What is Santander's AI strategy in the United States?
Santander's AI strategy is set by the group and lands in the US through Openbank and the Webster acquisition. At the February 25, 2026 Investor Day the group made data and AI 'a key lever of ONE Transformation', focused on hyper-personalized customer journeys, AI-powered frontline productivity and end-to-end process automation, and said it expects more than €1 billion of business value a year from data and AI by 2028; Bloomberg reported executive chair Ana Botín's split of about €300 million of revenue and €700 million of cost. Results so far are group figures: €35 million of AI business value in the first quarter of 2026 and €84 million in the first half, AI access for all 185,000 employees from June 22, 2026, more than 280 process-automation agents in production, and 40% of June's code written by AI. The US target is an 18% return on tangible equity by 2028 after the $12.3 billion Webster deal closed on August 20, 2026, with a core conversion by the end of 2027. US-specific AI disclosure is thin: Santander Holdings USA's 2025 10-K says it uses AI to improve customer experience and reduce operational risk, and CEO Christiana Riley says she builds tools with AI herself. No US AI budget or head of AI is named.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Data as of Oct 16, 2026 · Santander profile updated Oct 13, 2026 · 27 sources cited on this page · 140 banks profiled on this site · Markdown
What AI targets has Santander set, and what has it reported?
Group figures unless the row says US. Business value is Santander's measure of higher revenue, lower costs and lower loan-loss provisions from AI.
| Item | Value | Scope | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI business value target | More than €1 billion a year by 2028 from data and AI, about 1 percentage point of cost-to-income improvement | Group | February 25, 2026[1] |
| Revenue and cost split (as reported) | About €300 million of revenue and €700 million of lower costs by 2028 | Group | February 25, 2026[2] |
| AI business value, Q1 2026 | €35 million; 'on track to exceed €200 million by year-end' | Group | June 22, 2026[3] |
| AI business value, first half 2026 | €84 million, through customer service, productivity and commercial growth | Group | July 22, 2026[4] |
| Process-automation agents in production | More than 280 (credit, fraud, KYC, operations) | Group | June 22, 2026[3] |
| AI access | All 185,000 employees (nearly 40,000 active users before) | Group | June 22, 2026[3] |
| AI training | About 35,000 employees received more than 125,000 hours of AI training between 2025 and April 2026; a global AI community of more than 42,000; 600-plus 'AI Catalysts' | Group | June 9, 2026[10] |
| US return on tangible equity | About 18% by 2028 (10% in 2025) | US | February 25, 2026[1][5] |
| US segment profit, Q2 2026 | €989 million, up 26%; RoTE 13.2%; efficiency 45.8% | US | July 22, 2026[11] |
| Webster integration savings | $800 million by end-2028, mainly from merging technology platforms and back-office roles; core conversion by end-2027 | US | August 20, 2026[7] |
Which parts of Santander's AI strategy apply to the US business?
| Lever | What it is | US status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Openbank | Digital bank on Santander's own Gravity core and ODS interface, the group's first combination of the two | More than $10 billion of US deposits | October 1, 2026[12][9] |
| Webster acquisition | Top-20 US bank with nearly eight million customers; John Ciulla runs Santander Bank, N.A. | Closed | August 20, 2026[6] |
| AI tools for staff | Microsoft Copilot for everyday productivity; ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini for specialized capabilities | Group-wide; US usage not broken out | June 22, 2026[3] |
| Agentic commerce | Getnet accepting AI-agent payments; Mastercard pilot in Europe; Visa pilots in Latin America | No US pilot public | 2026[13][14][15] |
| Machine-learning credit risk | Auto credit models rebuilt on FICO Platform; 2025 FICO Decisions Award | In production in US auto | May 7, 2025[16] |
| Executive use | Riley says AI lets her build a custom CRM tool herself for the Webster integration | US | October 1, 2026[9] |
What does Santander not disclose about AI in the US?
Santander Holdings USA's 2025 10-K says it uses AI, 'including AI designed to improve the customer experience and reduce operational risk', and lists model, data and third-party-provider risks; its first- and second-quarter 2026 10-Qs do not mention AI. Targets, counts and business-value figures appear only in group materials.[8][17][18]
No US head of AI or chief data officer is named. AI is led from Madrid by Chief Data & AI Officer Ricardo Martín Manjón, with Iñaki Bernal named Chief AI Officer of Grupo Santander in June 2026; in the US, COO Luis Massiani oversees Technology & Operations and Vikram Nafde is CTO.[19][20][21]
Santander US's public AI voice is consumer research: nine in ten middle-income households see AI helping their finances, and 49% of middle-income online car shoppers used AI to understand financing options, per its January 2026 survey.[22]
What does the Santander profile record on this topic?
The rows below are the entries of the Santander AI strategy profile that bear on this page, as of Oct 13, 2026; the profile holds the full record of 34 dated moves, 15 use cases and 47 sources.
| Use case | What the record shows | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI tools for all employees (group) | Extended to the whole workforce in June 2026 toward the €1 billion value target. | In production | [23] |
| Hyper-personalised customer journeys (ONE Transformation) | Data and AI embedded in the businesses for cross-selling and primacy. | Rolling out | [24][2] |
| Multi-vendor model stack (group) | Microsoft Copilot, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google tools for all employees, on a vendor-agnostic architecture, with no customer data shared externally for model training; the 10-K flags third-party model concentration as a risk. | In production | [25][26][8] |
| Date | Move | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Riley: AI lets her 'vibe code' a CRM tool herself | The US CEO says AI collapses the old technology development funnel, describing how she personally built a custom CRM tool with AI to help smooth the Webster integration. | [9] |
| Jul 22, 2026 | Q2 results: US profit up 26% | Group underlying profit €3.8 billion; the US segment earned €989 million with RoTE of 13.2%; Grisi cites ONE Transformation and early AI benefits. | [11][27] |
| Jun 22, 2026 | AI tools for all employees | Toward the €1 billion 2026–2028 business-value goal. | [23] |
| Feb 25, 2026 | €1 billion from AI by 2028 | Investor day: €300 million revenue, €700 million costs; profit above €20 billion; US RoTE 18%. | [2][24][5] |
How much does Santander expect to gain from AI?
At its February 25, 2026 Investor Day the group said it expects more than €1 billion of business value a year from data and AI by 2028, about 1 percentage point of cost-to-income improvement; Bloomberg reported Ana Botín's split of about €300 million of revenue and €700 million of cost. It reported €35 million in the first quarter of 2026 and €84 million in the first half.
Does Santander US have its own AI strategy?
Not a separate published one. The US business runs inside the group's ONE Transformation programme and Data & AI-first strategy. US-specific elements are Openbank, built on Santander's Gravity platform, the Webster integration with a core conversion by the end of 2027, machine-learning credit models in auto on FICO Platform, and an 18% RoTE target for 2028.
Do Santander US employees use AI tools?
The group extended AI access to all 185,000 employees on June 22, 2026, with Microsoft Copilot for everyday productivity and ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini for specialized work, but it does not break out US usage. US CEO Christiana Riley has said she personally builds a CRM tool with AI to help the Webster integration.
What does Santander US say about AI in its SEC filings?
Santander Holdings USA's 2025 10-K, filed March 2, 2026, says it uses and explores AI, including to improve customer experience and reduce operational risk, and warns of flawed or biased models, third-party model concentration and AI-enabled cyberattacks. The 2026 10-Qs contain no AI language.
Who leads AI for Santander in the US?
No US AI executive is named. Group Chief Data & AI Officer Ricardo Martín Manjón and Chief AI Officer Iñaki Bernal lead AI from Madrid. In the US, CEO Christiana Riley sets direction, COO Luis Massiani oversees Technology & Operations and Vikram Nafde is CTO; John Ciulla runs Santander Bank, N.A.
- 2026 Santander Investor Day
- Santander's Botin Sees €1 Billion AI Boost Amid Efficiency Push
- Santander turns its AI-first strategy into measurable impact and extends AI access to all 185,000 employees
- 2Q 2026 financial results: Santander adds 12 million customers as underlying profit rises 15% to €7.3 billion in the first half
- How Santander plans to avoid US 'graveyard' for European banks
- Santander Expands U.S. Presence with Completion of Webster Acquisition
- Santander isn't rushing into Webster integration: US CEO
- Santander Holdings USA, Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for 2025
- The Most Powerful Women in Banking Women to Watch, #1, Christiana Riley, Santander U.S.
- AI at Santander: From learning to practical use
- Earnings call transcript: Santander posts record Q2 2026 profit, shares rise premarket
- Santander launches Openbank in the US, a significant milestone in its transformation (undated special page, retrieved 2026-10-16)
- Santander's Getnet Plugs Merchants Into Agentic Commerce
- Santander and Mastercard complete Europe's first live end-to-end payment executed by an AI agent
- Santander and Visa Complete LatAm Agentic Transaction Use Instant Payments
- Santander US Auto Business Wins 2025 FICO Decisions Award for Machine Learning Credit Risk Analysis
- Santander Holdings USA, Inc. Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended 31 March 2026
- Santander Holdings USA, Inc. Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended 30 June 2026
- Data & Artificial Intelligence at Santander: Our Responsible AI principles (undated page, retrieved 2026-10-16)
- Santander and the CSIC join forces to spearhead research into advanced and responsible AI for the future of banking
- Webster Acquisition Update: Corporate Function Leadership Appointments (Form 425)
- Santander US Finds Middle-Income Americans Optimistic about Finances, See Benefits of AI for Car Buying and Managing Finances
- Santander Equips All Workers With AI and Seeks $1.15 Billion Business Value
- Santander Looks to AI for Digital Transformation
- Banco Santander Rolls Out AI Tools To All Workers As Early Results Demonstrate Clear Business Value
- Santander's data & AI-first strategy accelerates through OpenAI collaboration
- Santander Consolidates Global Tech Platforms to Drive Record Profits
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