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Digital banking utilization has surged throughout Europe within the final decade, as the best way we financial institution has been remodeled dramatically. The share of EU residents utilizing on-line banking within the final decade has risen from 42% to 67%, in Spain that quantity was nearer to 75% in 20241.
CaixaBank’s development in digital channels displays these tendencies. The Financial institution is, by a ways, the main digital financial institution in Spain. It has the biggest digital buyer base, which in 2024 grew from 11.5 million prospects to 12.1 million.
The financial institution’s digital life-style platform for youthful prospects, imagin, has surpassed 3.5 million banking prospects – development of 11% on the earlier yr, with virtually half of CaixaBank’s new prospects within the final yr being recruited by means of imagin. Buyer loyalty is growing, with 50% of adults straight depositing their wage into the financial institution.
On the app consumer stage, which incorporates all those that don’t make monetary operations however make use of the imagin app’s non-banking companies, the variety of imaginers now exceeds 4.5 million.
This information reinforces imagin’s place as a number one neobank and consolidates its place as a pacesetter amongst younger folks. Based on GfK statistics, imagin has a 48% market share among the many primary neobanks and fintechs within the 18-34-year-old section in Spain.
Along with growing the variety of new customers, the platform has additionally managed to strengthen the loyalty of imaginers. When it comes to exercise quantity, the applying has a median of 60 million month-to-month visits and greater than 11 million transactions monthly are carried out by means of Bizum, 15% greater than in 2023.
Imagin complemented its portfolio in 2024 with new merchandise akin to a fee-free debit card to be used overseas, and financing and funding choices, making it the one neobank with an entire banking supply tailor-made to a younger and 100% digital viewers.
The financial institution’s hybrid distant help service InTouch has greater than 3.3 million customers. InTouch is a brand new relationship mannequin that mixes distant communication instruments (video name, voice name, electronic mail, WhatsApp, and so on.), with the connection of belief supplied by an skilled supervisor.
CaixaBank can be the chief in conventional web site channels: this contains CaixaBankNow, the reference utility for CaixaBank prospects, and imagin.
General, CaixaBank leads in Spanish digital banking with a forty five.4% penetration on digital banking customers in Spain at year-end 2024.
Spain’s drive for digital
The financial institution’s digital transformation is to some extent a mirror for Spain’s early adaptation to an more and more digital and aggressive world panorama.
Within the newest State of the Digital Decade report outlined by the European Union, Spain stood out thanks to 2 primary strengths, the big variety of residents with primary digital abilities (66.2%), in comparison with the European common (55.6%), and the progress in the usage of synthetic intelligence by firms (9.2 %) in comparison with 8% in Europe.
CaixaBank’s lately launched Strategic Plan for 2025-2027 outlines an formidable imaginative and prescient for the long run, totally in keeping with the nation’s dedication to keep up management in digital innovation.
Amongst many commitments, the plan earmarks €5 billion in funding in direction of AI, cloud computing, and automation. This initiative, referred to as the Cosmos plan, goals to reinforce operational effectivity, develop new customer-centric digital companies, and strengthen the financial institution’s technological infrastructure.
Investing in Innovation for the Future
Probably the most transformative elements of CaixaBank’s digital technique is its integration of AI into buyer interactions. AI-powered instruments facilitate automated monetary suggestions, conversational banking assistants, and enhanced fraud detection, streamlining each consumer expertise and inside operations.
AI-powered instruments will enable for automated monetary suggestions, conversational banking assistants, and self-service choices for purchasers. The know-how will even streamline inside processes, lowering administrative burdens on financial institution workers whereas bettering decision-making and fraud detection.
A key pattern on this shift is the rising emphasis on technological expertise, and the priority round this subject is highlighted in The World Dangers Report 2025, revealed by the World Financial Discussion board (WEF), the place the scarcity of expert expertise stands out as one of many key dangers companies should navigate this yr. As digital banking evolves, establishments are more and more increasing their know-how hubs to draw specialists in AI, cybersecurity, and cloud computing.
Spain has once more emerged as a pacesetter on this house, with monetary establishments investing closely in creating digital capabilities. Know-how jobs are rising quicker in Spain than wherever else on the planet, in line with the Equinix 2023 World Tech Traits Survey.
CaixaBank, for instance, has outlined an formidable plan to strengthen its technological infrastructure whereas increasing its tech subsidiary, CaixaBank Tech, which is present process important enlargement with a purpose to achieve a complete of two,000 workers inside the subsequent three years. The workplaces in Barcelona, Madrid, and the brand new centre in Seville will grow to be talent-attracting technological hubs.
Enhancing Digital and Cell Banking Companies
Digitalisation is not only about cutting-edge AI. The rise of mobile-first banking is reshaping the monetary panorama, as customers more and more count on seamless, safe, and accessible digital companies. Throughout the trade, banks are investing in cell platforms to fulfill the wants of a era that prefers managing funds on the go.
67% of checking account holders in Spain deal with banking through cell gadgets, this pattern has pushed important innovation, from digital-only banking fashions to versatile fee options that combine with on a regular basis cell experiences. And it was manner again in 2016 that CaixaBank’s imagin service grew to become the primary on the planet the place all transactions are carried out utilizing solely apps for cellphones or social media.
In the present day, in line with information from the financial institution, greater than 30% of in-person purchases made in Spain with CaixaBank playing cards are actually being completed through cellphones. The financial institution has round 4.4 million prospects with playing cards linked to cell gadgets, figures which can be on the rise, with greater than 800 million transactions within the final 12 months.
Collaboration is vital
Partnerships between banks and tech firms are additionally shaping the subsequent era of digital transactions. In keeping with this, and as an additional demonstration of the financial institution’s agency dedication to bettering the shopper expertise, CaixaBank, by means of CaixaBank Funds & Client, has signed a pioneering settlement with Apple.
Because of this partnership, CaixaBank prospects with iOS 18 and iPadOS18 will quickly have the choice to pay in full or unfold the price over a number of months straight on the level of buy when paying with their CaixaBank playing cards in Apple Pay. Prospects that determine to decide on this selection may have the selection to take action when procuring on-line utilizing Apple Pay and in-app on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
This new performance will enable prospects to see fee choices obtainable to them, perceive value together with any curiosity, and select how they’d wish to pay earlier than finishing their buy.
Assembly the wants of a digital-first era
As digital banking evolves, monetary establishments are inserting larger emphasis on automation and cybersecurity to reinforce effectivity and shield prospects. AI-driven analytics are enabling banks to ship hyper-personalised monetary options, serving to people make extra knowledgeable selections. On the similar time, superior safety frameworks, together with real-time fraud detection and AI-powered danger administration, have gotten important in safeguarding digital transactions.
In Spain, monetary establishments have been recognised for his or her robust dedication to digital safety. Many banks have carried out next-generation fraud detection methods and encryption applied sciences to safeguard transactions. CaixaBank, for instance, has been acknowledged for its superior cybersecurity measures, reinforcing the trade’s broader push to make sure safe digital banking experiences.
As Spain’s monetary sector continues to embrace digital innovation, its dedication to know-how, safety, and inclusivity will place it as a pacesetter in shaping the way forward for banking in an more and more digital world.
