Santander Group admitted yesterday that it has €2.3 billion euros invested in the firm managed by Bernard Madoff, who was arrested last week

Pedro Solbes has described the impact of the Madoff investment fraud as "of very little concern for the Spanish market." Speaking to the press following the 'Spain in the IMF and the World Bank: a 50-year relationship' conference in Madrid, Mr Solbes said that, at the moment, the only figures available indicate that the total amount lost by Spanish finance companies may be as little as €38 million euros although he informed that the Spanish stock market watchdog, the CNMV, is undertaking a "specific analysis." According to the Economy minister, the three Spanish insurance companies affected by the scam have lost €2 million euros while nine pension funds have been affected to the tune of €36mn, equivalent to only around 0.04% of their total investments. The total value of the fraud worldwide is estimated at around €37.4 billion ($50 billion US dollars), and has been described as "the biggest financial scandal, possibly in the history of the markets".
Mr Solbes concluded by saying that the Madoff case is further proof that the "systems of financial supervision and control are failing in some countries."
Notwithstanding, the Santander Group admitted yesterday that it has €2.3 billion euros invested in the firm managed by Bernard Madoff, who was arrested last week and charged with fraud while the BBVA bank estimates its losses at around €30 million.