Ortiz (Bankinter): "Solo un 5% de los clientes que captamos nos abandonan por el camino"

Gloria Ortiz, the deputy director of Bankinter, has stated that the bank's abandonment rate is one of the lowest in Spanish banking. She noted that only 5% of the clients they have acquired leave the bank along the way, meaning 95% remain with Bankinter. She emphasized the importance of building trust, as attracting a new client may be costly, but retaining them requires offering specific value and accompanying them in the long term.

Bankinter has accelerated client acquisition this year, gaining 200,000 clients, mostly digital, thanks to the absorption of Evo. The bank now has 1.5 million clients in Spain, with plans to reach two million across Portugal, Ireland, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. Bankinter is closely monitoring the interest rate environment and believes central banks face a difficult dilemma between raising inflation and economic growth.

Despite the uncertain environment, Ortiz remains optimistic, citing the strength of families and businesses and the dynamic nature of the economy. She believes that even with higher interest rates, both companies and families will likely be more selective in their investment and consumption priorities. However, she stresses that the adjustment will be gradual and absorbed by the economy's growth.

Bankinter has recently implemented a new business model for companies, specializing and expecting continued growth in the coming years. Ortiz also pointed out the significant opportunity for banking to channel the vast savings of Europeans into investment, as most savings are in low-yielding deposits. Only 18% of citizens have sufficient financial knowledge to benefit from higher returns.

Bankinter launched its AI First program over a year ago to integrate AI into major corporate projects and provide it to employees for use in customer advice and acquisition.