Fernando Rodríguez | Spain’s big banks BBVA, Santander and Banco Popular have recently announced they will gradually reduce their branch network. What is the significance of this move? Norbolsa analyst Nagore Diez Cerceda offers us some opinions.
Banco Santander S.A. (SAN) stock reached year maximums (+2.5% to €4.69) after the bank reported its Q1 results on Wednesday. Despite a 5% net profit decline in Q1 to €1.63bn (mostly due to the depreciation of various currencies against the euro), Spain’s largest bank by market value beat expectations.
Banco Santander’s Group executive chairman, Ana Botín, today chaired the Bank ́s Annual General Meeting which approved the 2015 accounts. Botín stressed that despite “a more difficult environment than expected, results were good”.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has allowed Banco Santander to apply its own capital calculation model for its Brazilian subsidiary. The approval arrived seven days after Santander presented its 2015 results, so they don’t reflect the effect of the new measure.
Regardless of the disappointments, the one-off items, a few little surprises and all kinds of explanations regarding their earnings and provisions, the so-called big banks’ results are what they are. And none of them have anything to celebrate. They remain vulnerable and unable to reach cruising speed.
Renta 4 | Spain’s big banks H2 results expected to be weaker.
Spain’s top five banks posted a combined net profit of 7.989 billion euros in the first half of 2015, up 48 percent from a year earlier, thanks to the improving economic situation and a decline in bad loans provisions.
Spain’s biggest bank released its 2Q2015 results on Thursday, showing a 24% rise in net attributable profit to EUR 3.426 billion in the first half from a year earlier. All of Santander’s ten core markets posted an increase in profits, with the three largest, Spain, the United Kingdom and Brazil, registering particularly significant rises.
MADRID | July 8, 2015 | Fernando G. Urbaneja | Spanish bank Santander appointed a separate board of directors in Spain, independent from the Group board, which reports to shareholders and regulators. A new federal model that gives the eurozone’s largest lender by market capitalisation a structure in each one of the markets where it operates, in some cases under a local brand.