Santander has announced it is boosting its data and AI-first transformation strategy through a new partnership with OpenAI.

The financial institution’s chief data and AI officer Ricardo Martín Manjón revealed that over a two-month period it has deployed ChatGPT Enterprise to nearly 15,000 employees across Europe and the Americas.

The bank expects reach 30,000 users by the end of the year or 15 per cent of the workforce.

Manjón said that Santander's transformation plans are driving its ambition to become an AI-native bank where “every decision, process and interaction is powered by data and intelligent technology.”

Early use cases of OpenAI's technology include investment copilots with real-time strategy suggestions; hyper-personalised customer journeys; and AI agents automating back-office processes across all geographies.

The bank also has plans to launch a mandatory AI training plan for all employees starting in 2026, with one module focusing on responsible use of the technology.

During 2026-2027, Santander will also scale agentic AI to transform front and back office processes and enable fully conversational banking.

The bank's chief data and AI officer added that AI copilots will become "decision-making partners", while virtual assistants will resolve transactions for its customers.

“We’re not chasing hype," said the chief data and AI officer. "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.”

According to Santander, AI initiatives already generated over €200 million in savings at the bank last year.

AI copilots are also supporting more than 40 per cent of contact centre interactions.

In Spain, speech analytics processes 10 million voice calls annually, auto-filling CRM systems and freeing over 100,000 hours annually.

The bank says that 6,000 developers are already using AI tools, with productivity up 20-30 per cent for some tasks.

The announcement of the new partnership comes after NatWest revealed it had become the first UK-headquartered bank to partner with OpenAI as part of its bank-wide simplification strategy in March.

At the time, NatWest said the large-scale collaboration could accelerate how quickly and widely it can implement some of the “most powerful” developments in generative AI (genAI), providing direct access to OpenAI’s latest technology and insights.

In May, OakNorth also announced a collaboration with OpenAI to integrate generative AI (genAI) technologies throughout its business with the aim of achieving new levels of speed, personalisation, and efficiency for its customers.

OakNorth is deploying AI across multiple initiatives, including digital lending, functional AI enhancement projects, and firmwide AI adoption to improve service quality and operational efficiency.

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