IR Magazine has given Banco Santander its awards for “Best Annual Report” and “Best ESG Materiality Reporting” in recognition of the bank's excellence in shareholder relations and reporting. IR Magazine’s awards, which were given out last Thursday at a gala in London, have become a sector-wide distinction, with analysts and investors across the globe voting on best practices in investor relations. 

The award for best annual report attests to the content and format of Banco Santander’s financial and non-financial reporting to the market. Amid growing demands for information and transparency, the distinguished magazine’s expert jury of analysts and investors looked with favour on the interactive Digital Annual Review that the bank had released in 2021. It discloses  Santander’s group-wide results, strategy, core messages and performance indicators in an innovative layout.

Santander viewed the 2021 Annual report as a great opportunity to enhance its communication with all stakeholders (i.e. shareholders, investors, analysts, the media, employees and customers). A brand-new online product, the report raises information quality, with easy-to-read passages and better multimedia that make for an excellent user experience on any device. 

The award for best ESG materiality reporting affirms Santander’s strength in both recognizing environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges and opportunities, and responding to market concerns with timely, consistent and investor-facing communications. Santander’s materiality assessment is part of its constant dialogue with stakeholders and produces valuable information for setting objectives, having a positive impact on society, minimizing risk, reducing costs and generating revenue.

Both awards are a testament to the remarkable, global team effort from various areas in the Group, including Finance, Shareholder relations, the Office of the General Secretary, Legal, Human Resources, Responsible Banking, Risks, Compliance, Communications and the Office of the Execute Chair. Santander was also a finalist in six other categories: Best Investor Relations Officer, Best Investor Relations in sector: financials, Best innovation in shareholder communications, Best Investor Relations website, Best retail Investor Relations strategy and Best use of multimedia for Investor Relations.

Since 1990, IR Magazine’s awards have been a sector-wide hallmark and seal of excellence and best practice in investor relations. Every year, it conducts surveys in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia to select the best investor relations teams. Because companies do not present themselves as contestants, investors and analysts choose the winners from among their favourite listed entities. IR Magazine's surveys consist of an online questionnaire for the more than 10,000 analysts and investors in its database, plus telephone interviews with some 300 experts from each continent.

In recent years, IR Magazine has also given awards for annual reports, ESG materiality reporting and other categories of great importance to investors, whereby companies register voluntarily and at no cost to be reviewed by a jury of experts on the sector (i.e. investors, analysts and directors of investor relations).