Overseas Chinese banks

Overseas Chinese banks excelled in commerce, finance, and many other industries. They created many banks originally to remit money back to China but now they cater to the people of their adopted countries. These overseas Chinese banks contributed to a large extent to the development of the countries and communities in which they were located. Overseas Chinese banks normally refer to Chinese banks outside of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

Southeast Asia

The Overseas Chinese banks are mostly situated in Southeast Asia where the local overseas Chinese population plays a significant if not dominant role in the local economy.

Indonesia

• Bank Buana (Part of United Overseas Bank)
• Lippo Banking Group
• Panin Bank (No.11 Overseas Chinese Bank)
• NISP Bank (Part of Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation)

Singapore

• DBS Bank (No.1 Overseas Chinese Bank)
• United Overseas Bank (No.2 Overseas Chinese Bank)
• Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (No.3 Overseas Chinese Bank)

Malaysia

• Public Bank (No.4 Overseas Chinese Bank)
• Hong Leong Bank (No.6 Overseas Chinese Bank)

Philippines

• Banco de Oro Universal Bank
• Philippine National Bank (No.12 Overseas Chinese Bank)
• Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company (No.9 Overseas Chinese Bank)
• Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (No.14 Overseas Chinese Bank)
• China Bank (No.10 Overseas Chinese Bank)
• Security Bank Corporation (No.13 Overseas Chinese Bank)
• Philippine Savings Bank (No.15 Overseas Chinese Bank) (part of Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company)

Thailand

• Bangkok Bank (No.5 Overseas Chinese Bank and No.1 Thai Bank)
• Kasikorn Bank (No.7 Overseas Chinese Bank and No.3 Thai Bank)
• Bank of Ayudhya (No.8 Overseas Chinese Bank)
• Bank of Asia (Part of United Overseas Bank)
• Radanasin Bank (Part of United Overseas Bank to be merged with Bank of Asia)

Canada

United States

In addition to Southeast Asia, the second location where most overseas Chinese banks are is the United States. However, unlike Southeast Asia where Chinese play dominant roles in the local economy, the Chinese American's share of the highly developed American economy is small and most oversea Chinese banks in the United States are privately held.

Strategy for survival

The oversea Chinese banks in the United States are hardly able to compete with the well established mainstream banks on equal terms and their assets are often far less than that of those well established mainstream banks. Therefore, most overseas Chinese banks in the United States adopted a different strategy than their Southeast Asian counterparts by serving a particular segment of the market. Most overseas Chinese banks are relatively small banks in terms of assets and they began as community banks catering to their local Chinese community in the United States. A few of the banks would later expand to the national level but most remain at the community level, tailoring to the specific needs of the local oversea Chinese such as helping them to remit money back to China, to provide finance for import and export businesses, and real estate.

Distribution in the United States

Most overseas Chinese banks in the United States are concentrated in the western part of the country and in New York City mirroring the traditional population distribution of the Chinese Americans in the United States. Recently, some overseas Chinese banks began to open offices in other parts of the country following the new Chinese immigration pattern.

List of Overseas Chinese Banks in the United States

Abacus Federal Savings Bank American Continental Bank American Premier Bank Asia Bank N.A. Bank of the Orient Cathay Bank Chinatrust Bank Chinese American Bank Eastbank N.A. East West Bank

EverTrust Bank First American International Bank First General Bank Global Commerce Bank Golden Security Bank Los Angeles National Bank MetroCorp Bancshares

Omni Bank (California) Pacific Global Bank Preferred Bank Southwestern National Bank Tomato Bank United Commercial Bank United International Bank United Orient Bank Universal Bank

Latin America

There is only one Overseas Chinese bank in the Latin American region.

Costa Rica

• Banco Cathay de Costa Rica