Banco Santander, growth strategy and internationalization (1984-2005)

This is a Spanish version. In July 2005 Grupo Santander received one of the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2005 as the world's best global bank. The award was given by Euromoney magazine, which is renowned for its reporting on banking and international finances. It was the first time that a Spanish bank had won the award. Euromoney pointed to Grupo Santander's strong growth over the last 20 years, which has turned it into one of the world's ten largest banks in terms of stock market capitalisation. A key winning point was Grupo Santander's acquisition of Abbey National in 2004, the UK's sixth largest bank. Emilio Botin, President of Grupo Santander, heard the news in his office, which is sited in the bank's spanking new corporate campus at Boadilla del Monte, near Madrid. The headquarter is located in a 160-hectare greenfield site occupied by more than six thousand employees. At that moment, he must have recalled the path blazed by his bank, now considered to be the world's best. He may well have thought back to the first time he attended the luncheon traditionally held by Spain's eight biggest banks.