NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Banco Santander, through Santander Universities, signed today a Memorandum of Understanding with Georgetown University, to support a new initiative on the social economy. The initiative will focus on issues of social banking, social finance, and social entrepreneurship. This Memorandum was signed by Ana Botin, Executive Chairman of Banco Santander and John DeGioia, President of Georgetown University.

This initiative will engage Georgetown’s students and faculty along with the Santander network of nearly 1,200 universities and research centers worldwide to conduct research and workshops on issues related to the social economy. The initiative envisions two pillars: a local impact program that engages stakeholders at the local, state, and national levels, and a global pillar in which Georgetown will convene a workshop with students from various Santander Universities around the world to develop programs of social impact.

During her visit to Georgetown, Ana Botin also met with students in the historic Riggs Library on the Georgetown campus. After opening remarks from John DeGioia, Ana Botin shared her views about social banking and what it means to be a Simple, Personal and Fair financial institution. With the attendance of several top officials of Banco Santander and Georgetown University, Mrs. Botin answered several interesting questions from the participating students.

“The Memorandum we signed today with Georgetown University, demonstrates how we promote and support initiatives that benefit our communities. The initiative on Social Economy will become a global point of reference on the subject,” said Ana Botin, Executive Chairman of Banco Santander.

“We are deeply grateful to Ana Botin and the leadership of the Santander Group, for their commitment to the social economy and their leadership on some of today’s most pressing socioeconomic challenges. Our community looks forward to deepening our partnership and developing this new Initiative together in the weeks ahead,” said John DeGioia, President of Georgetown University.

About Georgetown University Georgetown University is one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions, offering a unique educational experience that prepares the next generation of global citizens to lead and make a difference in the world. Georgetown is a vibrant community of exceptional students, faculty, alumni and professionals dedicated to real-world applications of our research, scholarship, faith and service.

Established in 1789, Georgetown is the nation’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit university. Drawing upon this legacy, Georgetown provides students with a world-class learning experience focused on educating the whole person through exposure to different faiths, cultures and beliefs. With its Jesuit values and location in Washington, D.C., Georgetown offers students a distinct opportunity to learn, experience and understand more about the world.

About Banco Santander Banco Santander (SAN.MC, STD.N, BNC.LN) is a retail and commercial bank, based in Spain, with a presence in 10 main markets. Santander is the largest bank in the euro zone by market capitalization. Founded in 1857, Santander had EUR 1.43 trillion in managed funds, 12,950 branches – more than any other international bank – and 185,400 employees at the close of 2014. It is the largest financial group in Spain and Latin America. It also has significant positions in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, Poland and the northeast United States. In 2014 Santander had an attributable profit of EUR 5,816 million, 39% more than the previous year.

About Santander Universities
Banco Santander, through its corporate area Santander Universities, maintains a stable alliance with nearly 1,200 academic institutions worldwide. In the US Banco Santander has 38 collaboration agreements with universities and research centers. Banco Santander supports the Higher Education sector worldwide through scholarships, research grants, international cooperation, knowledge and technology transfer, student exchange and innovation. This initiative is unique among national and international banks. For more information please visitwww.santander.com/universities.