The Santander Group was founded in Spain in 1857, and has since expanded around the globe through a number of acquisitions.
In 1957, the Santander Group (“Group”) entered the Brazilian market through an operating agreement with Banco Intercontinental do Brasil S.A. In 1970, the Group established a representative office in Brazil, followed by the opening of its first branch in 1982. Since the 1990s, the Group has sought to broaden its footprint in Latin America, particularly in Brazil, by executing an organic and acquisition-derived growth strategy, highlighted by the following developments:
In 2000, the Group acquired Banespa, a bank owned by the State of São Paulo, and became one of Brazil’s largest financial conglomerates.
In July 2008, Santander Spain took indirect share ownership of Banco Real and, in August 2008, the acquisition by Santander Brasil of Banco Real’s share capital was approved via a share exchange transaction, making Banco Real a wholly-owned subsidiary of Santander Brasil before being merged into Santander Brasil on April 30, 2009.
Our units, common and preferred shares were listed for trading on B3 on October 7, 2009, while our ADRs, which represent American Depositary Shares (“ADSs”) registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Securities Act, were listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”).
In recent years, we have made important business acquisitions that have helped to complement our portfolio of services and products, in addition to creating companies with the purpose of further strengthening our ecosystem. For additional details about Santander Brasil´s history, please refer to Chapter 6 of the Company’s Reference Form.
