Last update: 31/10/2024

Global leaders are set to dissect current economic, social and political trends at the 16th Santander International Banking Conference. Public and private sector players will debate on such hot topics as monetary policy normalization, artificial intelligence in finance, cybersecurity, the energy transition, and geopolitical tension. 

Every year since 2008, global leaders have gathered at the International Banking Conference to discuss hot topics, economic, financial and technological megatrends, and sustainability against a backdrop of how to drive faster growth. 

This live event is open to the general public and broadcast online. It attracts bankers, regulators, government officials, scholars and other stakeholders.

Since the first Santander International Banking Conference 15 years ago, several major events have altered the economic and social landscape.

Amid growing political and economic instability, governments and companies are feeling the effect of the digital economy, the climate crisis, the pandemic, geopolitical conflict in a competitive landscape, innovation and uncertainty, which are all impacting on finances, society, sustainable growth, social inequality and international market behaviour.

The conference brings global experts to the Santander Group City in Madrid to pour over the challenges of global events and the impact of economic, social and political trends. They come together every year to debate on, share opinions of, and propose alternatives to, these challenges.

Topics at past conferences included “Getting to Net-Zero: Same destination, different paths” (2022); ”Regulatory Reset: Financial services and rules of the game in an economy in transformation” (2021); and “Payments, competition and tech players in financial services” (2020).

2024 International Banking Conference

The 16th Santander International Banking Conference, which took place on 31 October in a hybrid in-person and online format, focused on the key ingredients to ensure the economy continues to grow as fast as possible in the wake of disruption.

The conference addressed some of the immediate and nearer-term implications for growth, including new political cycles in 2024 in the US, Europe and South America; a structural shift in global interest rates; and geopolitical conflict and tensions in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Santander Executive Chair Ana Botín opened the conference, which featured hundreds of international guests from numerous sectors who heard first hand about the proactive and reactive role that banks and financial institutions must play to support growth the world over.

A private event in its early years, the conference opened to the public in 2019. Since then, it has sparked growing interest in several sectors and among analysts, journalists, students and the general public, who want to understand what issues affect them and how they will be addressed.