Platform-based model
The teams within the Technology and Operations (T&O) division worldwide are immersed in several strategic projects to modernize the entire structure of Santander, moving towards a platform-based model that will drive us to remain among the best banks in the world, both for our customers and our employees.
A platform-based model means having a common set of capabilities that all teams can rely on to work collaboratively. This involves harnessing the full workforce, innovation, synergies, and creativity of the Group to reuse components developed by other teams. This common technological platform for all our software engineers will enable us to work more efficiently and respond more quickly to market needs.
Centers of Excellence
The Centres of Excellence (CoEs) group our professionals into organisational areas. Each CoE brings together the best resources and expertise in a specific area so that we can provide the best possible customer service. At Santander, we promote collaborative working models to foster hands-on work by professionals who are capable of carrying out their daily tasks in a proactive and responsible way without the need for constant supervision.
Our CoEs produce more than 2 million hours of software engineering activities every year under more than 1,000 projects for over 30 entities across the Santander Group.
- Full-Stack CoE: specialising in Portals & Web Analytics, Mobile, Front & Back, APIs, UX and ATM Self-service.
- Testing & Automation CoE: experts in software quality and Testing Automation.
- Smart CRM CoE: team focusing on providing CRM & Marketing solutions for the entire Santander Group.
- Processes & RPA CoE: specialists in Process Automation, Robotics, Document Management and Artificial Intelligence solutions.
- Data Technologies CoE: experts in building global applications for data use and management.
- Structural Software: specialist team carrying out maintenance and evolution of Santander’s software infrastructure.
- Corebanking: specialists in Retail Banking and its multiple applications for the entire Santander Group.
- Customer Service Platform & Virtual Assistants: experts in Contact Centre platforms, Customer Experience and Virtual Assistants.
API-First Strategy
At Santander we are encapsulating the characteristics of our entire business within Banking-as-a-Service. The group-wide global APIs encapsulate the functional and technical capabilities of our various banking platforms in a simple, direct, transparent and secure manner, both internally and for third parties.
APIs form part of our OPEN-THE-CORE strategy and are one of the pillars of the Santander Group’s technology strategy. This strategy is supported by platform-based transformation, in which we identify all the services and functions we perform and turn them into APIsç, allowing us to offer these microservices on-demand in a much more flexible and scalable manner. So, in addition to the regulatory framework (PSD2, OpenBanking, etc.), at Santander each of our platforms offers its functions to the world with a very clear objective: to transform Santander into a digital bank with branches, taking advantage of the fact that more than 80% of the Group’s global solutions can be extrapolated to local markets.
Santander’s OPEN-THE-CORE strategy is based on the following pillars:
- Global standards: all entities and business centres use the same business language.
- Re-use: the Santander APIs defined are truly global and applicable to all the Group’s channels and businesses.
- Scalability: a design, engineering and governance plan has been created that applies to all Santander API development.
- Modernisation: we work to reduce the current dependency on legacy solutions and drive the medium/long-term transition to cloud-native solutions.
Artificial Intelligence
At Santander we think of technology as ‘the means to the end’, because it has the capacity to provide high levels of automation and digitalisation. That’s why Artificial Intelligence has become central to our transformation process. AI opens up new opportunities to create added value for our customers and all the rest of us who form part of this project.
Among other matters, it takes care of the more tedious technological and operational aspects of jobs. AI solutions such as intelligent document automation, hyper-automation robotics based on machine learning algorithms, natural language coding and automatic programming are becoming increasingly essential in the design of our Group’s solutions.
