Santander’s board approved an interim cash dividend of €0.127 per share against 2026 earnings. The amount is 10% above the €0.115 interim payment made a year earlier. The bank scheduled payment for 2 November 2026. The decision covers the first cash distribution linked to this year’s results.
Santander said first-half shareholder remuneration totals about €3.7 billion. The amount represents roughly 50% of underlying profit for the period. Cash dividends and share repurchases account for approximately equal parts of that total. The associated share buyback programme was announced on 10 August and began on 24 August.
PER-SHARE PAYMENT INCREASED
Executive chair Ana Botín said the increase marked the fifth consecutive year of double-digit growth in the cash dividend, with the interim dividend per share up 162% since 2021. Including the extraordinary buyback linked to the sale of Santander Poland, she said, first-half remuneration rises to €6.9 billion.
The combination means Santander is distributing capital through both direct cash payments and repurchases. The per-share comparison is with the interim dividend paid from the previous year’s earnings, rather than a forecast of the final 2026 dividend.
FULL-YEAR DISTRIBUTION REMAINS AHEAD
Santander said the remainder of its 2026 shareholder remuneration policy is subject to corporate and regulatory approvals and decisions.
The last day to trade with the right to the dividend is 28 October, the ex-dividend date is 29 October and the record date is 30 October.