Verified Document

Santander Is In The Global Banking Industry. Essay

Santander is in the global banking industry. Based in Spain, Santander has operations in Europe and Latin America primarily. The current conditions for the banking industry in Europe are challenging, on account of a number of different factors. The euro crisis is perhaps the biggest issue facing the banking industry in Europe, and all European banks are exposed. Santander's exposure is thought to be relatively low as the company is well-capitalized, but some of the solutions to the problem that have been proposed would apply to all European banks, reducing the profitability of Santander if it were to face a situation where it had to increase its capitalization (AFP, 2011). Beyond the euro crisis, the banking industry is facing a number of other challenges as well. Economic growth, particularly in Europe, is sluggish. This has the affect of reducing loan demand, creating an uncertain earnings environment (Putnis, Stimpson & Marais, 2011). Lastly, and of significant concern for Santander, is Basel III. This is a new set of regulations that has been introduced by the Bank of International Settlements in order to enforce greater stability on the banking industry. One of the most important aspects of Basel III is that banks will need to maintain more common equity on their balance sheets. This new regulatory burden is seen by some as decreasing the profitability of banks (The Economist, 2011).

To deal...

For its part, Santander has sold off subsidiaries in Latin America, but with new capital requirements most banks in Europe have had to find sources of capital in order to strengthen their balance sheets.
An additional characteristic of the current market is a high intensity of competition. This occurs at all three levels -- retail, commercial and investment. Banks compete aggressively for business, and generally need to emphasize both service and price in trying to attract business. As banks earn their money on the spread between the rates at which they acquire capital and the rates they get for lending that money out again, and competition reduces those spreads, the industry can be challenging from a profitability standpoint, and banks forced to utilize a high-volume low-profit business model bolstered by strong service capabilities.

Thus, the current market conditions are challenging on a number of fronts. The regulatory environment is having a negative impact on the industry. The economic environment is also difficult, given low levels of demand for loans and especially given the euro crisis. Even if Santander has a relatively low level of exposure to the euro, the bank is still going to face negative outcomes if the euro slides further or if it is broken up altogether.

The Strategy Clock is a method…

Sources used in this document:
Works Cited:

AFP. (2011). Santander bank chief slams EU crisis plan. EU Business. Retrieved December 7, 2011 from http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/finance-economy.cyg

The Economist. (2011). Third time's a charm? The Economist. Retrieved December 7, 2011 from http://www.economist.com/blogs/freeexchange/2010/09/basel_iii

Penty, C. (2011). Santander Latin America strategy stalls with Colombia sale. Bloomberg. Retrieved December 7, 2011 from http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-12-07/santander-latin-america-strategy-stalls-with-colombia-sale.html

Putnis, J., Stimpson, A. & Marais, T. (2011). European banking industry outlook. SNL Financial. Retrieved December 7, 2011 from http://www.snlcenter.com/eurobankoutlook/default.asp
Tedesco, E., Roman, D. & Esposito, A. (2011). Santander sells a Chilean stake in effort to boost capital. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved December 7, 2011 from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203413304577083732238219036.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Santander Company Culture and Strategic Orientation of
Words: 872 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Santander Company Culture and Strategic Orientation of Santander Bank The general thrust in today's banking industry is either toward strategic expansion or eventual merger under the auspices of another bank's strategic expansion. As one of the top-tier performers and holders of capital in the financial industry and as the single largest banking entity in the Eurozone, Banco Santander finds itself in the former strategic category. As the discussion hereafter will show, Santander

Hsbc Strategy Analysis Paper
Words: 3023 Length: 9 Document Type: Essay

HSBC is one of the world's largest banks, and it has the third-largest market share among UK retail banks. This massive global footprint supports a differentiation strategy that is encapsulated by the "the world's local bank" slogan. HSBC plays to its strengths with a presence in many major markets around the world, but its strength in retail and commercial banking belies a relative weakness in investment banking. The banking industry is

Value Valuing Santander the Santander Group of
Words: 549 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Value Valuing Santander The Santander Group of financial institutions is one of the largest financial companies in the world and has the largest network of branches of any bank in existence, with subsidiaries based in the United States, Europe, and Latin American, and with operations that truly stretch to every corner of the globe (Santander Group 2011). With such expansive operations and holdings, it can be difficult to come up with an

E-Banking As a Competitive Advantage in Brazil
Words: 2627 Length: 7 Document Type: Term Paper

E-Banking as a Competitive Advantage in Brazil The Federative Republic of Brazil is the largest and most populous country in Latin America, and fifth largest in the world. Spanning a vast area between central South America and the Atlantic Ocean, it is the easternmost country of the Americas and it borders Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana - every South American nation except for Ecuador

Bancolombia: Talent, Culture, and Value Creation Management
Words: 3390 Length: 11 Document Type: Case Study

Bancolombia: Talent, Culture, And Value Creation Management in Mergers Supporting evidence BIC Banco De Colombia Conavia Confinsura Change leader Analysis of case data - Efficiency Profitability Alternatives Alternative 1-Focus profitability and reducing cost-of-operations Alternative 2- Recreating source of competitive advantage Alternative 3- Franchising the rural branches Decision criteria Analysis of alternatives Selection of alternative Implementation Exhibit I Manifesto for Integration of Banco Colombia, Corfinsura, and Conavi Exhibit II Non-consolidated financial statements of Bancolombia Group Bancolombia Group was successfully led by the outgoing CEO Jorge Londorio until his retirement in January 2011. Required

International IPO's Cross- Listing International
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Research Paper

A logical starting point for analysis however, is the unremarkable yet important espy that cross-listing entities are existing firms or new ventures seeking capital. New companies attracting capital often view cross-listing as a crucial way to increase global visibility and provide financial stability. "IPOs that go public abroad are an important source of new capital for firms. From 1995 to 2007, 6% of all IPOs go public outside their

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now