Santander named Best Bank in the World

1. Press release
Santander named Best Bank in the World
in 2012 by Euromoney magazine
 The magazine also named Santander Best Bank in the UK, Poland, Portugal,
Mexico and Argentina.
 Euromoney highlighted the Group’s diversification, model of subsidiaries and
cost/income efficiency, the best among international Banks.
 “It is hard to think of a bank that could have faced the challenges that Santander
has already overcome better than Botín and his colleagues have done. And the
smart money has to be on them doing so again,” Euromoney said.
Madrid, July 6, 2012 - Euromoney has named Banco Santander Best Bank in the World in
2012, the third time in seven years that the magazine has chosen Santander for this award.
The publication highlighted Santander capacity to generate recurrent profits, even in
economically difficult moments, and the soundness of Santander’s balance sheet. The
magazine attributes this to “two main reasons:” its international diversification and its
efficiency ratio, “the best in international banking.”
Santander has also been named Best Bank in five of its core markets: The UK, Poland (Bank
Zachodni WBK), Portugal, Mexico and Argentina.
Banco Santander Chairman Emilio Botín, who received the award for the bank in a ceremony
in London yesterday, said: “We are the most diversified international bank and aim to be the
best bank for our customers in the ten core markets. Santander will continue to put balance
sheet strength, in capital and liquidity, above any other priority in coming years.”
Botín added that no other bank has leadership positions in 10 core markets, spread between
emerging and mature markets. “This smoothes out our revenues and diversifies risks, so that
even if one country is weak, the Group remains strong.”
Banco Santander chief executive Alfredo Sáenz said: “This award is particularly gratifying,
given the economic and financial backdrop. Euromoney’s decision is a clear vote of
confidence in the Group’s strategy and capacity for execution.”
Euromoney said: “Over the past decade, chairman Emilio Botín and his management team
have overseen a dramatic transformation of Santander's business, which has enabled the
bank to deliver impressive and consistent growth and profitability while withstanding the
Comunicación Externa.
Ciudad Grupo Santander – Edif. Arrecife, 2ª Planta. 28660
Boadilla del Monte (Madrid). Tel. 34 91 289 5211. Fax 34 91 257 1039

2. shocks in its domestic market.” The magazine pointed out Santander has been able to act
quickly when it has been required to raise capital.
“Santander is a bank that shows the benefits of a subsidiary model, in which its businesses
are autonomous in terms of capital and liquidity and locally supervised. Santander is a key
player in all of its core markets,“ the magazine added.
Euromoney concluded, “It is hard to think of a bank that could have faced the challenges that
Santander has already overcome better than Botín and his colleagues have done. And the
smart money has to be on them doing so again.”
Euromoney, founded in 1969, is a recognized leader in business and financial news and
commentary. With readership of 145,000, Euromoney is seen by top executives, regulators
and officials in more than 170 countries. The magazine’s subscribers are mainly in Europe,
with about 30%, the UK, 23%, and the US, 23%. Euromoney’s anual Awards for Excellence
are a banking industry benchmark. The award winners are selected by the Euromoney editors
according to objective measures including profitability, growth and efficiency, as well as
subjective criteria.
Banco Santander (SAN.MC, STD.N, BNC.LN) is a retail and commercial bank, based in
Spain, with a presence in 10 main markets. Santander is the largest bank in the euro zone
and is among the fifteen in the world by market capitalization. Founded in 1857, Santander
had EUR 1.383 trillion in managed funds, more than 102 million customers, 14,760 branches
– more than any other international bank – and 193,000 employees at the close of 2011. It is
the largest financial group in Spain and Latin America. Furthermore, it has significant
positions in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, Poland and the U.S. northeast.
Santander Consumer Finance operates in the Group’s core markets as well as in the Nordic
region. In 2011, Grupo Santander registered EUR 7,021 million in recurring net profit.
Comunicación Externa.
Ciudad Grupo Santander – Edif. Arrecife, 2ª Planta. 28660
Boadilla del Monte (Madrid). Tel. 34 91 289 5211. Fax 34 91 257 1039