NEW YORK, Oct 16 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ) CEO

Jamie Dimon said on Thursday the largest U.S. lender was looking

at banks in Europe and Latin America, without giving further

details, but a spokesperson later said the comments were in

jest.

Dimon made the comments in response to economic commentary

from Banco Santander Executive Chair Ana Botín as she

laid out growth prospects in both regions at a financial

conference in Washington.

"We are looking at all the banks over there (in Europe) ...

we are looking at Latin American banks too," Dimon said, without

specifying if he meant for acquisitions.

A JPMorgan ( JPM ) spokesperson said later that Dimon was joking.

Earlier this year, JPMorgan ( JPM ) said it would launch its Chase

digital retail bank in Germany in the second quarter of 2026.

Germany will become Chase's second European market after its

launch in Britain in 2021.