Santander's earnings per share surge by 19% following a record-breaking first-half profit of €6.833 billion
Banco Santander, one of the world's leading financial institutions, has reported impressive financial results for the first half of 2025. The bank's attributable profit increased by 13% year-on-year, reaching €6,833 million, marking its strongest first half on record [1][2][3][4].
The profit in the second quarter alone was €3,431 million, a 7% rise, setting a fifth consecutive quarterly record [1][3][4]. Return on Tangible Equity (RoTE) post-AT1 also improved by 0.9 percentage points to 16.0%, up from 15.1% the previous year, reflecting enhanced profitability [1][2][3][4].
The bank's efficiency ratio slightly improved to 41.5%, trimmed by 0.3 percentage points year-on-year, aided by flat operating expenses despite a slight dip in revenues reported (-0.4%) but up 5% in constant euros [2][4].
Customer funds grew overall by 6% in constant euros, with deposits rising by 4% and mutual funds by 17% [1]. Loans increased by 1% in constant euros to €1 trillion, driven by growth in Consumer, Wealth, and Payments segments, offsetting declines in Corporate & Investment Banking and Retail segments related to SMEs and corporates [1].
Santander's focus on profitable and capital-efficient lending is evident in these results. The bank has added eight million customers in the past year, resulting in a fifth consecutive quarter of record profit with RoTE reaching 16% and earnings per share up 19% [5].
The bank's investments and initiatives have helped reduce costs (-0.4% in euros in the first half of 2025) and achieve the best efficiency ratio in more than 15 years [6]. Santander has achieved cumulative savings of nearly €550 million since December 2022 from the replacement of legacy technology with shared global technology platforms [6].
Santander intends to allocate at least €10bn to shareholder remuneration in the form of share buybacks, corresponding to the 2025 and 2026 results, as well as to the expected excess capital [2]. The execution of the shareholder remuneration policy and share buybacks to distribute the excess CET1 capital is subject to corporate and regulatory decisions and approvals [7].
Various media resources, including pictures, videos, and audio, are available for the financial results on the bank's website [8]. The reconciliation of underlying results to statutory results can be found in the 'Alternative Performance Measures' section of the financial report at CNMV and at the bank's website [7].
In summary, Santander’s H1 2025 results reflect enhanced profitability, improved efficiency, growth in customer deposits and loans, and strengthened capital, supporting its strategy of profitable growth and shareholder value creation [1][2][3][4]. The bank continues to focus on innovative technology and customer-centric initiatives, positioning itself for long-term success in the global banking landscape.
[1] https://www.santander.com/en/news/2025/q2-results-2025 [2] https://www.santander.com/en/investor-relations/results-presentations/2025 [3] https://www.santander.com/en/news/2025/q1-results-2025 [4] https://www.santander.com/en/investor-relations/financial-information/2025 [5] https://www.santander.com/en/news/2025/q4-results-2024 [6] https://www.santander.com/en/news/2025/half-year-results-2025 [7] https://www.santander.com/en/investor-relations/shareholder-remuneration [8] https://www.santander.com/en/investor-relations/results-presentations/2025
Investors analyzing personal-finance opportunities may find interest in Banco Santander's high shareholder remuneration, as the bank plans to allocate at least €10bn to share buybacks from their 2025 and 2026 results, with the intention of distributing excess capital [2]. When evaluating businesses for investing, the impressive financial results reported by Santander, including an attributable profit increase of 13%, a RoTE of 16.0%, and a growing customer base, can contribute to a positive outlook [1][2][3][4].
