China Construction Bank

It is one of the big Chinese state-backed banks people use for current accounts, mortgages, company lending and a very wide branch network. By our assessment, China Construction Bank is strongest at the unglamorous work of scale: deposits, payments, basic banking and lending that has to keep moving for households and firms. The trade-off is that a giant bank like this can feel formal and slow, with less of the nimble app-first feel that newer digital banks sell. In practice that usually means counters, forms, cards, transfers and a lot of ordinary banking plumbing rather than anything fancy. It sits near the top of the Chinese banking pile with the other big national lenders, not as a specialist but as a broad utility. It suits people or companies that want a large mainstream bank with reach; it is less appealing if all you want is a sleek, lightweight online-only experience.