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MEXICO CITY, July 13 (Reuters) - The Mexican government is no longer interested in purchasing Citigroup's (C.N) local retail arm, known as Banamex, a government spokesperson said on Thursday, adding that the U.S. bank "chose a different path" for its unit. Deputy Finance Minister Gabriel Yorio told Reuters at the time that Mexico could pursue a total or partial acquisition of the unit. Government spokesperson Jesus Ramirez did not immediately respond when asked which path the U.S. bank is taking. Before Citi's decision to list Banamex, banking sources said mining conglomerate Grupo Mexico (GMEXICOB.MX) had been eyeing the unit for around $7 billion. Reporting by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, Gabriel Yorio, Jesus Ramirez, Lopez Obrador, Valentine Hilaire, Brendan O'Boyle, Jamie Freed Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Citi, Reuters, Government, Grupo Mexico, German, Grupo, Spain's Banco Santander, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, U.S, Mexican, Mexico

MERIDA, Mexico, March 16 (Reuters) - The Mexican arm of Spain's Banco Santander (SAN.MC) plans to launch digital lender Openbank by the end of March 2024 to offer checking accounts, credit cards and other services over time, the head of the local unit said on Thursday. "We need to 'tropicalize' it and make it fit for the Mexican market and regulation," Santander's Mexico country head Felipe Garcia told Reuters in an interview, adding that because the digital bank already operates in Argentina and some European countries the operation will not be starting from scratch. Garcia did not say how much Spain's biggest bank would invest in the move. The unit is Mexico's third-biggest bank by the size of its credit portfolio and managed some 810 billion pesos ($43.23 billion) at the end of last year, according to data from the national banking regulator. ($1 = 18.7385 Mexican pesos)Reporting by Valentine Hilaire and Noe Torres; Editing by Sarah Morland and Jamie FreedOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Short sellers are doubling down on these European banks — and Credit Suisse isn't their top target
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Short-sellers are sitting on nearly $2 billion in profit from bets against the European banking sector this month so far. The worries heightened in Europe on Wednesday as Credit Suisse shares fell by 24% — its biggest daily loss. However, data shows that Credit Suisse — Switzerland's second-largest lender — doesn't even make the list of the top five most-shorted European Banks. BNP Paribas remains the biggest target for short-sellers, with $3.1 billion in total wagers expecting shares to fall. The following table shows the European lenders that saw the largest increase in shorts over the past 30 days.

☆ Santander Brasil's Q4 net profit slumps as loan-loss provisions bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SAO PAULO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Banco Santander Brasil SA (SANB3.SA) on Thursday posted a slump in fourth-quarter net profit as loan-loss provisions rose against a backdrop of higher interest rates and deteriorating credit conditions. The bank's quarterly net profit reached 1.69 billion reais ($334.3 million), down 56% from the previous year, as provisions for bad credit nearly doubled amid higher interest rates. He said net interest income came under pressure from changes in the product mix and higher interest rates, a trend set to persist throughout this year. Santander Brasil's loan-loss provisions reached 7.36 billion reais, pressured by bad credit in loans to individuals, the bank said. In the full year of 2022, its net profit dropped 21.1% from the previous year to 12.9 billion reais, while full-year provisions rose 72.7% and net interest income fell 6.8%.

☆ Santander Bank Polska plans to share profit with shareholders - CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 2 (Reuters) - The chief executive of Poland's Santander Bank Polska (SPL1.WA) said on Thursday the lender plans to share profit with its shareholders through "a solid dividend". The Polish arm of Spain's Banco Santander (SAN.MC) reported a net profit of 2.8 billion zloty ($654.3 million) in 2022, up 152% year on year, helped by high interest rates. "I am optimistic, because all indicators show, the huge capital surplus plus meeting all criteria to pay a solid dividend," CEO Michal Gajewski told a post-earnings media call. The bank paid a dividend of 2.68 zlotys per share on 2021 results. Chief Financial Officer Maciej Reluga added the bank expects its net interest margin to stabilise this year, provided there are no further interest rate hikes.

Americanas on Tuesday disclosed that it did not pay interest due on Monday of more than 2 billion reais ($392 million) in local bonds. It made the disclosure in a filing responding to a question by securities regulator CVM, saying that it was allowed not to pay under the injunction. Fitch said that if Americanas formally announces a debt restructuring plan, its ratings will be downgraded to RD or D reflecting a default. Fitch said the retailer, backed by the billionaire founders of 3G Capital, has an unsustainable capital structure with the addition of an estimated 20 billion reais in previously undisclosed liabilities. The company last year paid 516.6 million reais in dividends related to the results in 2021, according to securities filings.

SAO PAULO, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Brazilian lenders BTG Pactual, Bradesco and Santander Brasil are among those most exposed to debt of Americanas SA (AMER3.SA), analysts' estimates showed on Monday, after the retailer obtained an injunction protecting it from creditors. Analysts at JPMorgan and Citi said in research notes that Banco Bradesco SA (BBDC4.SA) had the largest nominal exposure to the firm, while Banco BTG Pactual SA topped exposure as a proportion of loans. Considering JPMorgan's and Citi's estimates, BTG had a 1.9 billion-real exposure to Americanas, which was seen accounting for roughly 1.5% of its loans, while Bradesco had exposure of 4.7 billion reais, or 0.5% of loans. Banco Santander Brasil SA , the local unit of Spain's Banco Santander (SAN.MC), had 3.7 billion reais in exposure, or about 0.6% of loans. Sergio Rial, the outgoing Americanas chief executive who uncovered the accounting inconsistencies, is a former head of Santander Brasil, where he still serves as chairman of the board.

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