Santander: Back to the front of the class

Was 2017 the year Santander returned to form? 

Three years after Ana Botín’s succession, Santander struck a bargain of which her predecessor and late father, Emilio, would have been proud. In a lightning deal with the ECB’s Single Resolution Board in June, the bank paid just €1 for Banco Popular, after equity and subordinated debt holders were wiped out. 

It took less than a day – showing resolve and an appetite for acquisitions, despite Santander’s repeated recoiling from a purchase of Williams & Glynn in the UK.