The agreement was signed this morning by the president of the Miguel Castillejo Foundation, Banco Santander's head of Institutions in Andalusia and the general manager of the UCEIF Foundation and SANFI.

The training will be provided by volunteers from Banco Santander's staff through the Finance for Mortals programme.

Madrid, 7 July 2021.
This morning, an agreement was signed by Banco Santander, the Miguel Castillejo Foundation and the University of Cantabria Foundation for Studies and Research in the Financial Sector (UCEIF) through the Santander Financial Institute (SANFI) to launch financial education sessions through the Finance for Mortals programme, aimed primarily at migrant women and other groups at risk of exclusion in the region of Andalusia.

The training sessions, beginning in Córdoba with the aim of rolling out the initiative to other provinces in Andalusia, will take place at the Palacio de las Doblas, the headquarters of the Miguel Castillejo Foundation. Volunteer employees from Banco Santander will deliver the course, aimed at facilitating the basic financial knowledge needed to be able to take personal and family decisions on day-to-day finances in a responsible and informed manner.

During the signing of the agreement, Joaquina Castillejo (president of the Miguel Castillejo Foundation) explained that “the Miguel Castillejo Foundation, through the Centre for the Training, Support and Integration of Migrant Women, has been delivering training courses on joining the job market for groups at risk of social exclusion since 2009. Today we have accomplished our aim of including the Finance for Mortals programme in our offering. We are convinced that for all the men and women taking part it will be very useful in their personal and professional lives. Therefore, I would like to thank Banco Santander, the University of Cantabria and the UCEIF Foundation for this opportunity, and reaffirm our commitment that they may count on the Miguel Castillejo Foundation so that other groups at risk of exclusion throughout Andalusia may sign up to the programme.”

Miguel Nogales, Banco Santander's head of Institutions in Andalusia and Extremadura, stated that “this is an inclusive project that is necessary for helping people prosper in Andalusia – it represents a further step in Santander’s commitment to financial inclusion.” He added that Santander was promoting the Finance for Mortals programme in Spain, as in all other countries where it operates, “to ensure that those who need it gain a better understanding of the current financial and economic culture, helping them to make the best decisions on how to manage their resources on a day-to-day basis, thus contributing to the security and protection of their finances.”

The general manager of the UCEIF Foundation and of SANFI, Francisco Javier Martínez, highlighted “our firm ongoing commitment to financial education at both the UCEIF Foundation and SANFI. This is embodied in our successful Finance for Mortals programme, which we deliver in partnership with the University of Cantabria and Banco Santander with the aim of reaching out to society as a whole, and to vulnerable groups at risk of social exclusion in particular.”

Finance for Mortals (FxM) is a financial education project that Banco Santander has been promoting for nine years, developed in collaboration with the Santander Financial Institute (SANFI) and the University of Cantabria, through the UCEIF. The programme, recognised by the Bank of Spain and the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) as one of the most important financial education programmes in the country and delivered by Santander's volunteer employees, is aimed primarily at the most financially vulnerable groups, such as children and young people, the elderly, social entrepreneurs and groups at risk of exclusion due to various circumstances.

The Miguel Castillejo Foundation, headquartered in Córdoba, works to promote the social care and cultural development of groups at risk of social exclusion, focusing on the training and integration of migrant women. It will also collaborate actively in the Finance for Mortals programme to include other groups throughout the region of Andalusia.

Santander and its commitment to financial inclusion

Banco Santander maintains a significant commitment to financial inclusion as part of its Responsible Banking agenda. Its aim is to financially empower 10 million people worldwide between 2019 and 2025 through three key lines of action: helping unbanked people to access basic financial services, offering specific and tailored products for those with low income or in economic difficulties and fostering resilience through financial education. Under the latter heading, in 2020 alone, more than 710,000 people benefited from the institution’s financial training programmes worldwide.