Since 1857, when it was founded in the coastal northern Spanish city from which it took its name, Santander has grown domestically and internationally to take leading positions in 10 core markets, spanning from Chile in the southern cone of South America to the UK in northern Europe, serving a total of 131 million customers.
Santander’s most recent acquisition – the takeover of Banco Popular in June – is set to consolidate further its position as dominant leader of the Spanish market. With a price tag of a symbolic €1, the takeover of the troubled competitor was “the best deal in Santander’s history”, according to Davide Serra, CEO of hedge fund Algebris.
