In a continent where the population is largely rural, there are many obstacles to financial inclusion. Mobile money and agency banking have provided solutions, especially in Kenya, where digital banking uptake has been impressive, so it is no surprise that Africa’s best digital bank is Kenya’s Equity Bank.

Garanti BBVA sets a high standard for banking – it is a founding member of the UN’s principles for responsible banking – and this year wins the award for the best bank for corporate responsibility in central and eastern Europe.

Canada has a clutch of big banks that dominate its financial services industry and competition is fierce in most segments. Few are able to compete across the whole spectrum, however. TD Bank is one that can, and the last 12 months marked another successful period for the firm, making it once again Canada’s best bank.

Despite the headwinds for region’s banks, there were some outstanding performances that demonstrate what can be achieved without macroeconomic support. The best example of this was Santander Brasil, Latin America’s best bank.

There have been several ground-breaking sustainable finance deals in the last 12 months in Africa and one bank has been at the forefront of them: Standard Chartered.

The shine may have come off emerging markets in recent years, but for those willing to take the risk, there are still excellent opportunities.

For bringing innovation to social and environmental finance, Goldman Sachs receives the award this year as North America’s best bank for sustainable finance. The bank is often recognized as being a key partner for complex deals that, while possibly small, break ground for others to follow. And this is crucial in the field of sustainable finance.

As trade disputes between China and the US continue, Latin America has been caught in the middle. Countries across the continent have been forced to choose whether they trade with their American neighbour or their Asian partner.

Retaining its title from last year, Morgan Stanley is North America’s best bank for wealth management. With $2.46 trillion under management, it is among the top three largest wealth managers in the world and sets the standard for others.

This year Bancolombia wins the award for the region’s best bank for corporate responsibility. Some 62% of Bancolombia’s employees are women and 57% of them are in leadership roles. These are some of the highest numbers for women in banking in the world. Why?

Standard Bank, Africa’s largest bank, is also Africa’s best bank for wealth management. It generates tailored insights rather than standardized products. It also has a low relationship manager to client ratio of 1:99.

Rothschild & Co wins the award for best bank for advisory by virtue of the unrivalled breadth and depth of its CEE franchise.

Citi’s local presence gives it an edge with financial sponsors, particularly the regional players, such as Mid Europa Partners, that drive a large chunk of deal flow in CEE.

In recent years, the headlines have been dominated by stories about global banks pulling out of Africa to focus on their businesses back home.

For the second year running Credit Suisse is Latin America’s best bank for wealth management, this year bolstered by the completion of a three-year turnaround across the whole bank.

Having its origins as a social foundation, western Europe’s best bank for corporate responsibility, CaixaBank, has integrated sustainability and social impact into every division in the last two years, from risk management to innovation.

While many banks are engaged in sustainable finance in western Europe, very few are focusing every part of the bank on an environmental or social purpose. ABN Amro, western Europe’s best bank for sustainable finance, is one that is.

When Alfa-Bank began focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises 10 years ago, the segment was largely ignored by Russia’s leading banks. Customer service was nonexistent and access to finance was limited, especially for smaller firms.

Stiff competition and a large, young, dynamic population have provided fertile conditions for the development of digital banking in Turkey and created some of the most tech-forward lenders in CEE.

Superlatives seem tailor-made for JPMorgan Chase. It is the most profitable bank in the US, with record net income and record revenues in 2018 – a feat repeated in the first quarter of 2019. And its extraordinary overall performance is built on the unshakeable foundation of its US franchise, making it our choice this year as the US’s best bank.

For the second year running, Euromoney has chosen Bank of America as North America’s best digital bank.

Canada’s investment banking franchises have had a challenging environment to deal with in 2018 and 2019. But RBC Capital Markets has weathered the situation well and is Canada’s best investment bank.

Transaction services is an attractive business for banks finding it harder to make money in capital markets and M&A. This is evident in North America, where investment banks have been furiously investing in their cash management and trade finance businesses to get ahead of the game. Even Goldman Sachs is keen for a seat at the transaction banking table and is planning to roll out its own cash management services soon.

Across the continent, the banking sector feared the consequences of the withdrawal of Barclays.

Ukrgasbank is one Ukraine’s largest banks, serving 900,000 retail customers in addition to small and medium-sized enterprises and corporates.

Advising companies that are looking to merge with or buy others is becoming more complicated. Shareholder activists are on the war path, proxy firms are more vocal, deal jumps are getting more frequent – interlopers are all over the place. For navigating these and other challenges with typical aplomb, Goldman Sachs is our choice for North America’s best bank for advisory.

The best bank for financing in Latin America is JPMorgan. The bank’s pedigree in debt and structured products isn’t news to anyone who works in investment banking, but in recent years the breadth of its offer has been enhanced by increased depth in client and product coverage.

Household net financial wealth in CEE has roughly doubled since 2006 and private banking and wealth management services are increasingly in demand across the region.

For commitment to serving communities, Amalgamated Bank is a benchmark in the region. It is North America’s best bank for corporate responsibility.

With Russian markets reeling from a fresh bout of sanctions and Turkey suffering extreme currency volatility, investment bankers in CEE were on the back foot last year. As the flow of larger deals slowed to a trickle, the small group of global players still focused on the region struggled to find a market for their services.