MADRID—Spain’s Santander said on Tuesday its board had decided to make an interim distribution from 2021 earnings through a cash dividend and share buyback worth 1.7 billion euros ($2 billion), equivalent to 40 percent of its first-half underlying profit,
The announcement comes after the ECB said in July it would lift restrictions on bank dividend remuneration and share buybacks beyond September, clawing back a crisis measure that forced lenders to retain capital during the pandemic.
