<div id="readability-page-1">* Santander to buy Webst Financial for $12.2 billion * Offers 2.0548 of its shares, $48.75 in cash for each Webster share * Aims to create top-10 retail bank in U.S. by assets By Jesús Aguado and Arasu Kannagi Basil MADRID/BANGLORE, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Santander ‌will buy U.S. regional lender Webster Financial ( WBS ) in a $12.2 billion deal to create a top-10 retail ​and commercial bank in the U.S. by assets, the Spanish bank said ‍on Tuesday. Santander first entered the U.S. market in ⁠2005 when it bought ⁠Sovereign Bank and is currently one of the biggest lenders in its auto lending business. It expanded ‌into corporate and investment banking in ​2023 after hiring more than a hundred staff from collapsed lender Credit Suisse. &#34;This transaction is strategically significant for our U.S. business, ⁠while remaining a bolt-on for the ‍overall ​group,&#34; Santander Chairman Ana Botin said in a statement. Botin said the acquisition would allow the bank to strengthen scale and profitability, improving the ‍bank's funding mix and economics, including lower funding costs. Santander has offered 2.0548 of its shares and $48.75 in cash for each Webster share. The deal is expected to close in the second half of 2026. Centerview Partners, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America advised Santander on the deal. The acquisition will ​put ‍the bank on track to deliver a return-on-equity ratio of about 18% in the U.S. by 2028, among the top five for ​profitability within the 25 largest U.S. commercial banks, with a target of more than 20% by 2028 at group level. On Tuesday, Santander also announced a rise of 12% in its 2025 net profit to 14.1 billion euros, above forecasts of 13.77 billion euros. &#34;Importantly, we can achieve this while maintaining all of our shareholder remuneration ​commitments, including the 5 billion share buyback we approved today and our broader distribution commitments,&#34; Botin said in a statement. (Reporting by Jesús Aguado in Madrid and Arasu Kannagi Basil in Bengaluru; ‍Additional reporting by Emma Pinedo; Editing by Krishna Chandra Elurio and Mark Porter)</div>

桑坦德银行

桑坦德银行将以 122 亿美元收购韦伯斯特金融，提供每股 2.0548 股股票和 48.75 美元现金。此交易旨在使桑坦德在美国按资产规模成为前十名零售银行。收购预计将提升盈利能力和资金效率，目标是在 2028 年前实现 18% 的股本回报率。桑坦德还报告了其 2025 年净利润预测上调 12%，达到 141 亿欧元，超出预期。该交易预计将在 2026 年下半年完成

桑坦德银行计划以 122 亿美元收购 Webster Financial，以打造美国前十大零售银行之一