This policy sets out the common guidelines and standards to foster a consistent culture throughout the Group.

"How" we do things is just as important as "what" we do.  Grupo Santander helps people and businesses prosper through a corporate culture that we base on shared values (Simple, Personal and Fair) and common behaviours that ensure we act with integrity.

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

Corporate culture policy (PDF 973 Kb)

This policy sets out Grupo Santander’s criteria for investing in entities and/or providing financial products and/or services to customers in the oil and gas, power generation and transmission, mining and metals, and soft commodity sectors. It outlines the activities that are prohibited or 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 Grupo Santander’s banking activity in the defence sector.

Defence sector policy (PDF 337 Kb)

This document contains information on the policies for embedding sustainability risks in decision-making and in the remuneration policy for Banco Santander, S.A. and its Group (“Santander” or “Grupo Santander”), as well as how we manage these risks and take them into consideration. It also has information on Santander's approach to analysing the main adverse impacts on ESG factors (due diligence).

Informative note on SFDR (PDF 202 Kb)

This policy outlines Santander's general responsible banking and sustainability principles, as well as the objectives that the Group voluntarily undertakes with our core stakeholders and our position regarding human rights protection. It includes the main recommendations of Spain’s securities market commission’s (CNMV) Code of Corporate Governance.

Moreover, it describes the key processes to manage and monitor our objectives in this area.

Approved by the board of directors, this policy brings together the general sustainability policy and the human rights policy to embed 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 behavioural standards that govern the actions of all 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 425 Kb) 

Banco Santander has an internal information system named Canal Abierto for anyone related to the Group to report breaches of the law or internal regulations, irregular financial and accounting practices, or potential violations of our General Code of Conduct, corporate behaviours and internal governance system confidentially and anonymously (if they wish to remain anonymous), without reprisal and with other guarantees and rights that the internal regulation that governs this channel sets out.

• Find out more
• Canal Abierto Policy (PDF 389 Kb)
• Use and Operation of Canal Abierto procedure (PDF 499 Kb)

This document outlines the minimum standards of ethical, social and environmental conduct that Banco Santander expects from all our suppliers. These standards align 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 that govern Banco Santander's tax-related action and require us to adopt all good practices that enable the appropriate prevention and reduction of both tax risk and reputational risk to build greater legal and economic security for the bank and our shareholders.

Since 2010, Banco Santander has been abiding by Spain's Code of Good Tax Practices and the UK's Code of Practice on Taxation for Banks. Moreover, we participate in cooperative compliance initiatives led by tax authorities.

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

Tax strategy Banco Santander (PDF 157 Kb)

Tax policy extract (PDF 227 Kb)

This document summarizes the standards that Grupo Santander must follow to grant donations, as set out in our internal regulation.

Criteria for granting donations (PDF 159 Kb)

This document summarizes the standards that Grupo Santander must follow to finance political parties, as set out in our internal regulation.

Criteria for financing political parties (PDF 153 Kb)

This policy outlines Santander’s general principles regarding health, safety and well-being based on best practices under benchmark international guidelines. It aims to safeguard employees’ health, safety and well-being, promote a healthy lifestyle, and create long-term value for employees and broader society. Our subsidiaries adapt it locally in strict compliance with the corresponding laws.

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 the 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 Grupo Santander. It is based on the Corporate compliance and conduct framework and Internal conduct risk regulation (especially the Model for managing conduct risk with customers).

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