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Pérez Escolar thinks Emilio
Botín has dues to pay at
home before the Abbey
takeover is complete. |
IF GRUPO SANTANDER'S takeover of the UK's Abbey National is finalized later this month then Emilio Botín, the Spanish bank's chairman will become arguably the most powerful retail banker in Europe. The combined organization should be among the continent's top five banks by market capitalization and, with substantial businesses in the UK, Germany and Portugal as well as in its home market, it will have a pan-European presence to match any of its bigger rivals.
For Botín, this is the big one. This is the deal that completes his journey from the obscurity of provincial Spain to the heart of the global financial system and a significant position in one of the world's most important banking markets.
If it goes through, Botín joins the...
