At Santander, our brand represents our spirit and enables us to get closer to people, businesses and broader society. It’s a unique asset that symbolizes us, transmits robustness and trust both globally and locally, and is consistent with the Group’s business strategy and purpose. 

Our brand has been part of people’s and businesses’ day to day since Santander was founded in 1857. Over the years, we have evolved, renewed and adapted it to meet needs and help our employees, customers, shareholders and communities prosper. 

Our aim to be recognized under a single, global brand has enabled us to unify our position in every business and market where we operate. In 2024, we presented a new position on which our global brand strategy will pivot. We outline this position in our claim “It starts here” (“Es el momento” in Spanish and “Começa agora” in Portuguese), a strong, uplifting slogan that drives us to set out every day to achieve a brighter future.

Because the first step is always the hardest, we realize that people need practical assistance more than inspiration. This could mean reaching out to others or gaining access to the best ideas and tools to uncover fresh opportunities and edge closer to where they want to be.

Our purpose involves an unwavering commitment to be by our customers’ side when they need us most and to support their growth. We’re with them every step of the way as they achieve their aims and stride towards a better future.

As one of our key assets, the Santander brand brings together our values and beliefs as well as the visual (logo, flame symbol, colour red, photos and fonts) and verbal (claim, tone of voice) elements that encapsulate our organization’s culture and essence. 

The flame: a symbol of our commitment to prosperity

Among the brand elements that people recognize the most is our symbol, the flame. It represents fire and its role in human evolution, a powerful and universal sign that has helped us develop as a species. It has been our symbol since 1986 and signifies the creativity, progress, spark and inner strength that makes us move forward.

Another element is the colour red, which transmits the passion and emotion we strive to put in everything we do.

The Group’s position in the core markets where we operate

The brand comes to life through our actions and is consistent across the channels where our customers interact with us, the services we offer, and our marketing strategies.

Because this is our brand. And it starts here.

At Grupo Santander, sponsorships are consistent with our values and play a key role in our customer and stakeholder experience. With agreements in sports, music and other areas, we’re strengthening our brand position and recognition, as well as forging greater ties with people and businesses. 

Sponsorships are a powerful way to strengthen our brand’s leadership and support the business. They are our shop window to the world and help us connect with people everywhere. By supporting our employees’, customers’, shareholders’ and broader society’s pastimes, we can tighten our personal bond with them.

Sponsorships also convey the bank’s durability and bolster our global brand. We make ourselves visible through partnerships with other major brands and disciplines. For instance, sport has always been in our DNA. In the past 20 years, we’ve sponsored such major, elite sporting competitions as Formula 1, the Champions League, the CONMEBOL Libertadores, LaLiga, and others.

And our local sponsorships, including bicycles in London, music in Spain and cultural initiatives in Brazil, are just as important.

Fórmula 1

F1 has been our flagship global sponsorship for the past 15 years.  It’s the arrangement that gives us the most visibility worldwide. 

In 2025, we’re kicking off a new era as the sponsor and official bank of F1, which is now one of the world’s most popular sports. We share its values on leadership, passion, excellence, innovation, transformation and sustainability. 

Think link-up will help us give visibility to the Santander and Openbank brands at Grand Prix racetracks in some of our core markets: Brazil, Mexico, Spain, the UK, the US and others.

Additionally, we complement the F1 agreement with the sponsorship of the Williams Racing Formula 1 team that allows us to increase brand visibility, offer exclusive experiences to our customers, as well as participation in exclusive events and digital campaigns.

Santander’s relationship with F1 goes way back. Since 2006, we’ve sponsored races, teams like Scuderia Ferrari and McLaren, and drivers such as Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz.

eSports

In 2022, we took our sponsorship strategy a step further by venturing into the world of gaming, namely the e-sports competition League of Legends. It’s one of the world’s most popular video games among young people and one of the most professional tournaments, with a strong following. 

We’re the official sponsor of the League of Legends EMEA Championship (LEC) and Liga Latinoamérica (LLA).

This sponsorship enables us to reach and tap into the interests of a younger audience, to whom we want to promote Santander’s strategic values of innovation, digitalization and transformation.

We complement our position in the markets where we operate with more local ties. Our music-based sponsorship enables us to connect with our customers — especially younger generations — and broader society.

Santander SMusic

In 2023, Santander España launched Santander Smusic, a platform that showcases all that Spanish music has to offer and forms part of our non-financial proposition. Some of the features that are driving the success of this sponsorship are pre-sales and discount on festivals and concerts, VIP meet-and-greet opportunities with artists, and exclusive interviews, experiences and music sessions.  

In 2024, we were the promoter behind the world’s first international pop group to be born on TikTok. The “Louder together” contest took to seven countries to bring five musical talents together to record a song and video with the support of a professional team.
 

Santander SMusic

London Cycles

Santander UK runs the renowned Santander Cycles sponsorship. The aim of this initiative, which is available in London, Brunel and Milton Keynes, is to promote sustainable mobility in cities and exercise among inhabitants.

We have other key local sponsorships in Latin America. Santander Brasil reaches out to young people through its “Free” account and card. On top of usual banking services, it also offers 24-hour assistance and access to the pre-sale of tickets to major cultural events in Brazil.

Santander Chile’s “Más Lucas Joven” platform offers young people between the ages of 12 and 18 savings accounts, a debit card, and special promotions such as discount at their favourite restaurants.

Rafael Nadal

In recent years, the Santander brand has been associated with international tennis star Rafael Nadal. A consistent winner on the court and heralded as one of the greatest athletes ever, he signed a long-term deal with us in 2019. He is a brand ambassador and helps us promote our shared values of hard work, discipline, humility and respect.

Jon Rahm

In 2023, Jon Rahm signed a multi-year deal to become a Santander global ambassador. He’s one of the world’s best golfers and most recognized Spanish sport stars, especially in the US, where his collaboration with us will help shine the spotlight on the Openbank brand.