Dividends

Banco Santander approved its shareholder remuneration policy for 2021. The updated policy targets a total shareholder remuneration of approximately 40% of the group’s underlying profit, split in equal parts between cash dividends and share buybacks. According to the revised policy, interim distributions will be made around November and final distributions around May following the bank’s anual shareholder meeting.

The board of Banco Santander announced its decision to make an interim distribution from 2021 earnings through a cash dividend and share buyback amounting to a total value c. EUR 1.7 billion -equivalent to 40% of underlying profit for the first half of 2021. The board’s decision has been taken in view of the lifting of the European Central Bank (ECB) recommendation that had limited shareholder remuneration until 30 September 2021.

Shareholder remuneration will be made in two parts:

• A cash dividend of EUR 4.85 cents per share, paid from 2 November 2021.
• A buy-back programme that will have a maximum amount of EUR 841 million, equivalent to 20% of the Group's underlying profit in the first half of 2021, approved by the ECB.

The repurchase programme will have the following characteristics:

• Expected duration from 6 October 2021 to 17 December 2021 however, the Bank reserves the right to terminate the buyback programme if, prior to its expiry date, the maximum monetary amount is reached or if any other circumstances so advise.
• The average purchase price of shares will not exceed EUR 3.98, corresponding to the tangible book value per share at 30 June 2021.
• The maximum number of shares that may be acquired will depend on the average price at which they are acquired, but will not exceed 9.7% of the Bank’s share capital.

The bank plans to announce a further and final remuneration from 2021 earnings in the first quarter of 2022, subject to the appropriate corporate and regulatory approvals.

More information is in the Relevant Fact and in the Press Release about the shareholder remuneration policy for 2021 results and in the Relevant Fact about the share repurchase programme.

Further information on shareholder remuneration can be found in the following sections of this website:

• Dividends
• Prices of latest reinvestments (PDF 163Kb) (Only available in Spanish)
• The most recent and historical dividend payments are shown in the table below.

*Last 12 months