Product details

Banco Santander (Santander), the Spanish banking group, was established in May 1857. After his appointment as Chairman of the group in 1986, Emilio Botin (Emilio), the most dynamic and renowned banker, led Santander from 260th position to a level of top 10 banks in the world. From the beginning, the bank was focusing on acquiring many banks. The purchase of a large rival Banesto SA opened doors for many more acquisitions across the Spanish border. The efforts enabled the bank to survive Spanish Civil Wars and two World Wars while it was rapidly growing inspite of Europe’s economic instability. In 2004, Abbey National - a famous name in UK finance - was acquired by Santander. In 2008 a profit of €8.9 billion moved the bank into a group of ‘five most profitable’ global banks earning several awards. Soon it marked its presence and expansion in North America with the purchase of Sovereign Bank - a large retail bank in northeast with 750 branch offices. Emilio had announced the bank’s commitment in Mexico through expansion and increased investments as he trusted the country’s economy. Growth and diversity was ‘in the DNA’ of the bank. After the sudden demise of Botin in September 2014, the bank announced appointment of his daughter Ana Patricia Botin (Ana) as the new Chairman. Ana had been groomed in the banking sector at Banco Espanol de Credito - a Spanish consumer bank owned by Santander. Would she succeed in maintaining the legacy of Santander’s growth?