Banco Santander SA, the largest bank in continental Europe by market capitalisation, increased its net profit by 31.3% in the first half of 2026, revenue by 6.4 per cent, and also announced a new share buyback programme worth EUR1.8 billion.
According to a Santander press release, its net profit for January–June stood at EUR8.97 billion, compared with EUR6.83 billion for the same period last year.
The bank’s revenue for the first half of the year stood at EUR30.82 billion, compared with EUR28.98 billion a year earlier.
Net interest income rose by 7.1 per cent year-on-year to EUR22.71 billion, whilst fee and commission income increased by 9 per cent to EUR6.85 billion.
The return on tangible equity (RoTE) for the first half of the year stood at 17.4 per cent, compared with 16 per cent in January–June 2025, whilst the Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio (CET1) at the end of June rose to 14 per cent from 13 per cent a year earlier.
The bank’s management has announced plans to buy back shares worth EUR1.8 billion.
This year, Santander continues to expect growth in revenue and net profit compared with the previous year.
The bank’s shares are down 0.4% at the start of trading on Wednesday. Since the start of the year, the bank’s market capitalisation has risen by 17.7% to EUR174.7 billion.