Mexico City, Mexico - While in Mexico last week, Spain's Banco Santander CEO Emilio Botin told President Enrique Peña Nieto that he intends to implement "the most ambitious growth plan of the past 10 years" in that Latin American country.

Botin was in Mexico to meet with Peña Nieto and other senior figures and learn first-hand their perspective on the region's economic situation.

Spain's top banker told the President that Grupo Santander's Mexican unit will continue to invest in commercial projects and announced that Banco Santander will open 200 new branch offices over the next two years.

Mexico accounted for 12 percent of Santander's global net income last year, while Brazil contributed 26 percent, and Spain 15 percent.

In the meeting, Botin recalled that Mexico's economy has grown at an annual clip of around 4 percent in recent years and the current outlook "is very favorable for the country to consolidate itself as a new global economic power, given the reformist impulses of their new President."

During his visit to Mexico, Botin also met with central bank chief Agustin Carstens and Finance Secretary Luis Videgaray. Santander has invested $7.5 billion in Mexico over the past 15 years, becoming one of the country's top financial institutions with 1,100 branches, some 10 million customers, and nearly 13,000 employees.

In his meeting with Peña Nieto, Botin also highlighted the support Santander Mexico is providing small and medium enterprises, noting that financing for that sector rose 76.7 percent in 2012.