Santander's Q3 profit rises 36% despite drag from UK

For the three months to September, the lender posted profit after tax of €1,9bn, 36% more than in the year-ago period (€1.4bn). According to Reuters, analysts had penciled-in net income of €1.92bn.

In Brazil, the bank's most profitable market, attributable profit increased by 2% to €1.9bn, as the number of clients jumped by 1.0m versus the corresponding period of 2017.

The lender also did especially well in Spain this quarter, with profits ahead by 27% to €1bn, which management attributed to increased customer revenues (+ 19%) and improved efficiency following the acquisition of Popular.

Its performance in the United Kingdom on the other hand underwhelmed, with attributable profit down 10% from a year ago to roughly €1.0bn as Santander ploughed ahead with its digital transformation plans and regulatory projects, two of its strategic priorities.

CEO Ana Botín said: “Ordinary profit increases in eight of our markets, which represent 85% of our profit, while the quality of credit also improves. Brazil, Mexico and Spain maintain the positive trends of the last quarters, and the United Kingdom shows an improvement in inter-quarterly data in an environment that continues to be complicated”.

As of 1227 GMT on Wednesday, shares in Santander were rising 3.21% and near the top of the leader board on the Ibex 35.