Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (1398.HK) vs Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSM)

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited is one of China’s largest state-controlled commercial banks. It provides corporate banking, personal banking, wealth management, payments, and treasury services through a broad domestic and international network. The bank serves major companies, public-sector entities, small businesses, and retail customers. Its results are influenced by Chinese credit growth, interest-rate spreads, asset quality, government policy, and the health of the country’s property, infrastructure, and industrial sectors.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is the world’s largest pure-play semiconductor foundry, holding roughly 70% market share in 2025. Founded in 1987 as a joint venture between Philips, the Taiwan government, and private investors, the company listed in Taiwan in 1994 and later launched its US ADR in 1997. TSMC’s vast scale and advanced manufacturing capabilities support strong operating margins, even within the highly competitive foundry industry. The ongoing shift toward the fabless semiconductor model has also provided meaningful growth tailwinds. Its distinguished customer base includes Apple, AMD, and Nvidia, which rely on TSMC’s leading-edge process technologies for their chip designs. The company employs more than 83,000 people.