sector. The top five largest banks are HSBC Holdings, Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Barclays, and Standard Chartered. This handful of banks has a monopoly on services to these enterprises.
The UK maintains a globally leading share of a number of financial markets; for example, it had 15% of the global total of cross-border bank lending in the second quarter of 2022. London is a centre for foreign banks, with around 180 foreign banks or branches in the city.
Most banks in the UK will offer a range of products such as: Current account: a day-to-day account that comes with a debit card you can use to buy things. Not all cards are physical now. Some accounts offer digital cards as standard and there's a charge to receive a physical debit card.
UK banks help people manage their finances. They look after money held in bank accounts, provide loans to people who need to borrow, and handle millions of customer transactions each day. These include in store and online spending, bills payments, wages and benefits, and high street cash machine withdrawals.
The Bank provides wholesale banking services to the UK Government (and to over a hundred overseas central banks). It manages the UK's Exchange Equalisation Account on behalf of HM Treasury and it maintains the government's Consolidated Fund account.
Who owns the Bank of England today? We are wholly-owned by the UK government. The capital of the Bank is held by the Treasury Solicitor on behalf of HM Treasury. Although we are owned by HM Treasury, we carry out our responsibilities independently.
Showing 10 out of 20 companies. HSBC Holdings Plc, Lloyds Banking Group Plc, Barclays Plc, Standard Chartered Plc, and NatWest Group Plc are the top 5 UK-based Banks in 2021 by revenue.
Which is the strongest bank in UK?
The ranking shows that HSBC is the largest bank in the country by this measure. Indeed, the bank dominates the UK banking landscape as not only the largest lender, with some $152.74bn of core capital, but also the most profitable, recording $18.68bn pre-tax profit in 2014.
- The Nationwide Building Society.
- Lloyds Bank.
- HSBC UK.
- Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)
- Barclays.
![What banking system does the UK use? (2024)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EC0G7pY4wRE/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCOADEI4CSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLA2Ku0Mp075euYulV_4kH1TP2W_Fw)
Two UK based banks - HSBC and Lloyds Banking Group – are not only the largest banks in the country, but also rank among the top 10 banks in Europe in terms of market capitalization.
Provider | Fee | Exchange rate |
---|---|---|
Revolut | Free for most plans | Interbank exchange rate |
Wise | £3.84 | Interbank exchange rate |
Barclays | £0 (online)£25 (branch or phone) | Exchange rate + markup |
Co-operative Bank | 0.25% (min. £13 to max. £35) | Exchange rate + 4% markup |
Countries | Banking system z-scores, 2021 | Global rank |
---|---|---|
Luxembourg | 51.67 | 1 |
Jordan | 50.11 | 2 |
New Zealand | 44.78 | 3 |
Morocco | 42.4 | 4 |
The total assets of the banking industry in the United Kingdom grew significantly between 2022 and 2022, despite some fluctuations in recent years. In 2022, the total assets held at banks amounted to roughly 16.88 trillion U.S. dollars, which was a notable increase compared to the previous year.
The differences fall under seven main headings: economic concentration, regulation, universal banking, recruitment policy, marketing methods, bank failure, and investment banking. These are each described in more detail below. British banking is much more concentrated than in the US.
In the UK, two regulators are primarily responsible for the authorization and supervision of financial institutions: the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) (part of the Bank of England) and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
LONDON — The Bank of England Wednesday found U.K. banks can withstand a dire economic scenario of much higher interest rates, persistent inflation and recessions in both Britain and around the world as part of its stress-testing regime for the financial sector.
The Bank of England prudentially regulates and supervises financial services firms through the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA).
Does the UK have a central bank?
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom.
The banking industry in the UK
Despite losing customers to other banks in its home country, the size of HSBC is remarkable. It is not only the largest bank in the United Kingdom, but also one of the largest banks in the world.
One of the biggest digital banks in the UK, London-based Monzo has around 7 million customers. ⁶ It serves both personal and business customers, with current and savings accounts as well as loans. You can open an account using just the Monzo app, which was named Best Banking App at the 2023 British Bank Awards.
Open Banking in the UK has a long history, but its current form has largely been shaped by the Second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) of the European Union. PSD2 came to life in October 2015, but the most important changes for payments in the context of Open Banking came into force in January 2018.
UK Bank Account for Non-Residents – Documents Needed
To open a bank account, you will need identification. As a non-resident, opening a UK bank account will require a passport and drivers' license, but your bank may also request other documents, particularly one that shows your current address.
References
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/explainers/who-owns-the-bank-of-england
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/bank-of-england
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/prudential-regulation/authorisations/which-firms-does-the-pra-regulate
- https://www.lloyds.com/about-lloyds/regulation-of-lloyds
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-review-of-regulators-to-cut-red-tape-and-bureaucracy
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/937768/leading-banks-in-the-united-kingdom-by-market-capitalization/
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-rights-banker-customer-banking-contract-sebastien-onutali-mhele
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/615140/financial-assets-banking-sector-united-kingdom-uk/
- https://www.pinsentmasons.com/out-law/news/uk-government-new-rules-to-restrict-de-banking
- https://www.statista.com/topics/6033/leading-uk-banks/
- https://www.lexisnexis.co.uk/legal/guidance/banking-regulation-united-kingdom-q-a-guide
- https://wise.com/gb/blog/best-digital-banks-in-uk
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy
- https://www.federalreserve.gov/supervisionreg.htm
- https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/types-banks-india/
- https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/banking/complaints-about-banks-and-building-societies/
- https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/rankings/bank_z_scores/
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/prudential-regulation/the-bank-of-england-enforcement
- https://www.quora.com/Has-a-bank-ever-refused-to-give-you-your-money
- https://www.politico.eu/article/bank-of-england-finds-uk-lenders-strong-enough-to-withstand-worse-economic-conditions/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_Services_Compensation_Scheme
- https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-1-349-27760-5_2.pdf
- https://www.parlee.com/news/duties-of-a-bank-to-its-customers/
- https://www.businessexpert.co.uk/business-banking/best-international-account/
- https://www.globaldata.com/companies/top-companies-by-sector/financial-services/uk-banks-by-revenue/
- https://www.pwc.com/im/en/publications/assets/1222080.pdf
- https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/money-troubles/money-problems-and-complaints/compensation-if-your-bank-or-building-society-goes-bust
- https://www.thebanker.com/The-top-five-UK-banks-1430925651
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/prudential-regulation/new-bank-start-up-unit
- https://statrys.com/blog/best-banks-uk
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/about
- https://www.hsbc.co.uk/international/how-does-banking-work-in-the-uk/
- https://www.hsbc.com/terms-and-conditions
- https://resourcehub.bakermckenzie.com/en/resources/global-financial-services-regulatory-guide/europe-middle-east-and-africa/united-kingdom/topics/who-regulates-banking-and-financial-services-in-your-jurisdiction
- https://www.mccannfitzgerald.com/knowledge/disputes/a-banks-duty-of-care-uk-supreme-court-clarifies-scope-of-the-quincecare-duty-in-the-uk
- https://lawcom.gov.uk/banks-duties-to-customers/
- https://www.fdic.gov/news/press-releases/2023/pr23055.html
- https://suitsmecard.com/blog/the-troubles-with-opening-a-uk-bank-account-for-a-non-resident
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/financial-conduct-authority
- https://www.fscs.org.uk/making-a-claim/customer-info/financial-protection/
- https://www.claims.co.uk/knowledge-base/personal-finance/bank-obligations-to-customers
- https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Standard-3-Duty-of-care.pdf
- https://www.thebanker.com/Does-the-UK-s-deposit-guarantee-scheme-need-reform-1684142697
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/financial-reporting-council
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_regulation_in_the_United_States
- https://www.fitchratings.com/research/banks/uk-banks-misconduct-risk-is-highlighted-by-fca-motor-finance-probe-26-01-2024
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/prudential-regulation/authorisations/financial-services-compensation-scheme
- https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/using-financial-services-register
- https://www.ifrs.org/content/ifrs/home/use-around-the-world/use-of-ifrs-standards-by-jurisdiction/view-jurisdiction.html/united-kingdom
- https://www.finder.com/uk/the-safest-bank-in-the-uk
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/financial-stability-report/2023/july-2023
- https://www.chase.co.uk/gb/en/our-story/
- https://www.iasplus.com/en-gb/resources/other-regulatory/pra
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/financial-stability-report/2022/december-2022
- https://www.frc.org.uk/library/standards-codes-policy/accounting-and-reporting/uk-accounting-standards/
- https://www.avatrade.com/education/economic-indicators/central-banks/boe
- https://www.unit21.ai/blog/bank-compliance
- https://www.annectolegal.co.uk/commercial-litigation/banking-litigation-and-insurance-claims-disputes/how-to-sue-a-bank-for-negligence/
- https://www.expatica.com/uk/finance/banking/guide-to-banking-in-the-uk-291590/
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/explainers/why-do-we-regulate-banks
- https://www.altfi.com/article/7425_starlings-new-online-banking-found-most-secure-in-which-study
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/about/governance-and-funding
- https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/savings/safe-savings/
- https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/top-banks-in-united-kingdom/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets-economy/082316/3-reasons-banks-can-freeze-your-account.asp
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/quarterly-bulletin/2019/how-banks-are-authorised-in-the-uk.pdf
- https://www.learnsignal.com/blog/basel-ii-three-pillars/
- https://www.thecityuk.com/media/wympuijs/key-facts-about-the-uk-as-an-international-financial-centre-2022.pdf
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/news/2023/november/boe-and-fca-mou-on-the-supervision-of-financial-market-infrastructure-and-payment-systems
- https://cloudentity.com/developers/basics/openfinance/open_banking_uk/
- https://www.theaccountancy.co.uk/bank-accounts/can-you-get-a-uk-bank-account-as-a-non-uk-resident-13365.html
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/about/governance-and-funding/staff-codes-and-policies/our-code
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/063015/what-are-some-major-regulatory-agencies-responsible-overseeing-financial-institutions-us.asp
- https://www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2004/banking-regulation-the-focus-returns-to-the-consumer
- https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/banking/getting-a-bank-account/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_England
- https://answers.justia.com/question/2023/09/21/i-have-a-banking-negligence-consumer-pro-981048
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/explainers/what-do-banks-do
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banking-services
- https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/prudential-regulation