Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN) has opened new tech hubs in Malaga, Spain and in Warsaw, Poland to support business units.
Together, they will “employ some 1,400 professionals with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), who will contribute to the bank’s digital and business transformation.”
Both hubs are already operational and have “started hiring different profiles which will initially support the business functions of Santander Corporate & Investment Banking (SCIB). Technology is a strategic driver for Santander to create the best products and services for its customers.”
In particular, the bank is “hiring experts in platforms and application programming interfaces (APIs); cloud computing; big data; networks; development, security and operations (DevSecOps); artificial intelligence (AI); software development; enterprise architecture; and cybersecurity.”
Dirk Marzluf, Santander’s Chief Operating and Technology Officer (T&O), said:
“Technology is a strategic business driver, especially in banking, where digitalized products and services are a major part of our regular business — and this trend is growing. We understand the opportunity that the changing role of technology means for business growth.”
These new hubs will aim to “increase connectivity between Santander’s markets under its One Europe operating model.”
Malaga and Warsaw have both “become vibrant hubs for technology and innovation, attracting world class talent and offering an outstanding quality of life.” The Group “has similar hubs in Bilbao and Valencia (which support Openbank); Valladolid (Santander Consumer Finance); Solares, Cantabria; and at central services across its footprint.”
Banco Santander has “immersed itself in an ambitious push to hire tech experts through its BeTech! programme.” In December, it set up “a new website, betechwithsantander.com.” It consolidates “all job offers, many of which are for the two new tech hubs. Currently, the Group has over 750 tech roles on offer.”
Due to the growing demand for tech experts across markets (especially in financial institutions), Santander has “developed a strategy to attract IT talent.”
In 2020, it established its BeTech! with Santander program “to hire 1,000 IT experts in Spain and 3,000 across the globe in a push to turn Santander into the best open financial services platform, with cutting-edge technology and innovative talent that will accelerate its digital and tech transformation.”
Alexandra Brandao, Santander’s Global Head of Human Resources, said:
“Our new teams in Malaga and Warsaw will be a part of one of the biggest transformation project in the financial sector of the world. A project in constant growth, thanks to tech driven, open minded, diverse team with strong purpose behind, working in the environment that will continue to evolve in the future. We are excited to embark on our next chapter of growth in our critical markets, with great talents, who are highly skilled and competent. Our ambition is to become the sector’s top employer of tech professionals, and that means how we want to attract and help the professionals to grow and develop with us.”
In 2019 the Group “announced it will invest €20 billion in digital and technology over the next four years.”
The bank has already “migrated 90% of its infrastructure to the cloud. Recently, Santander announced it would be launching Gravity, its own customizable software, which has digitalized its core banking business.”
For the first time, more than 50% of Santander’s customers “use its digital channels, and 56% of total sales are made on its website or mobile app.”