On May 15, 1857, Queen Isabella II of Spain authorized the establishment of Banco Santander to facilitate trade between the Port of Santander and Latin America.

In 1900, Banco Hispanoamericano was founded, which later became one of the three large Spanish banks integrated into Banco de Santander.

In 1902, Banco Español de Crédito was established, eventually becoming one of the major Spanish banks that merged into Banco de Santander.

Banco Central was founded in Madrid on December 6, 1919.

In 1921, Banco Central acquired Banco de Albacete.

In 1923, the headquarters of the bank were relocated to the iconic Paseo de Pereda building in Santander.

By 1924, the bank had expanded its branch network to include Espinosa de los Monteros, Lanestosa, and Osorno.

In 1931, the Spanish government implemented measures to address the crisis in the banking sector, consolidating Banco Central's position.

In 1934, Emilio Botín Sanz de Sautuola y López assumed the role of managing director at the bank.

Banco Central expanded its operations by opening a branch in Madrid in 1942, further solidifying its presence in the financial market.

In 1946, Banco Santander acquired its long-standing rival, Banco Mercantil, consolidating its position in Santander.

In 1947, representative offices were opened in Havana, Cuba, followed by locations in Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, and an office in London.

By 1950, Emilio Botín Sanz de Sautuola y López had become the chairman of the bank, leading a period of significant growth across Spain.

In 1956, the Latin America Department was established within the organization.

By the time of its 100th anniversary in 1957, Banco Santander had grown to become Spain’s seventh-largest financial institution.

In 1960, Emilio Botín Sanz de Sautuola y García de los Ríos joined the board of directors of Banco Santander. This period also saw the acquisition of Banco del Hogar Argentino, the first Latin America subsidiary.

In 1963, Banco Santander became the first Spanish financial institution to acquire a Latin American bank by taking over Banco del Hogar Argentino and renaming it Banco Santander Argentina.

In 1976, Banco Santander acquired the First National Bank of Puerto Rico, expanding its presence in the region. This move helped position Banco de Santander as a pioneer in retail and commercial banking in Latin America.

In 1978, Banco Santander entered the Chilean market by opening a subsidiary focused on foreign trade.

Banco Santander International was founded in Miami in 1979, focusing on providing private banking and investment services to high-net-worth individuals.

In 1982, Banco Santander acquired Banco Español Chile, which was in liquidation at the time.

In 1985, Banco Santander de Negocios was established in Spain to conduct investment banking and wholesale market activities.

Banco Santander was first listed on the NYSE on July 30, 1987.

In 1988, Banco Santander strengthened its presence in Europe by acquiring CC-Bank and entering into a strategic partnership with Banco de Comércio e Indústria in Portugal and The Royal Bank of Scotland.

In 1989, Banco Santander launched the 'Supercuenta Santander', a groundbreaking financial product that revolutionized the Spanish banking sector and introduced competition to the country's financial system.

In 1993, following the world economic crisis, the Central Bank of Chile acquired the bad debt of Banco Español Chile. Subsequently, Banco Español Chile repurchased all the loan portfolio from the Central Bank. As a result, Banco Español Chile officially changed its name to Banco Santander Chile.

In 1994, Santander introduced Superhipoteca, a product that enabled the bank to rapidly increase its business volume in mortgages within just eight months. This innovative product played a key role in the bank's growth and success in the mortgage market.

In 1995, the company initiated a period of intense expansion in Latin America, strengthening its presence in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. This expansion also provided a boost to existing ventures in Chile, Puerto Rico, and Uruguay.

In 1996, Banco Santander acquired Grupo Financiero InverMexico.

In 1998, Santander issued the first Guaranteed Infrastructure Bonds in the country, enabling the financing of major road developments. Additionally, Santander launched Bancassurance to distribute insurance products to its clients.

In January 1999, Banco Santander took part in the first large bank merger in Europe since the adoption of the euro, resulting in Spain’s largest financial institution and a leading player in Latin America.

In 2000, Banco Santander Central Hispano acquired Grupo Financiero Serfin of Mexico.

In 2002, Santander merged with Banco Santiago, reaching a market share of 25% in the country.

In 2003, Santander established Santander Consumer through the integration of CC-Bank in Germany, Finconsumo in Italy, Hispamer in Spain, and other Group companies.

On 26 July 2004, Banco Santander Central Hispano announced the acquisition of Abbey National plc.

In 2005, Santander reached an agreement to take a 19.8% stake in Sovereign Bancorp, the United States’ eighteenth-largest bank.

In June 2006, Banco Santander Central Hispano purchased almost 20% of Sovereign Bank.

On 13 August 2007, Banco Santander Central Hispano changed its legal name to Banco Santander.

On 14 December 2008, it was revealed that the collapse of Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme might mean the loss of €2.33 billion at Banco Santander.

On January 30, 2009, Banco Santander finalized its acquisition of Sovereign Bank, marking a significant milestone in its expansion strategy.

HSBC Finance Corporation reached an agreement with Santander Consumer USA Inc. to sell its US auto loan servicing operations and receivables, entering into a loan servicing agreement for the remaining portfolio.

Grupo Santander announced an investment of approximately US$270 million in Campinas, Brazil, to establish a technology and data processing center supporting operations across the Americas.

In 2011, Santander acquired the SEB group's retail and commercial banking business in Germany and Bank Zachodni WBK in Poland. This expansion strengthened Santander's presence in both countries.

Santander announced the acquisition of KBC's subsidiary Kredyt Bank in Poland and merged it with Bank Zachodni WBK to create Poland's third-biggest bank.

In October 2013, Santander acquired Sovereign and changed its name to Santander. This marked the entry into the retail and commercial banking business in the United States.

After the death of Mr. Emilio Botín in September 2014, Ms. Ana Botín was unanimously appointed as the new Executive Chairman by the Board of Directors.

In January 2015, Banco Santander concluded a €7.5 billion capital increase targeting institutional investors to strengthen capital, increase lending, and meet international regulatory requirements.

In 2016, Santander introduced the Santander Workcafé, a unique concept that includes a co-working space accessible to the public.

On 7 June 2017, Banco Santander purchased Banco Popular Español for a symbolic price of €1.

The integration of the entire Banco Popular network was completed, marking the definitive end of the Popular brand from a commercial point of view.

Santander Group and La Liga organized the first LaligaSantander Fest in March 2020, a global charity concert event aimed at raising funds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Banco Santander was recognized as one of the largest banks in Europe.

Dodge & Cox acquired a 3.038% stake in Banco Santander, valued at 1,364 million euros, making them the second largest shareholder in the bank.

In 2023, Santander launched the 'CHILE FIRST' initiative, focusing on strategic projects in Chile.

Banco Santander initiated a share buyback worth about 1.5 billion euros and increased its payout ratio to 50% in February 2024.