An internal Santander memo leaked to Guardian Money says 10% of its global profits come from international cash transfers, and it charges six times more than newer rivals. FX will be like trading a race to "0" fee wise
The bulk of banks’ profits from money transfers come from the so-called ‘FX margin’ rather than fees directly charged the customer. When senior Santander executives gathered in the principality of Andorra in January this year, the bank’s “innovation director” warned that a large chunk of its profits were at risk – because the juicy margins it earns on money transfers could be destroyed by new competitors. The documents supporting these claims have since been leaked to Guardian Money, and reveal that Santander made €585m from money transfers – equal to nearly a tenth of its 2016 global profit of €6.2bn – and that it charges six times as much as rival TransferWise for sending £10,000 from the UK to Spain.
