<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>

桑坦德銀行

桑坦德銀行將以 122 億美元收購韋伯斯特金融，提供每股 2.0548 股股票和 48.75 美元現金。此交易旨在使桑坦德在美國按資產規模成為前十名零售銀行。收購預計將提升盈利能力和資金效率，目標是在 2028 年前實現 18% 的股本回報率。桑坦德還報告了其 2025 年淨利潤預測上調 12%，達到 141 億歐元，超出預期。該交易預計將在 2026 年下半年完成

桑坦德銀行計劃以 122 億美元收購 Webster Financial，以打造美國前十大零售銀行之一