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The Spanish banks reported sharp earnings growth in 2023, with the six largest banks recording over €26 billion in profits on aggregate, growth of 27% from 2022. Several relative indicators suggest that the increase in earnings is due to the recovery of some of the profit lost since before the pandemic, although this claim warrants caution. As well, it is also important to note that profitability is a broader concept than their bottom lines: the banks, like any other private corporations, are valued by the market and their shareholders. Indeed, the six largest banks are trading at an average price to book value of 0.78x. An analysis of the banks’ share price performance taking a long-term perspective shows that the banking sector has come back – gradually – from very low levels of profitability to revisit pre-pandemic levels. This has sparked the debate about whether the Spanish banking sector should be subject to additional taxation. This situation has prompted a deep dive into the issue in an attempt to understand the role these earnings play not only in the stability and growth of the financial institutions themselves but also in the creation of general economic wellbeing. In addition to reinforcing the banks’ capital reserves, which are essential to their solvency and ability to tackle adversity, bank profits can finance growth, investments and, ultimately, stimulate the real economy.

Carbó, S. y F. Rodríguez (2024). «Looking beyond Spanish banks’ profitability». SEFO (Spanish and International Economic & Financial Outlook) 13, n.º 2 (marzo): 57-64.