In today’s fast-moving financial landscape, competitive edge comes not just from adopting artificial intelligence, but from embedding it into the DNA of how we work. At Santander, this belief drives our strategy. As chief data & AI officer, I’m proud to share how we’re reshaping banking through a “data & AI-first” transformation, now supported by a new collaboration with OpenAI.

This transformation is at the heart of our vision to become an “AI-native” bank, where every decision, process and interaction is powered by data and intelligent technology. It's a strategy to modernize and lead the shift toward personalized, agile and efficient banking.

It will reshape how we serve customers and unlock value at scale and responsibly. Combining AI with the human touch of our “digital bank with branches” model sets us apart.

A bold vision: becoming data & AI-first

We're reimagining Santander’s operations, grounding every decision in clean, trusted data, automating customer interactions and infusing every workflow with intelligence.

Santander has used AI for years in areas like fraud detection and customer service. These efforts have delivered real value and today, they form the foundation on which we’re building our new strategy. By scaling generative and agentic AI, we’re not just optimizing processes, we’re redefining what banking can be.

Our strategy rests on three pillars

• AI embedded in all the businesses – integrated across product management, credit, marketing, service, operations and other core functions.
• AI at the core of our global platforms.
• AI ecosystem as a growth lever – driven by relationships with OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon and a dynamic startup community.

The impact is real. In 2024, AI initiatives already generated over €200 million in savings. AI copilots now support more than 40% of contact center interactions. In Spain, Speech Analytics processes 10 million voice calls annually, auto-filling CRM systems to improve customer service and freeing over 100,000 hours annually for higher-value work.

Accelerating with OpenAI

One factor supporting our progress is our collaboration with OpenAI. In just two months, we’ve rolled out ChatGPT Enterprise to nearly 15,000 employees across the group in Europe and the Americas, one of the fastest deployments of its kind. We expect to reach 30,000 users by year-end, covering approximately 15% of our workforce.

Why the urgency? This isn’t just about adopting AI, it’s about catalyzing a shift in culture, productivity and experience. AI tools empower our developers, marketers, bankers and service agents to resolve complex tasks more efficiently. Early use cases include:

• Investment copilots with real-time strategy suggestions.
• Hyper-personalized customer journeys.
• AI agents automating back-office processes across all geographies.

Our architecture is modular and vendor-agnostic, integrating seamlessly with OpenAI and other large language models, ensuring innovation at scale with flexibility. Our approach: build once, reuse everywhere, driving speed and efficiency.

AI raises productivity significantly

Technology’s power lies in people. Over 6,000 developers already use AI tools, increasing productivity by 20–30% for some tasks, letting teams accelerate delivery and focus on strategic and human-centric work.

We’re rolling out tailored AI training across roles and markets to democratize its use, empowering every employee to use AI safely and effectively. This includes learning capsules, workshops and hands-on hackathons designed to meet the specific needs of developers, marketers and frontline teams.

Looking ahead, we will launch a mandatory AI training plan for all employees starting in 2026. One of its core modules will focus on "Responsible AI", reinforcing our commitment to ethical and secure AI adoption across the organization.

Guardrails of trust

With AI’s power comes responsibility. Our adoption is governed by strict ethical, legal and cybersecurity frameworks. We align model-risk management and internal AI regulation to ensure our systems are understandable, fair and secure.

We work closely with regulators and follow global best practices to guarantee full compliance. No customer data is shared externally for model training and we ensure our AI-driven processes operate within secure environments.

What’s next?

Our roadmap to 2026–27 includes scaling agentic AI, transforming front- and back-office processes and enabling fully conversational banking. AI copilots will become decision-making partners and virtual assistants will resolve transactions for our customers.

Our goal: make AI invisible, seamlessly embedded in the Santander experience.

Final thought

We’re not chasing hype. Our roadmap is built on real impact, operational rigor and human empowerment. Our data & AI-first strategy is how we deliver smarter solutions, happier customers and a future-ready bank.

At Santander, we’re not just using AI. We’re becoming “AI-native”, with the trust, scale and humanity that banking demands.