Carax Alphavalue |Santander has made a very strategic move with its recent acquisition of ailing lender Banco Popular, refocusing on its business in Spain as economic growth accelerates. And it’s stock market performance is reflecting this positive story.
Almost 10 years after the big property bubble burst, Spain is once again showing how emotional it can get it with bricks and mortar in all its forms. And emotional is the word, because the ‘revival’ of the real estate sector – something which nobody was betting on three or four years ago – is so spectacular that not a day passes when there is not some sort of euphoric news emerging about it. Of course figures are figures and these are more than amazing. If we focus on the Socimis, the protagonists of the property market in this current phase, the truth is the numbers are really impressive.
Nick Ottens via Atlantic Sentinel | Spain could use Britain’s exit from the EU to bargain for a new settlement for Gibraltar but vows not to.
I am the first one to say that we need to change the level of importance that tourism has in our economy, but the proportionate importance. Not get rid of the industry all together.
The latest batch of economic growth numbers corroborate a picture which we started to see last year, namely that the extent of the Eurozone recovery is widening. Germany is no longer the sole growth driver. Countries like Spain are catching up.
José Luis M. Campuzano (Spanish Banking Association) |Supervision and a single resolution mechanism for the banks, along with a common deposit guarantee, are undoubtedly an essential part of monetary union. In the medium-term, however, greater fiscal convergence, with a more extensive mutualisation of risk in the region, are just as important.
Bankinter, the best Spanish bank, amazed us with its spectacular results during the crisis and continues to do so now. It’s proof that things can be done with maximum prudence, security and moderation, without being pulled along by prevailing bubbles. Bankinter was always cautious about adventures. In the years prior to the eruption of the crisis it established the bases to prevent it from being carried away by what was a catastrophe.
This coming Monday, Colonial will join the Ibex 35, meaning that Spain’s two biggest socimis will now be represented in the selective index. The weighting of Spain’s property sector in the index will also be increased as it continues its recovery.
Despite the success of the Brexit vote last June, the indicators show that 2016 has not only not been a bad year, but has been one of the best in terms of bilateral Spanish-UK economic relations. Spanish exports reached record highs, despite the pound’s depreciation. And Spanish companies are committed to maintaining investments in the UK.
The ECB’s preliminary report on the structural financial indicators relating to the EU banking industry flag that the number of banking subsidiaries fell 4.8% in 26 countries last year, without taking into account figures from the UK and Ireland because they were not yet available. There were 28,807 bank branches in Spain at end-2016, compared with 32,026 in Germany, 37,261 in France or 29,335 in Italy. The figures also show the level of consolidation in the banking sector, measured by the share of assets held by the five largest lenders.