Our success is based on a clear purpose, aim and approach to business.
We are building a more responsible bank.
We are building a more responsible bank.
Our purpose
To help people and businesses prosper.
Our aim as a bank
To be the best open financial services platform, by acting responsibly and earning the lasting loyalty of our people, customers, shareholders and communities.
Our how
Everything we do should be Simple, Personal and Fair.
- The 2019 Global Engagement Survey had a high participation rate (88%) and reflected the employees' commitment, as 86% of them declared to be proud to work for Santander, 5 percentage points above the financial industry average. In addition, 85% of them believe we are open to change, sharing good practices and fostering innovation.
- Santander was one of the 25 best companies to work for at global level, according to the annual ranking by Great Place to Work. It was also awarded Top Employer Europe 2019 and Best Place to Work 2019 in Latin America.
- We were also named the Leader in Diversity 2020 by the Financial Times in a new index of 700 European companies. We also reaffirmed our commitment to diversity, renewing the EU led Diversity Charter initiative.
- For the third consecutive year, Santander obtained the highest score amongst the 325 companies that form part of the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index.
- We continued to focus on improving customer loyalty and experience. Progress was reflected in the 1.7 million increase loyal customers, greater penetration as a percentage of active customers and 4.8 million more digital customers in the last 12 months.
- We also continued to strengthen our traditional branches and develop new models (SMART, Súper Ágil and Work Café), while investing in new generation ATMs and in contact centres.
- With the creation of Santander Global Platform, we have taken an step forward in our digital transformation that will enable us to offer better digital services to individual customers and corporates. We launched several initiatives as scheduled: progress continued on the Global Merchant Services and Global Trade Services platforms, Superdigital is already available in Chile and Openbank began to open accounts to customers in Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal.
- In line with our responsible banking commitments, we have financially empowered more than 1,600,000 million people in the year through our microfinance programmes.
- In November, shareholders received the first interim dividend of EUR 0.10 per share charged to 2019’s earnings in cash. The Board of Directors of the Bank has resolved to submit to the next annual general shareholders meeting that the second payment of the remuneration against the results of 2019 amounts to EUR 0.13 per share by means of a final dividend in cash of EUR 0.10 per share and a scrip dividend (Santander Dividendo Elección scheme) that will entail the payment in cash, for those shareholders who so choose, of EUR 0.03 per share. Santander’s cash dividend would thereby increase to EUR 0.20, a year-on-year increase of c.3%, and the total dividend for 2019 would be EUR 0.23 per share (EUR 0.20 in cash and EUR 0.03 in scrip).
- In line with the Bank's innovation and digitalisation strategy, the new corporate website santander.com was launched. Shareholders and investors have a new space where they can access all the information on the share and the Group in a more intuitive way, with new content and a refined user experience.
- The 2019 Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) recognised Santander as the world’s most sustainable bank, underscoring our actions in the economic, environmental and social fields.
- Santander joined the COP25 this year, where the plans to become carbon neutral in 2020 were announced. In addition, the Group signed the Principles of Collective Commitment to Climate Action together with 30 other banks and is also one of the founding members of the Principles for Responsible Banking of the United Nations.
- The Group launched the #SOMOS campaign, a global action for inclusive higher education, promoted by the United Nations, which seeks to achieve an accessible, architectural, social and technological environment, so that people with disabilities can be part of the Group.
- In the year, we helped more than 1,200,000 people through our community investment programmes and supported higher education with more than 66,000 scholarships granted.