European Countries with Most Top Banks.  France and United Kingdom have the most number of large banks in Europe at six apiece, followed by Spain and Germany at five a piece. The combined assets held by French banks are at US$8.6 trillion, while UK banks hold about US$7.1 trillion in assets.

Top European Banks in 2018.  The largest bank in Europe is HSBC Holdings with more than US$2.5 trillion in assets, followed by French banks BNP Paribas with US$2.357 trillion in assets and Crédit Agricole with US$2.1 trillion in assets.

1. HSBC Holdings PLC. The largest bank in Europe is HSBC Holdings with more than US$2.5 trillion in assets. HSBC Holdings is also the 7th largest bank in the world. The name HSBC is originally derived from the initials of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation.

2. BNP Paribas. The largest bank in France is BNP Paribas with US$2.357 trillion in assets. Founded since 1848, it is also the 2nd biggest bank by assets in Europe and the eighth largest bank in the world.

3. Crédit Agricole. The "la banque verte" or the green bank, Crédit Agricole is the second largest bank in France with US$2.1 trillion in assets. Founded since 1894, it has become the third largest bank by asset in Europe and tenth largest globally.

4. Deutsche Bank. Headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, Deutsche Bank is the largest bank in Germany and the fourth largest bank in Europe. Globally, Deutsche Bank is ranked the 15th largest bank by total assets (US$1.765 trillion).

5. Banco Santander. Founded since 1857 in Santander, Banco Santander is the largest bank in Spain and the 5th largest bank in Europe with about US$1.7 trillion in total assets-under-management.

6. Barclays PLC. Barclays is a British multinational investment bank and financial services company, headquartered in London. It is the 2nd largest bank in UK by assets (US$1.53 trillion) and the 6th largest bank in Europe.