Citigroup topped the inaugural Forbes Global 2000 ranking in 2003.
Forbes introduced the Global 2000 as a ranking of the world’s largest publicly traded companies. The first edition appeared in 2003 and placed Citigroup, the American banking group, at number one. The ranking evaluated companies using a composite of sales, profits, assets, and market value rather than relying on just one measure.
This methodology distinguishes the Global 2000 from lists that rank companies solely by revenue or market capitalization. A bank can perform especially strongly because its enormous assets and market value complement its income figures, while a retailer or energy company may lead a single-metric table.
Citigroup’s position also reflects the scale of global finance at the beginning of the 21st century. The company later became associated with the 2008 financial crisis, but that later history does not change its place at the top of the first Forbes Global 2000 edition.