Banking transformation in action: Santander
Santander in Spain presented the incredible transformation work they have accomplished.
As part of the Qorus-Infosys Finacle Banking Innovation Awards 2026, we selected a few of the banks whose projects impressed us the most. Among them, Santander in Spain presented the incredible transformation work they have accomplished.
What transformation strategy has your organization led in recent years?
Santander has transformed Commercial banking in Spain by replacing a traditional turnover-based segmentation model towards a data-driven, value-based and specialized relationship model for companies. The model segments clients by potential, profitability and advisory needs; equips relationship managers with AI-driven commercial intelligence; and combines High Growth coverage, 360-degree client plans, operational hubs, digital channels and expert product capabilities. This model transforms transactional servicing into proactive advisory and scalable value creation.
What prompted this strategic transformation?
The transformation was prompted by the limits of a turnover-only segmentation based model, which no longer reflected how companies grow, compete and seek support. Similar-sized companies can have very different needs, risk profiles, digital behaviours, growth trajectories and value potential, creating risks of under-serving high-potential clients and over-serving lower-value relationships.
Market expectations also changed: companies increasingly need a banking partner that understands their sector, anticipates needs, supports internationalization, manages risk and liquidity, and advises during transformational moments.
For Santander, the long-term goal was to deepen principal relationships, improve share of wallet, capture high-potential growth, optimize capital consumption and create a more intelligent, profitable and scalable Commercial banking platform.
What have been the most significant changes implemented, and how were they led?
The most significant change was redesigning Commercial around value, potential and specialization instead of size and turnover. This changed client coverage, relationship-manager routines, resource allocation, capital management and operational execution.
This included Santander Commercial Business' biggest portfolio migration, the creation of specialized High Growth branches, and the development of operational and Middle Office hubs. Bold shifts included AI-driven predictive models such as Next Best Conversation, 360-degree client plans, specialized advisory capabilities, and industrialized execution to increase advisory time while keeping service scalable.
Leadership drove the change through cross-functional teams across commercial strategy, data and AI models for segmentation, product specialization, digital channels, technology, risk, finance, capital, operations, legal, compliance, training and talent.
What unique or key transformation practices do you follow to ensure success?
Santander's core practice is an integrated operating model that combines AI-driven customer intelligence, specialized human advisory, digital scalability and profitability discipline.
Data and analytics teams build client potential, propensity, share-of-wallet and profitability views, while Next Best Conversation helps relationship managers prepare more precise client conversations.
Specialist teams in international business, markets, leasing, working capital, insurance, alternative financing and CIB solutions are activated according to client needs.
Operational and Middle Office hubs industrialize execution, while digital and technology teams build the Commercial Digital Channel roadmap.
Risk, finance and capital teams embed ROTE, guarantees, active decline management and Originate-to-Distribute so growth, customer relevance and capital discipline evolve together.
How has your workforce been engaged and transformed through this journey?
The workforce has been engaged through a deep cultural and ways-of-working shift.
Relationship managers are moving from generalist execution roles to more consultative and specialized profiles, supported by data, 360-degree client plans and product specialists. Network and branch teams supported portfolio reallocations and the adoption of new commercial routines, while training and talent teams built sector-aware, analytical and advisory capabilities.
The journey has reinforced a strong sense of urgency: deciding, prioritizing and acting boldly with the client at the centre. Santander has also implemented agile models with end-to-end product accountability, working more closely with different COEs (risk, pricing, marketing, customer, etc). Lessons are cascaded to teams to inspire new conversations and ways of working.
What measurable outcomes demonstrate the success of your transformation?
Commercial has created measurable impact across customer growth, coverage specialization, operational efficiency, capital discipline and ecosystem development. Financial and profitability results demonstrate the effectiveness of the new model. Key milestones include:
• Santander holds a 25% SME market share in Spain and supports more than 450,000 companies.
• Coverage includes more than 1,500 SME Relationship Managers and 7 specialized High Growth branches.
• Portfolio migration, described as Santander's biggest Commercial Business transformation in terms of clients moved between portfolios, was completed in April 2026 and is ramping up toward full maturity.
• Operational scalability improved with 2 hubs created in 2025 and 6 more in 2026.
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