Santander has relocated its Bristol-based corporate and commercial team into new offices in the city as a result of its continued growth.
The move, from Baldwin Street to Glass Wharf at Temple Quay, is part of the bank’s strategic plan to grow its presence across the UK. Santander said it demonstrated its commitment to the region’s small and medium-sized businesses and followed rapid growth in recent years.
The bank opened a new centre in Exeter last year to help reach more businesses in the region. 
Led by regional director Julian Alexander, a 26-strong team will be based at Glass Wharf providing a bespoke relationship banking service to corporate and commercial customers with a turnover above £250,000.
They offer a full range of banking services, including asset finance, trade finance, invoice discounting, treasury and merchant acquiring. The centre will also be supported by local credit partners to assist with lending decisions as well as specialist product partners including experts in real estate, education and healthcare.
The bank has recruited an additional six relationship bankers this year to help support more local businesses. In the year to the end of September it grew net lending to small and medium-sized businesses in the South West by 18% to £598m. It also provided £273m of new funding to smaller firms in the region during the period.
Mr Alexander said: “It is great to be moving to new, bigger premises in Bristol.
“We have been growing both the team and our support for local businesses in the city and surrounding areas over the past three years, and have now outgrown our current premises. This new centre will enable us to increase capacity of our business and work with even more of the region’s successful and ambitious companies.”
Temple Quay forms part of Bristol's developing Temple Quarter Enterprise Zone. Glass Wharf is already home to major law firm Burges Salmon and creative companies EMO and The Real Adventure.
Santander's relocation follows the move by Barclays into new premises at Bridgewater House, Finzels Reach, where it has centralised its private bankers, wealth advisors, relationship managers, customer service and operations teams previously spread between Queen Square and a site in North Bristol.
