Banco Santander (Brasil) S.A. (“Banco” or “Banco Santander”) is a leading full-service bank in Brazil, which it believes to be one of the most attractive markets in the world given its growth potential and low penetration rate of banking products and services. The Bank is the third largest non government-owned bank, the largest bank controlled by a major global financial group and the fourth largest bank overall in Brazil in terms of assets, according to the Central Bank. Banco Santander‘s operations are located across the country and strategically concentrated in the South and Southeast, an area that accounted for approximately 73% of Brazil‘s GDP, where the Bank has one of the largest branch networks of any Brazilian bank.
In August 2008, Banco Santander acquired Banco Real which at the time was the fourth largest non government-owned Brazilian bank as measured by assets. At the time of the acquisition, the Bank was the fifth largest non government-owned bank in Brazil as measured by assets.
Banco Real‘s operations are highly complementary to the Bank‘s pre-acquisition operations. Banco Santander believes that the acquisition offers significant opportunities for the creation of operating, commercial and technological synergies by preserving the best practices of each bank. Banco Real‘s strong presence in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais has further strengthened the Bank‘s position in the South and Southeast, complementing its strong footprint in the region, particularly in the state of São Paulo. The acquisition of Banco Real has further consolidated Banco Santander‘s position as a full-service bank with nationwide coverage and scale to compete effectively in its target markets.
The Bank is a member of the Santander Group, one of the largest financial groups in the world as measured by market capitalization. In the six months ended June 30, 2009, the Bank‘s operations accounted for over 20% of Santander Group‘s net income and 53% of its net income in Latin America.
Founded in 1990, SEBRAE-SP is a non-profit, civil organization, run by a Deliberative Board and Audit Committee, with representatives from both private and public sectors. This partnership aims at provinding small companies with the State of São Paulo’s and the Country´s main incentives, as well as social and economic development policies.
The challenge, therefore, is to increase the capacity of small companies in general the products and services of manufacturing and commercial companies, service providers and farming business, in all the segments of the market they operate in. This can be achieved by supporting companies seeking management training, development of new technology, introducing productivity systems and raising quality, thus optimizing performance and taking better advantage of market niches, in Brazil and abroad.
Knowledge and information are the chief paths chosen in engaging in this battle.
