| Buenos Aires: three banks dominate | ||||||
Best bank
Banco Rio
Best debt house
JPMorgan
Best equity house
BSCH
Best M&A house
Morgan Stanley
There are three large, good banks in Argentina: Banco Rio, owned by BSCH; Banco Francés, owned by BBVA, and Galicia, which remains independent. Of the three, Banco Rio had the highest net income in 2000, despite having fewer loans and fewer deposits than Galicia. Its cost-to-income ratio improved to 45% in 2000 from 50.7% in 1999, keeping it the most efficient bank in the country. It also has a rock-solid 18.9% capital base.
Rio's return on equity, at 15.9%, is roughly the same as that of Francés, and higher than that of Galicia. But it still remains well below BSCH's target of 25%.