At its June Board meeting yesterday, the Association for Financial Markets in Europe (AFME) approved the application of Santander and Standard Chartered Bank to join its Board.

Both banks have been members of AFME since its creation in 2009. They join 22 other leading European wholesale banking groups on AFME’s governing body.

Adam Farkas, Chief Executive Officer, at AFME, said: “I am delighted to welcome two major global banks, Santander and Standard Chartered Bank, to the AFME Board. They each bring a deep and diverse range of experience drawn from different parts of the banking sector and across different countries, which will provide valuable input to AFME. In particular, their knowledge and expertise of European markets will contribute to further strengthening AFME’s pan-European focus. We look forward to working with them as AFME continues its work advocating for stable, competitive and sustainable European financial markets that support economic growth and benefit society.”

Jose Manuel Colina, Head of Global Markets, Europe and Asia, at Santander, said: “As a leading player in the European banking sector, Santander is committed to developing an effective Banking and Capital Markets Union in Europe. Our approach to banking is to help people and businesses prosper. We have extensive experience working with AFME and would like to contribute to its expertise in wholesale banking and other key areas, such as prudential regulation, digital transformation and sustainable banking. Santander is very pleased to become a member of AFME’s Board, which will enable us to further support the development of the European Capital Markets Union.”

Clare Francis, Regional Head of Global Banking, Europe and CEO at Standard Chartered UK, said: “We are proud to be joining the AFME board. As a leading international banking group, being part of an association which advocates for integrated European capital markets, aligns with our ambition to facilitate business, linking clients, markets and products to enable trade and investment. I look forward to working with the other members of the board.”

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