Grupo Santander geographic footprint is balanced between mature and emerging markets, with a significant presence in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Spain, United States, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom and consumer finance business in Europe. As well as local services, Santander has global businesses that develop products that are distributed through the Group’s retail networks and provide services to customers worldwide.

Banco Santander’s commercial model is designed to satisfy the needs of all types of customers: individuals with different income levels; companies of any size and different sectors of activity; private companies and public institutions. Earning their lasting loyalty is the Bank’s main objective. The Bank has high market shares in retail and commercial banking in its core markets where its principal business is to attract deposits and provide loans. The Bank focuses its wholesale banking offer on providing services to its main customers in local markets.

Santander Group is structured using a subsidiary model that are autonomous in capital and liquidity terms, and are subject to regulation and supervision by local authorities, as well as that exercised on the consolidated Group by the European Central Bank. These subsidiaries are managed according to local criteria and by local teams that contribute substantial knowledge and experience with customers in their markets, while also benefiting from the synergies and advantages of belonging to Santander Group. The subsidiaries autonomy limits contagion between the Group’s units and reduces the risk.

Santander's employees share a corporate culture focused on fulfilling the Group’s purpose and aim.

The Santander brand synthesises the Group’s identity and expresses a corporate culture and unique international positioning that is consistent and coherent with a way of doing banking that helps people and businesses prosper in a Simple, Personal and Fair way.

Santander has a medium-low risk profile and high asset quality, with a risk management culture that strives to improve every day. It has a solid capital base consistent with its business model, balance sheet structure, risk profile and regulatory requirements.

The corporate centre adds value and maximises subsidiaries’ competitiveness, helping them to become more efficient, generate revenues and implement the most demanding standards in terms of corporate governance through operating frameworks, corporate policies and global control systems. This enables the Group to obtain better results and contribute greater value than that which would come from the sum of each of the local banks.