MADRID | The Corner | F1 pilot Fernando Alonso and Santander bank deceased chairman Emilio Botín, both great ambassadors of the Spain brand, are among the 4,000 Spaniards helped by HSBC to evade taxes. As online newspaper El Confidencial revealed, an estimated €1.8 billion ($2.8 billion) was concealed by Spanish citizens in Swiss bank accounts between 2006 and 2007.
MADRID | By J.P. Marín Arrese | Only a few hours following the death of former Santander chief Emilio Botín, his daughter Ana Botín was thrust into the spotlight as his replacement. This offered further proof -if it were needed- of the firm grip on the Board of Directors which the family continues to hold. Its stake, reckoned to stand at less than 1%, has not prevented the swift transition from taking place.
MADRID | By Fernando G. Urbaneja | As a child, Emilio Botín used to listen to his father urging the branch directors of Santander bank –back then a local commercial lender- to capture more term deposits. Until his death on Wednesday, Mr Botín was head of Europe’s largest commercial bank, attentive to the evolution of credit lending in each regional branch, as well as in Spain, the United Kingdom, Brazil or Poland. He was a full-time business banker. There were no distractions for Emilio Botín: even when he was hunting in Africa or playing golf he was looking through his business reports; at the weekends he used to meet the executives of Santander at his own place. The bank was his only truly passion.
MADRID | The Corner | Spanish banking landmark Emilio Botin died on Wednesday at 79 of heart attack, but the country’s main lender won’t be without a captain for long: a special board meeting will be hold on Wednesday to designate a new chairman, the bank said in a statement. Scion of a wealthy banking dynasty, Mr Botín was the head of Spanish banking internationalization. Shares in Santander dropped 1.7 percent to 7.6 euros at 0710 GMT after the announcement.
By Julia Pastor, in Madrid | The president of the bank Santander Emilio Botín knows very well what he is talking about, and from where he is talking. He has a privileged position. He leads the most powerful and respected bank, not only in Spain but also in Europe. That is why on Tuesday, during the conference press to render and explain the banks’ last year results, he could afford…