Bankinter celebrates its 60th anniversary this month by reaching a market capitalisation of 10 billion euros.

Bankinter celebrates its 60th anniversary since its founding back in 1965 as an industrial bank, jointly owned at that time by Banco Santander and Bank of America. In 1972, the bank was listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange, transforming itself into a commercial bank and, at that time, becoming completely independent from its founders.

Since then, Bankinter is now the only Spanish bank that retains its original name and brand identity, having achieved a successful solo track record of sustained organic growth.

Bankinter has grown at a dizzying pace, ever since its foundation back in 1965 at Palacio del Marqués de Mudela, located at number 29, Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid, where the bank's headquarters still stand to this day. Back in 1965 it attracted customer deposits of just over 220 million pesetas (1,322,200 euros), but just five years later that figure had practically increased twelvefold to 2.75 billion pesetas (16,527,500 euros). The increase in the loan book was even more impressive: at the close of its first fiscal year it was 68 million pesetas (408,680 euros), yet in 1970 it exceeded 7 billion (42,070,000 euros).

Sixty years down the line, and retail customer funds exceed 84 billion euros. The current balance of the customer loan portfolio totals 80.7 billion euros.

Bankinter’s growth has been just as impressive in terms of market capitalisation since the bank was admitted to trading on the stock market back in 1972, in what was a hugely successful operation that showcased the remarkable maturity achieved by the bank in little more than seven years of life.

And Bankinter’s continuing presence in the market has been a story of continuous growth.  One of the greatest success stories was, undoubtedly, its proclamation in 2013 and 2014 as the most profitable bank for shareholders from among the 47 that formed part of the EuroStoxx index, and the second most profitable stock on the Ibex35. Bankinter began that year with a capitalisation of 1.77 billion euros, but ended it at 4.5 billion, having risen by around 150%.

Bankinter’s current stock market value is around 10 billion euros, and this does not include the current market value of Línea Directa (almost 1.5 billion), whose capital stock was distributed among the bank's shareholders in a successful spin-off carried out by the entity ahead of the insurance firm’s IPO in 2021, which has been listed as a totally independent company ever since.

For María Dolores Dancausa, Chair of Bankinter, the bank’s history is “one of differentiation, based on the constant pursuit of excellence and a firm commitment to innovation, sustainability and profitability.” And she adds: “A path we have travelled thanks to the strategic vision and transformational capacity of Jaime Botín, Bankinter’s founder, whose influence was decisive in making the bank a robust and innovative benchmark within the financial sector”.

In short, six decades of successful history in which, in the words of the bank's CEO, Gloria Ortiz: “we’ve achieved milestones that have set us apart, such as being pioneers in telephone, mobile and Internet banking. We have also expanded beyond our national frontiers, having built a strong presence in markets such as Portugal, Ireland and Luxembourg. And of course, we have also launched innovative solutions, products and institutions such as Línea Directa, Partner Banking, Bankinter Consumer Finance, Bankinter Investment and the Bankinter Innovation Foundation. We have also helped to grow companies such as EVO Banco, whose integration we hope to successfully complete soon, as a milestone that will push us further forward in terms of staff and customers.”