Establishes the common guidelines and required standards in order to promote a consistent culture throughout the Group.

"How" things are done is as important as "what" is done. Grupo Santander contributes to the progress of people and companies through a corporate culture based on shared values (Simple, Personal and Fair) and common behaviors that ensure the integrity in its actions.

For Grupo Santander it is crucial to generate trust in employees, customers, shareholders, and society, in an environment that respects diversity, equity and inclusion, and driven by conscious leadership.

Corporate culture policy (PDF 973 Kb)

This policy sets out Santander Group’s criteria for investing in entities, and/or providing financial products and/or services to clients involved in the Oil & Gas, Power Generation and transmission and Mining & Metals sectors and those arising from businesses engaged in soft commodities. The policy sets out which activities are prohibited and those that require special attention from an environmental, social and climate change perspective.

Environmental and Social Risk Management Policy (PDF 297 Kb)

The purpose of this policy is to establish the criteria, that regulates all Santander Group banking activity regarding the defence sector.

Defence sector policy (PDF 264 Kb)

This document contains information on the policies for integrating sustainability risks in the decision-making process and on the remuneration policy for Banco Santander, S.A. and its Group (“Santander” or “Santander Group”) and how these risks are managed and considered in them. Additionally, it contains information on Santander's approach to the analysis of the main adverse impacts on ESG factors.

Informative note on SFDR (PDF 202 Kb)

It defines Santander's general principles for responsible banking and sustainability, as well as the objectives that the Group voluntarily undertakes with its main stakeholders, including Santander's position on the protection of human rights. This policy includes the main recommendations of the CNMV's Code of Corporate Governance. The responsible banking and sustainability policy also includes the main processes to ensure the management and monitoring of the objectives in this area.

The policy approved by the Board of Directors merges the general sustainability policy and the human rights policy to better integrate the objectives of both policies into existing processes. It also facilitates implementation and understanding in a single, simpler and more operational document..

Responsible Banking and Sustainability policy (PDF 516.7 Kb)

This code brings together the ethical principles and rules of conduct governing the actions of all of the Bank’s staff.

General code of conduct (PDF 1.26 MB) 

This policy aims to provide Santander Group employees, directors and entities with guidelines for preventing and managing conflicts of interest that may arise as a result of their activities

Policy on conflicts of interest (PDF 377 MB) 

Banco Santander has an internal information system (named, Canal Abierto) for anyone related to its group to report breaches of legal or internal regulations, irregular financial and accounting practices or violations of its General Code of Conduct, corporate behaviours and Internal Governance system confidentially and anonymously -if they wish to do so-, with absence of reprisals, among other guarantees and rights of the reporter that are included in the internal regulations that regulate this channel.

• Find out more
• Canal Abierto Policy (PDF 460 Kb)
• Use and Operation of Canal Abierto procedure (PDF 594 Kb)

This document establishes the minimum principles of ethical, social and environmental conduct that Banco Santander expects from all its suppliers; these are aligned with the ten principles of the Global Compact.

Principles of responsible behaviour for suppliers (PDF 296 Kb)

The tax strategy and the corporate tax policy set out the principles governing Banco Santander's fiscal action requiring adopting all good practices leading to the appropriate prevention and reduction of both tax risk and reputational risk, in order to generate greater legal and economic security for the institution and its shareholders.

Banco Santander has adhered since 2010 to the Code of Good Tax Practices in Spain and to the Code of Practice on Taxation for Banks in the United Kingdom, actively participating in the cooperative compliance programs being developed by different Tax Administrations.

The Group provides information on its total tax contribution in the Responsible Banking chapter of the Group's Annual Report, as well as information on taxes paid in each jurisdiction in accordance with Article 89 of Directive 2013/36 / EU, in Annex VI of the audit report and consolidated annual accounts.

Tax strategy Banco Santander (PDF 157 Kb)

Tax policy extract (PDF 227 Kb)

This document summarizes the application criteria for Santander Group granting of donations, as set out in its internal regulation.

Criteria for granting donations (PDF 159 Kb)

This document summarizes the application criteria for financing political parties by Santander Group, as set out in its internal regulation.

Criteria for financing political parties (PDF 153 Kb)

This policy defines the general principles of Santander regarding Health, Safety and Wellbeing, based on recognized best practices according to relevant international guidelines and initiatives on the subject. Our aim is to ensure the highest health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, promoting healthier lifestyles and creating long-term value for our employee base and for society. This Policy will be adapted locally and in strict compliance with the relevant legislation in each country where the Group operates.

General Statement for Santander Group (PDF 106 kb)

General Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy (PDF 539 kb)

This document sets out the Physical Safety Policy, which establishes principles and functional aspects for protecting the physical integrity of the Group's essential assets (i.e. customers, employees, facilities and information).

Physical safety policy extract (PDF 576 kb)

This document sets out the guiding principles for managing conduct risk with customers in Santander Group. It is based on the Corporate Compliance and Conduct Framework and is prepared as an extract of the internal conduct risk regulation (especially the Conduct Risk with Customers Management Model).

Principles for managing conduct risk with customers (PDF 433 kb)

The Group Executive Chairman, Ana Botín, is a member of the executive committee and the Bank participates in the WBCSD Future of Work initiative, by looking into how to adapt its own business and human resource strategy to evolve with the digital age.

More information:: WBCSD

A group of international banks convened by the Chief Executives of its members to identify ways to collectively direct capital towards environmentally and socially sustainable economic development.

Santander participates in two climate related work streams, the Soft Commodities Compact and the new initiative Bank 2030 which aims to build a roadmap for the banking industry to 2030 seeking to increase the financing to low carbon activities.

More information: BEI

Global partnership between the United Nations Environment Programme and the financial sector which aims to promote sustainable finance.

Together with 27 other banks, Santander promotes the principles for responsible banking of the United Nations. The Principles provide the banking industry with a single framework that embeds sustainability across all business areas. The Principles align banks with society’s goals as expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement. Transparency, accountability, governance, target setting and working with all stakeholders towards positive impacts are at the core of the Principles and will help banks increase their contribution to address global challenges.

More information: UNEP Finance Initiative

Santander is committed to the development of its business activity with the ten principles of the Global Compact, demanding its suppliers to assume and also comply with them.

More information: United Nations Global Compact

These principles are the reference for the financial sector to asses and manage environmental and social risk of projects.

Santander analyses the environmental and social risks of all financing operations of projects that are under the scope of the principles of Ecuador and participates actively in the evolution of the criteria.

More information: Equator Principles

A United Nations initiative that aims to disseminate the implications of sustainability among investors to contribute to sustainable development and help its signatories to incorporate them.

Santander manages the pension funds of employees in Spain and Brazil applying criteria of responsible investment.

More information: Principles of Responsible Investment

Interbank offered rates (IBORs) such as London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), Euro Interbank Offered Rate (EURIBOR) or Euro Overnight Index Average (EONIA) are a measure of the interest rate banks were willing to pay one another to lend or borrow cash. Some IBORs are transitioning to new or amended benchmarks or have been reformed. 

More information: IBOR Transition (Download PDF)

International Capital Market Association (ICMA). ICMA Principles champion global green, social and sustainability bond (and related) markets to finance progress towards environmental and social sustainability. The Principles were established in 2014 and Santander has been a member since then.

Wolfsberg Group; International Sustainability Standards Boad (ISSB); Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD); Instituto Internacional de Finanzas (IIF); European Banking Federation (EBF); Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME).