Pakistani banks have shown remarkable performance in the Asia-Pacific region, securing prominent positions in the S&P Global Market Intelligence rankings.

Pakistani banks have shown remarkable performance in the Asia-Pacific region, securing prominent positions in the S&P Global Market Intelligence rankings. According to Business Recorder, the Bank of Punjab was ranked as the best-performing publicly traded bank in the Asia-Pacific region with a market capitalization of over USD 100 million. The Bank of Khyber secured the second position with a total return of 108.2%.

According to S&P Global Market Intelligence’s analysis, the National Bank of Pakistan, JS Bank Limited, Askari Bank Limited, and Habib Bank Limited were also included among the top 15 best-performing banks. The success of Pakistani banks is attributed to increased profits in the equities market.

Pakistan’s KSE-100 stock index has risen over the past five months due to improved investment sentiment. Investor confidence grew after the resolution of a military dispute with India in May. Pakistan’s close diplomatic relations with the United States and several meetings between key Pakistani leaders and President Donald Trump also helped boost investor confidence. According to Market Intelligence data, the KSE-100 Index increased by 11.0% in July and 11.4% in September.

Several Indonesian banks also made it to the ranking. Alo Bank Indonesia secured third place with a total return of 89.2% in the third quarter. Other banks in the top 15 were from Vietnam, including Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank, which had the highest market capitalization of USD 9.34 billion and ranked seventh with a total return of 68.1%.

On the other hand, among the 15 lowest-performing banks in terms of total returns during the third quarter, seven were mid-sized Chinese banks. The Bank of Zhejiang showed the worst performance with a total return of –18.2%. Other Chinese banks on the list included China Everbright Bank, Bank of Beijing, Huaxia Bank, Bank of Shanghai, Industrial Bank, and Bank of Jiangsu.

The 15 low-performing banks also included five Indian banks — Aavas Financiers Ltd, Dhanlaxmi Bank Ltd, IndusInd Bank Ltd, Equitas Small Finance Bank Ltd, and Bajaj Holdings & Investment Ltd. Indonesia’s Bank National Nobu TBK was the lowest-performing bank overall, with a total return of –31.9% in the third quarter.

Bangladesh’s Midland Bank PLC, which was the best-performing bank in the second quarter, became the third-worst performer in the third quarter, posting a total return of –20.9%. South Korea’s KakaoBank Corp ranked fourth among the worst performers with a total return of –20.8%.

This success of Pakistani banks is expected to further boost investment prospects in the country’s financial sector. The Government of Pakistan has introduced several reforms to strengthen the financial system, and their positive impact is now becoming visible. According to the State Bank of Pakistan, the banking sector continues to show positive stability trends, with expectations of further improvement in the future.