行和毕尔巴鄂比斯开银行正在加大力度争取美国的公司和投资银行业务，使这一曾经相对不太受分析师关注的部门成为它们财报电话会议上的话题。
By Andrés González Banco Santander SA and BBVA SA are stepping up their efforts to win corporate and investment banking business in the US, turning a division that once attracted relatively little attention from analysts into a topic on their earnings calls.
毕尔巴鄂比斯开银行第三季度在美国公司和投资银行的贷款增长了78%，达到近400亿欧元（446亿美元）。桑坦德银行的增幅为38%，达到460亿欧元。随着为AI建设提供融资所需的巨额资金引发越来越多的担忧，两家银行都被问及这一增长以及它们对数据中心和AI的风险敞口。
BBVA saw loans at its corporate and investment bank in the US rise 78% in the third quarter, to almost €40 billion ($44.6 billion). At Santander, the increase was 38% to €46 billion. Both banks were questioned about the growth and their exposure to data centers and AI, as concerns grow over the vast sums of money needed to finance the AI build-out.
“我们会非常挑剔，”毕尔巴鄂比斯开银行首席执行官奥努尔·根茨对分析师表示。“就像在项目融资中一样，我们认为我们在这方面比别人更有优势，因为我们从事这项业务已经很久了。”这两家银行更广为人知的是它们在拉丁美洲等地区广泛的零售网络，近年来一直寻求拓展美国业务。桑坦德银行三年前开始通过一系列高调招聘来扩张投资银行，并于今年同意收购韦伯斯特金融公司，这是欧洲银行在美国最大的收购之一。
“We will be very selective,” said BBVA CEO Onur Genc told analysts. “Again like in project finance, which we think we have something better than others because we have been in that business for so long.”Better known for their extensive retail networks in regions including Latin America, two two lenders have sought to build out their US business in recent years. Santander started three years ago with a series of high profile hires to expand the investment bank, and this year agreed to buy Webster Financial Corp. in one of the biggest takeovers by a European lender in the US.
毕尔巴鄂比斯开银行虽于2020年出售了其美国零售业务，但通过纽约和休斯敦的办事处提供投资银行服务，并计划在迈阿密开设新的投资和公司银行办事处，它还在那里提供私人银行服务。
While BBVA sold its US retail operations in 2020, it offers investment banking services from offices in New York and Houston, and plans to open a new office for investment and corporate banking in Miami, where it also provides private banking.
两家银行传统上都更偏向公司银行而非纯粹的投资银行。它们表示，在项目融资方面的经验赋予了它们竞争优势，并辩称与AI和数据中心融资相关的风险占其资产负债表的比例不到1%。
Both banks have traditionally leaned more toward corporate banking than pure investment banking. They said their experience in project finance gives them a competitive advantage, and argued the risk associated with AI and data center financing is less than 1% of their balance sheet.
“我们对此了如指掌，这是我们非常擅长的事情，”桑坦德银行首席执行官埃克托尔·格里西表示。
“We are on top of that, and this is something that we know how to do very well,” said Santander CEO Héctor Grisi.
桑坦德银行在美国的投资银行业务采取更广泛的方式，因为贷款只是其战略的一部分，该战略还包括市场和咨询服务。BBVA则更专注于债务，其首席执行官指出，他不打算在美国拓展并购咨询业务。
Santander is taking a broader approach to investment banking in the US, as lending is only one part of a strategy that also includes markets and advisory services. BBVA is more focused on debt, and its CEO pointed out that he doesn’t plan to grow in advising on mergers in the country.