Jaime Echegoyen, who once led Sareb, the Bank Restructuring Asset Management Company, died on a Saturday at 65. The news was confirmed by Europa Press. He had been admitted to Ruber Hospital in Madrid for several days and succumbed to cancer.
In addition to his role at Sareb, Echegoyen served as chief executive of Barclays and Bankinter. He stepped into the Sareb CEO position in 2014 and later served as president, a post he held until resigning for personal reasons the previous year.
career path
Educated at the Complutense University of Madrid in law, Echegoyen built more than three decades of experience across the national finance sector and international banking. His early career included nine years with Bank of America, where he worked at offices in New York and London, gaining exposure to global markets and cross-border operations.
He began his tenure at Bankinter in 1988, advancing to the role of chief executive in 2002. He remained at the helm of Bankinter until 2010, steering the bank through the early 21st century’s regulatory and market shifts. In 2011, he took on the role of chief executive for Barclays in Spain and Portugal, expanding the bank’s footprint in southern Europe. The following year, he accepted the leadership of Sareb, guiding the entity through a complex period of asset management, portfolio consolidation, and strategic restructuring. He remained in that position until mid-2021, a few months before changes in the government leadership concerning the body.
Throughout his career, Echegoyen was known for his strategic vision in financial restructuring, his ability to navigate challenging markets, and his commitment to integrating traditional banking strengths with modern risk management practices. His work at Sareb contributed to the stabilization of distressed assets and the broader restructuring agenda within the Spanish financial system, reflecting a long career focused on adapting to evolving regulatory landscapes and the pressures of the post-crisis era.
Colleagues and industry observers noted his calm demeanor, financial acuity, and willingness to take on high-stakes assignments. His leadership roles across major banks in Europe demonstrated a capacity to align organizational goals with practical, results-driven execution. The banking community remembers him as a senior executive who helped shape strategies around asset recovery, balance-sheet resilience, and long-term fiscal health in Spain and beyond.
News of Echegoyen’s passing drew tributes from peers and analysts who highlighted his influence on corporate governance and his contributions to the sector’s evolution during periods of significant transformation. The legacy of his work is viewed in the context of the broader efforts to manage non-performing assets and strengthen financial stability across European markets, with Sareb serving as a notable example of structured asset resolution in a challenging economic environment.