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Your comment triggered a question in my mind and searching isn't helping find a convincing answer. Does anyone know the size of the largest privately-owned retail bank operating in the world? I believe CTBC Bank (Taiwan) is privately-held, but I don't know of any others.

Having worked for a few banks in Australia, I took it as axiomatic that banks were publicly listed companies. But who knows? Maybe not.

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I'd throw Fidelity into that category but I don't know the assets under mgmgt., Just they are huge, private, and more and more offer retail like online banking with some physical locations that are more investment-advisor oriented.

Notably, Fidelity shunts virtually all customer deposits off into separate institutions: FDIC member banks (Fidelity doesn't own one) or Fidelity money market funds (legally separate companies who custody their assets elsewhere). It's technically possible to deposit cash with Fidelity itself (FCASH[1]), but (a) that option is not the default and (b) the interest paid is significantly lower.

[1]: https://www.fidelity.com/trading/faqs-about-account#faq_abou...

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