Santander Bank (NYSE:SAN) has taken a major step forward in its data and AI-first transformation by making AI tools available to every one of its approximately 185,000 employees worldwide. This move, effective immediately, will significantly expand access for the approximately 40,000 staff who previously used them technologies.
The expansion reflects a shift from strategic ambition to practical implementation. Just a year after setting its goal to become a data- and AI-driven bank, Santander reported early, measurable progress in operations, customer service and client care. risk managementand internal processes.
The bank aims to achieve more than 1 billion Euros in total revenue gains and cost savings artificial intelligence AI startups delivered €35 million in business value in the first quarter of 2026 alone; There are predictions of more than €200 million by the end of the year as more solutions reach scale.
Chief Data and AI Officer Ricardo Martin Manjon He emphasized a focused approach: selectively applying AI where it delivers the greatest tangible results, rigorously measuring results, and scaling successful solutions across the group.
He noted that AI gains real power when incorporated into daily customer interactions, analytics, process acceleration, and overall productivity.
More than 280 automated process agents are currently live and perform tasks in areas such as: credit decisions, fraud detection, know your customer checks and wider operations.
In Brazil, AI reduced the time needed to process card fraud claims by 95 percent, reaching up to 90 percent automation The error rate is less than 1 percent.
inside EnglandVoice channel AI for common card inquiries is expected to handle 240,000 calls annually (approximately 40 percent of total volume) and save 26,000 hours for customers and 45,000 hours for service teams.
Similar natural language capabilities are being rolled out in Spain for Santander and Openbank channels.
Additional applications include real-time credit card eligibility assessments during customer onboarding in Spain and AI models processing approximately 100,000 credit cards at Openbank. prevention of money laundering It reduces research time from hours to minutes by issuing warnings every year.
Approximately 17,000 employees in software development currently use intermediary AI tools, and 40 percent of code is created by AI by June 2026.Santander also engages in AI-focused research. payments.
Getnet has improved international trading experiences, and the bank became the first bank in Europe to test AI agent-initiated payments with Mastercard, as well as working in parallel with Visa. Latin America.
Employees who gain access will benefit from tools like Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365 tasks, as well as the following solutions: OpenAIAnthropic, Google and other partners.
These capabilities support daily activities such as document summarization, information retrieval, report preparation, and improving customer conversations.
The rollout includes comprehensive training, user guides, and internal communities to encourage responsible adoption.
All AI activities remain subject to strict ethical, legal, cybersecurity and risk frameworks and no clients are involved. data Shared externally for model training.
Combining disciplined prioritization with broad accessibility, Santander artificial intelligence As a key driver of efficiency, innovation and competitiveness in its global operations. bank continues emphasis Local implementation to achieve consistent, scalable impact worldwide.
