Britain's biggest bank, HSBC, has more than doubled its profits for the first half of the year to $US11 billion.
The bank said it was profitable in every region, except for North America where it saw losses of $US80m.
In the UK, profits totalled $US2.1bn, a rise of 26%.
In a sign of the improving conditions in the banking sector, the amount of money set aside to cover bad loans fell to $US7.5 billion, the lowest level since the financial crisis began in 2008.
Unlike some of the other major UK banks, HSBC survived the financial crisis without receiving direct government support, and it recently passed the EU's stress tests.
Meanwhile, French bank BNP Paribas has lifted its quarterly profit by more than 31% to $US2.7 billion, thanks to gains in its retail banking division offsetting declines in its investment banking operations.
