The war of words between savings banks and commercial banks is heating up as the European Commission prepares its study of obstacles to banking consolidation in the EU.
“The cajas [Spanish savings banks] acquire the leftovers of bankrupt banks,” said Juan Ramón Quintás, chairman of the Confederación Española de Cajas de Ahorros (CECA) – the association of Spanish savings banks.

To make the radical change from selling products to services, Jose Valino, CIO at Spanish savings bank Caixa Galicia, uses consultants wisely and co-operates with other banks on technology development. He tells Dan Barnes about bridging the gap between the business and IT departments and helping customers to understand the new systems.

Banesto chairman Ana Patricia Botín tells Karina Robinson that the bank’s independence is vital for keeping revenues up.

Spain’s cajas – non-profit making savings banks – are thriving and have considerable clout in terms of market share. 

Spain’s retail banks are enjoying the fruits of a property boom that began in the late 1990s and is still feeding the mortgage sector. In addition, they are looking to service smaller businesses.

Banco Popular’s competitors may be gaining ground but the bank is still an attractive acquisition target. Chairman Angel Ron talks to Karina Robinson about strategies for SME and consumer finance business and why he is betting on staying independent.

Ana Patricia Botín has banker blood in her veins: stretching back to her great-grandfather, who became chairman of Banco Santander in 1909, to her father, Emilio Botín, a legend in his own lifetime whose latest coup – the purchase of Abbey National in the UK by Santander Central Hispano – is transforming the bank.

Asset-backed securities from the Iberian Peninsula have proved popular with European investors. A recent transaction, the first to be backed by auto leases and loans, and to combine a securitisation framework from Portugal and Spain, indicates that the market is still developing.

The determination of Spain to maintain normality after March’s attacks in Madrid served to highlight the nation’s strength.

The Madrid bomb blast may have changed the election outcome but Spain’s strong economic performance is unlikely to be affected. Jules Stewart reports.