Banking giant Santander said on Monday that it will absorb two of its Spanish offshoots, closing 700 branches in the latest stage of Spain's great banking shake-up. The biggest bank in the Euro zone by market value, said it could save 520 million Euros a year by absorbing the offshoots, Banesto and Banif.
Emilio Botin chairman of Santander Bank, the leading financial institution in Spain and among the top largest in the European Union said in Sao Paulo that Brazil is the “number one country in Latin America” and the absolute preference of his institution.
Spanish bank Santander has said its quarterly profits fell by more than 90% after taking provisions for bad property loans in its local market. Net income fell to 100m Euros in the third quarter from 1.8bn Euros in the same period last year, it said.
Royal Bank of Scotland's proposed sale of 316 branches and other interests to Santander has collapsed. The Spanish bank pulled the plug on the sale, saying that the already-delayed deal could not be completed by the revised deadline.
Emilio Botin president of Santander, Spain’s largest bank and one of the leading EU financial institutions said that Brazil is the top priority for the group since it is the source of 30% of its global earnings and anticipated the opening of more branches in merit to the country’s economic stability and social progress.
Europe's banks must increase their capital by 114.7 billion Euros, more than predicted two months ago, to make them strong enough to withstand the Euro zone debt crisis and restore investor confidence, Europe's banking watchdog said.
Banco Santander SA said late Tuesday it has agreed to sell all of its units in Colombia, including Banco Santander Colombia, to Chilean CorpBanca as part of its efforts to collect fund to comply with European regulators.
The president of Spain’s banking group Santander Emilio Botin described Brazil as “a very interesting market for Spain” following a meeting with Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff.
Spain’s biggest bank Santander reported first-quarter profit declined 5% as lower earnings at home offset gains in Latin America. Net income fell to 2.11 billion Euros from 2.22 billion Euros a year earlier, the Spanish bank said in a filing Friday.
Latin America currently has “the best financial system in the world”, said Francisco Luzón, member of the Board and head of the Latin American Division of Spain’s Banco Santander (NYSE:STD), the biggest bank by market capitalization in the Eurozone.