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Our commitment to seek and develop new tools to make our customers' lives easier has contributed to our recognition as one of the most innovative companies in Chile in the 20Our commitment to seek and develop new tools to make our customers' lives easier has contributed to our recognition as one of the most innovative companies in Chile in the 2019 Best Place to Innovate ranking. This is just one of the many awards we have received for innovation in our long history.
Marcos Thomas, head of Innovation and Strategic Alliances at Santander Chile, received the award with Gabriela de Solminihac, head of projects.
One of the qualities that makes it possible to judge a company's impact on society is innovation. We have long worked to innovate as a bank and to move forward in developing technology that improves our services. As a result, in October, we were the only bank named as one of Chile's most innovative companies in the "Best Place to Innovate" ranking.
“This year, in particular, we were the only bank to be included in the ranking. This is a source of pride for us because it showcases our work and positions us as a leading company in the constant search for and development of new tools to offer the best experiences and benefits to our customers," according to Marcos Thomas, manager of Innovation and Strategic Alliances at Banco Santander.
Santander Mexico was also recognised this year for its achievements in innovation. In the most recent Fintech Americas awards, the Group's Mexico subsidiary was distinguished for having rolled out its smartwatch payment method: a way to promote faster, more accessible and inclusive financial services, helping the people and economies of the region.
Innovation goes hand in hand with technology and development, which are basic elements of our bank's DNA. For this reason, we were recently named a "Global Innovator" by Efma and Accenture, thanks to our Open Business initiative, a platform offering solutions for entrepreneurs and companies through digital tools. This was not our first award in this category. In 2018, Efma awarded us for our One Pay FX application, a blockchain-based platform that allows transfers to be made quickly and securely between individuals.
A history chock-full of innovation
Innovation has become a hallmark of Santander’s culture over our 160-year history.
In 2015, Santander Totta, our Portuguese subsidiary, was a recipient of the IDC CIO Awards for creating one of the most innovative projects in the country: a digital process for opening accounts through tablets. This system, launched at all of the bank's branches, has simplified and modernised processes by leveraging the opportunities offered by new technologies.
Two years later, in Chile, our bank received PwC's award for Business Innovation for creating Work Café, a concept branch with spaces designed to promote entrepreneurship and where people can work together while mixing with other professionals and growing their projects.
In the words of our Group executive chairman, Ana Botín: “We have a long history of adventure, commerce and innovation. Our work has a significant, real impact on shared well-being, which motivates us to do our best."