International Banking

The growing importance of overseas trade

The strong focus of Spanish companies on overseas markets, that were their salvation during the worst years of the crisis, has become a structural element of the country's economy. Thousands of these companies now obtain more revenue from abroad than domestically, and they demand a series of services that Bankinter provides through its International Banking business.

These services include guarantees for the obligations assumed with third parties abroad; import and export letters of credit, through which payments and collections are secured in accordance with the agreed terms; and the medium and long-term structured finance for investment projects. The basic international payments and collections business is managed on digital platforms that ensure maximum agility for customers.

The priority sectors for the Bank in 2017 were infrastructure, railway transportation, renewable energy, automobiles and commodities. The regions with the greatest activity were South-East Asia, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, Europe, United States, Canada and Latin America.

International Banking has a very established specialist team, whose work last year translated into a volume of transactions worth 57.443 billion euros (+8.5%) and loans of 4.049 billion euros (+17.4%) in the Corporate area, where its gross operating income now represents 23.6% of total gross operating income.

Participation in events

The Bank's presence in major global sector events contributed to the positive performance of International Banking in 2017. These events include those organised by the Federation of Latin American Banks (Federación Latinoamericana de Bancos or Felaban) and the Inter American Development Bank (Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo or BID). In Spain, Bankinter had a strong presence at IMEX, the leading international trade fair held in the country, and other regional events.

International Banking plans to consolidate its policies and procedures in 2018, as well as giving impetus to the technological development necessary for its activities and, to comply with the new European legislation, the digital transformation of payments. 

This will help, Bankinter to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the improving economy, both in developed and emerging countries, and make a qualitative leap with its participation in benchmark operations together with other big banks.