Different financing goals, geopolitical risks, and interest rate changes as well as currency fluctuations often create hurdles that may endanger the completion of a deal. However, with the right banking partner, these challenges can be transformed into opportunities. Experts from Raiffeisen Bank International discuss how these needs can be met, using a real-world scenario. Kindly take note of the disclaimer at the end of this advertisement.

Imagine you’re an Austrian exporter about to close a significant deal with a Serbian client, supplying a food-processing machine valued at EUR 10 million. Your goal is straightforward: secure payment in EUR as per the delivery schedule. Meanwhile, your Serbian partner would like to have an attractive long-term financing. How do these requirements and goals come together?

In today’s world, risks are global. “Geopolitical developments can have far-reaching effects in all regions, including Central and Eastern Europe,” says Evgeniya Sharkova from RBI Trade Finance. “In addition to the counterparty and political risks, the parties to the commercial contract may face FX and interest rates risks,” adds Martina Zimmerl, RBI Capital Markets. Ultimately, exporters are looking for new ways to create additional competitive advantages. “By arranging long-term financing solutions for their clients, exporters can make a deal more attractive to potential importers,” Sanin Merdžan, RBI Export Finance, explains.

As an exporter, your primary concern is ensuring payment security. “From RBI’s various trade finance solutions, the export letter of credit (LC) is the first choice in our scenario,” says Sharkova. “The LC could be issued either by our own subsidiary bank in Serbia, or by one of the many partner banks we have in the country.”

“If you want to accelerate payment under the LC, the UPAS LC (usance payable at sight export letter of credit) could be a good way to bridge the period until the ECA-covered long-term financing is put together,” Sharkova says. With an export UPAS LC, the bank of the importer issues an LC with deferred payment and a maximum total tenor of up to 360 days. For higher security, RBI confirms the LC issued by the local bank. Thus, the exporter will mitigate the counterparty risk by taking the first-class payment risk of RBI instead of the risk of a local bank or local importer.

One of the main features of the export UPAS LC is that the exporter will receive its payment under the LC at sight, which means upon presentation of the compliant shipping documents. This special form of discounting under an LC offers the exporter the possibility to improve its cash flow and optimise its balance sheet. 

At the same time, the export UPAS LC offers the importer an extended reimbursement obligation towards the issuing bank. By offering longer payment terms, the exporter strengthens its negotiating position with the client. The interest for the deferred payment period under this structure is to be borne by the importer.

With the LC and the following ECA-covered financing, the exporter is able to mitigate both counterparty and political risk. Furthermore, payment is received under the contract in EUR as per agreed schedule. Its Serbian partner on the other hand obtains a financing in EUR at attractive cost. This multi-product solution provides an ideal bridge between an LC and ECA-covered financing.

RBI provides attractive long-term ECA-covered financing solutions such as the Buyer’s Credit and RBI Shopping Line for the purpose of financing of Austrian/European imports of investment goods starting from EUR 2 million onwards that are guaranteed by Austrian export credit agency “OeKB” or any other Western European export credit agency (ECA).

“For our particular scenario, once the client has successfully passed RBI’s internal risk and credit reviews we would provide a EUR 10 million OeKB-guaranteed Buyer’s Credit,” says Merdžan. “This solution gives the exporter liquidity and a competitive edge, while the importer benefits from attractive long-term financing terms due to ECA’s commercial and political risk cover provided to the lender as well as fast execution, which helps them manage their cash flow more effectively.”

Furthermore, exporters benefit from the option to have production risk covered, adding an extra layer of security to their operations. “When offering financing solutions on top of the supply deal, exporters can enhance their competitiveness in the global market,” Merdžan states.

On the other hand, this arrangement allows importers to preserve their own bank lines for other business needs, providing them with greater financial flexibility and debt capacity. Additionally, the ECA guarantee fee can be financed, further easing the financial burden on the importer.

“Although in our scenario the currency risk might be of minor relevance at first glance since the RSD is a managed FX rate, a risk remains for the importer since it has concluded a long-term financing contract in EUR and is obtaining revenues in RSD,” notes Zimmerl. “The focus for the importer is to build upon stable exchange rates and interest rate strategies to effectively manage risks and optimise financial operations in Serbia, ensuring resilience in a challenging economic landscape,” she explains. “This is why it is so important to have a partner who understands both the global situation and also the on-the-ground macro, market, and policy environment.”

Local experts at RBI’s subsidiary bank Raiffeisen Bank Serbia are monitoring the impact of US tariff policies closely, alongside domestic risk factors. Aleksandra Maksimovic, Head of Treasury and Investment Banking at Raiffeisen Bank Serbia, notes, “Despite all challenges, the economic deceleration is still not confirmed in hard data, although it is expected to be seen in the coming quarters given the euro-zone economy slowdown.”

“The question of whether to hedge EURRSD FX risk ultimately depends on the respective client’s view on the market as well as its internal hedging policies,” explains Zimmerl. Given the still developing nature of the FX forward market in Serbia, hedging is generally for shorter tenors. “For example, the importer could buy three-month and six-month forwards and roll-over additional forwards at maturity to hedge future loan repayments,” she says. On the other hand, as the FX rate is managed and IR differentials are positive, the importer may choose not to hedge the FX risk for the time being and to monitor the situation with the aid of a strong local partner, such as Raiffeisen Bank Serbia. 

Interest rate swaps (IRS) are vital tools for managing interest rate exposure, allowing parties to exchange fixed and floating rate payments. They stabilise cash flows by converting variable-rate debt to fixed-rate debt or vice versa, thereby potentially lowering borrowing costs. In the case of the Serbian importer, who is taking a long-term financing in EUR, RBI would advise hedging the interest rate risk via an IRS. “Our subsidiary bank in Serbia offers interest rate hedging starting from notional amounts of EUR 500k, with tenors from one to ten years, under a local master agreement,” explains Zimmerl. In addition to the mentioned offerings of Raiffeisen Bank Serbia, it is worth noting that RBI is able to offer comprehensive hedging solutions, advisory, and structuring expertise also in other CEE markets, thereby supporting clients’ business in the region. A close and honest communication with the client is vital, as IRS and other derivatives are complex financial instruments which offer risks and chances. It is important that the client has a clear understanding of the functioning, the risk, and the chances of these financial instruments.

RBI’s integrated approach combining different products and solutions, such as expertise in trade finance, export finance, and capital markets offers comprehensive support tailored to our clients’ needs. Its CEE competence through subsidiary banks distinguishes RBI, delivering customised solutions. “We adapt to market changes, consistently enhancing our services to provide resilient financial solutions amid shifting geopolitical and economic landscapes,” says Zimmerl. With robust risk mitigation strategies, RBI helps clients navigate volatile markets confidently, ensuring competitiveness and security.

Navigate financial market risks confidently—download RBI’s expert report filled with strategies, insights, and best practices! Get Your Guide

Advertisement: This advertisement is provided purely as non-binding information. The information contained therein do neither constitute an offer nor a recommendation nor a financial analysis. They are no substitute for individual investment advice on purchasing and selling financial instruments or for taking any investment decision. Kindly be aware that financial investments as those in focus of this advertisement involve financial risks, including the possible total loss of the invested capital. The information provided herein also do not constitute fiscal or legal advice. The fiscal and legal treatment of investments is dependent on your personal situation. You are strongly advices to seek professional financial, fiscal and legal advice prior to taking any investment decision. Be aware that any hedging involves derivatives, which are complex financial instruments and are not easy to understand. Investing in derivatives incurs the risk of a total loss of the invested capital and in certain circumstances may require the obligation to provide additional capital. This information is therefore only addressed to professional clients and eligible counterparties under MiFID II. Please also take note that information on past performance do not constitute a reliable indicator on the actual future performance.

The rapidly evolving nature of AI is a double-edged sword as far as cybersecurity goes. As user-friendly and beneficial as Generative AI (Gen AI) can be, it is also being misused ever more frequently in the form of trickery and manipulation, such as deepfaking the voice, face or name of a person or organisation to elicit payments. By 2027, for example, 17% of total cyberattacks will involve the use of Gen AI, according to Gartner¹. This figure is expected to rise quickly.

While high-profile incidents continue to underscore the scale and sophistication of AI-driven threats, the same technology also equips companies with powerful, proactive tools to defend their critical infrastructure and stay ahead of attackers. For example, detecting patterns to identify intrusions into networks, or spotting new malware and other threats can flag unusual and potentially harmful activity much quicker than any human could.

As a result, AI’s role in cybersecurity has evolved from a technical issue into a strategic business imperative. 

“Cybersecurity is one of the key concerns today, and companies are investing heavily to combat this”
Aaron Chiew, Head of Digital Channels for DBS’ Institutional Banking Group

AI brings powerful capabilities, but those same capabilities are amplifying cyber risks in three major ways:

Such threats have far-reaching repercussions, beyond the obvious financial losses. One of the most damaging is the erosion of trust, both within the organisation and with clients.

For example, Chiew noted employees may start to question the authenticity of the calls they receive, uncertain whether they’re truly speaking to the person they believe they are. This growing uncertainty could lead to more verification steps and processes to confirm the legitimacy of communications. “What might have been a quick transaction in the pre-AI world could now take much longer,” he said. “Whether businesses can maintain the same level of operational efficiency going forward is increasingly uncertain.”

The damage doesn’t stop at the office door. Rebuilding trust with customers can take a long time once a cybersecurity incident becomes public knowledge.

Companies are not standing still in this new era, with the threat from AI now top of mind. For example, 66% of organisations expect AI to have the most significant impact on cybersecurity in the year to come³.

In response, investment in cybersecurity protection measures has risen significantly across various industry sectors. For example, in August 2024, Gartner projected that global end-user spending on information security would grow by 15% this year to $212 billion⁴.

At the same time, companies are reviewing their processes and implementing stricter communication policies with regard to the role of AI tools as an advanced way to quickly spot and respond to dangers, said Chiew. “They are relooking at how they interact with each other in a digital space, to understand how they implement these cybersecurity protection measures safely so the current processes can run smoothly.”

This is triggering action such as more defined data protection policies in terms of collection and storage, along with stricter guidelines for using social media, plus regular penetration testing of systems and infrastructure.

Companies are at different stages of their cybersecurity journey, but in all cases a clear and structured path to protection is essential.

According to Chiew, early-stage companies should start with the basics:

1. Verify all requests carefully

Always double-check the credibility of requests received by email – especially those involving sensitive financial changes. For instance, if an employee requests a payroll update or a supplier emails to change bank details, confirm the request by calling back using a verified number on record.

2. Audit your internal processes

Regularly review internal workflows to identify weak points that could be exploited through human error or fraud. Even small procedural gaps can open the door to cyber threats.

For mature-stage companies, the key is to strengthen and stress-test:

1. Invest in penetration testing

Engage cybersecurity professionals or specialist agencies to conduct penetration testing and simulate attacks. This helps uncover vulnerabilities in systems, processes, or infrastructure before attackers do.

2. Continuously monitor and upgrade systems

Periodically review your infrastructure and security protocols to stay ahead of evolving threats. As Chiew warns: “It only takes a single loophole or gap – and for scammers, finding and exploiting these gaps is a full-time job.”

Explore DBS’ resources for businesses to protect against scams: https://go.dbs.com/ProtectYourBusiness

To enhance their competitive advantage, they are placing a growing emphasis on innovation and driving business growth. The findings come as artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a crucial technology for banks, and demand for the technology is expected to become fierce.

European banks are shifting strategic priorities from reducing costs to innovation and growth. Investments are focused on scaling AI and cloud capabilities, accelerating digital transformation to enhance customer and employee experiences, and positioning for long-term competitiveness.

AI has transitioned from a promising concept to a foundational element in European banking operations. Banks are leveraging AI primarily to enhance fraud detection and elevate customer service, two critical areas given the region’s stringent regulatory environment and the imperative to safeguard financial integrity. Approximately 28% of European banks cite fraud detection and customer service as domains where AI delivers the highest value.

AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are streamlining interactions, enabling personalised, real-time customer engagement while optimising operational costs. Yet, the journey is ongoing: nearly half of AI initiatives remain in early stages, hindered by data management challenges and regulatory complexities. This signals a clear mandate for banks to strengthen data architectures and governance frameworks to unlock AI’s full potential.

Banks see the most impact from AI in enhancing productivity, quality, growth, and operational speed. Generative AI alone could add between $200 billion and $340 billion annually to the banking sector through productivity gains. Leading banks are already realising these benefits: ABN Amro uses generative AI to summarise customer calls, boosting contact center efficiency, while JP Morgan has reduced payment validation errors by up to 20% using AI-powered models, cutting fraud and operational costs.

At Infosys, we are witnessing firsthand how AI-driven innovation is transforming software development productivity, with improvements ranging from 7% to 15%. Nearly 18,000 developers have collectively generated nearly 7 million lines of code, supported by AI assistants tailored to their specific roles and functions. This AI-first approach enables us to optimize operations significantly, enhance predictive capabilities to stay ahead of market shifts, accelerate growth trajectories, and strengthen risk management frameworks, including compliance, ensuring our clients remain resilient in an evolving financial landscape.

Data privacy and security remain the foremost challenges to AI and cloud adoption. Banks must navigate complex regulatory landscapes while ensuring robust data protection. Interestingly, while over half of European banks consider their data architecture AI-ready, they face the most challenge in implementing AI in their data architecture.

Security concerns also dominate cloud migration decisions. Strong governance, encryption, and compliance frameworks are essential to safely manage sensitive customer data.

Historically, a bank’s size and reputation anchored customer trust; however, today’s customers prioritise convenience and relevant offerings. The demand for technology talent, particularly in AI and cloud infrastructure, is intensifying. Cybersecurity remains a critical focus, but the rapid growth in AI and cloud roles underscores the sector’s commitment to building robust digital expertise. To meet these demands, banks must harness powerful technology and skilled talent capable of driving ongoing innovation.

Unfortunately, recruiting tech talent — especially in AI — remains a significant hurdle for many banks in the region. The competition for skilled professionals is fierce due to the increasing presence of global banks are vying for the same talent pool.

Many banks are investing heavily in reskilling initiatives to address this talent gap. Governments are doing their part too to bridge the talent gap. For example, the European Commission’s AI Continent Action Plan aims to make Europe a global AI leader by expanding AI education and training. The Commission has launched the AI Skills Academy, which offers specialised education in AI and generative AI, apprenticeship programs, and scholarships to increase diversity and attract talent back to Europe. The plan also promotes European Digital Innovation Hubs to provide accessible AI skills and training services across the EU, supporting worker upskilling and reskilling.

Banks must consider forming strategic partnerships with educational institutions and technology firms to tackle these challenges effectively. Collaborations can lead to tailored training programs that address specific industry needs. For example, BNP Paribas collaborates with AI startups and invests heavily in AI talent development through its Digital Data and Agile Academy, providing employees with ongoing data and AI skills training. The collaboration by European Social Partners on Employment Aspects of AI will help European banks responsibly navigate AI-driven transformation, safeguarding employee well-being and enabling sustainable adoption of AI.

Additionally, partnerships can facilitate the rapid adoption of new technologies while minimising risks associated with being the first movers in innovation. Lloyds Banking Group has partnered with the University of Cambridge to provide AI training for 300 senior staff as part of its technology transformation, delivering a program called “Leading with AI” that covers AI regulation, ethics, generative AI, and emerging concepts.

Partnerships are critical enablers for institutions to accelerate technology adoption while effectively managing the risks that come with being first movers. At Infosys, we recognize that bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise fosters innovation through meaningful collaboration and idea exchange. With over 270,000 employees who are generative AI-aware across all functions, not just engineering, we cultivate cross-functional teams that leverage varied experiences and insights. This diversity of thought drives richer, more inclusive outcomes that better serve our broad communities and positions us to lead confidently in the evolving AI landscape.

This year is poised to be transformative for European banking. Institutions equipped with effective digital transformation strategies will be able to expand their AI and cloud capabilities. By doing so, they will enhance operational efficiencies and improve customer experiences across all touchpoints to attract and grow their customer base and solidify their competitive edge within the market. While data privacy, security, and regulatory compliance challenges persist, banks that strategically invest in digital capabilities and balance innovation with risk management will emerge stronger and more resilient. Continuous training and collaboration will also remain paramount as banks strive for leadership within the European financial sector.

The Infosys Bank Tech Index is a survey-based research study of nearly 400 global banks that tracks the intricacies of how banks’ priorities across regions differ, where they spend their budgets on technology, and what skills they are looking for.

This surge — fueled by competitive pressure and promises of enhanced customer insights — has institutions like Bank of America allocating $4 billion to AI and other new tech initiatives. While early adopters report efficiency gains and cost reductions, the sector faces a pivotal challenge: The average expected ROI timeline of two years reflects both optimism and pressure to demonstrate quick wins. Success hinges on overcoming fragmented implementations and workforce skepticism that could dilute returns.

Within AI budgets, financial institutions are prioritizing data modernization (58% of AI budgets) and licensing generative AI software (53%) to unlock customer insights and streamline operations. These investments aim to address long-standing inefficiencies — from legacy system overhauls to real-time fraud detection. Bank of America’s seven-year AI journey demonstrates this principle. The bank reduced service costs and increased client satisfaction scores by centralizing data from 20 million Erica virtual assistant users.

Yet the focus remains narrow. Nearly two-thirds of institutions view AI primarily as a tool for “bottom-line productivity”, while only 12% have implemented enterprise-wide AI strategies. This myopia risks creating advanced capabilities in silos — a customer service chatbot here, a risk-modeling algorithm there — without cohesive integration. AI governance must be defined as part of enterprise strategy, not an afterthought.

Despite ambitious AI strategies, financial institutions face a stark execution gap. AI progress is threatened by fragmented data, talent shortages, and weak governance.

These challenges compound when viewed through an organizational lens. With 34% of AI strategies defined at regional levels, a European bank’s chatbot project, for example, might use data protocols different from those of its American counterpart’s credit scoring model, limiting scalability.

One of the great fallacies of the AI talent conundrum is that AI execution only requires technical or data science experience. However, the solution extends beyond hiring data scientists. The required talent mix covers strategy, technology, engineering, data science, business process, and risk and compliance. While AI technical talent is critical to cultivate, financial institutions should take their employees on the AI journey by upskilling them to use and benefit from AI investments. In the future, all talent must be AI talent. AI literacy will be essential — not just for specialists, but across all roles to effectively collaborate with, manage, and make the best use of AI-driven tools and insights.

Frontline employees resistant to algorithm-driven loan approvals or relationship managers skeptical of AI-generated client advice create adoption friction. AI’s potential falters without employee buy-in. Institutions reporting high AI adoption must:

To avoid becoming cautionary tales, financial institutions must:

Unlocking AI’s potential requires dismantling silos between IT spending and business value. Institutions that marry technological ambition with organizational trust-building will likely move ahead. In this high-stakes transition, the ultimate metric won’t be algorithms deployed or dollars spent but sustained alignment between silicon and human intelligence. The race isn’t for the biggest budget, but for the most coherent strategy.

Digital banking usage has surged across Europe in the last decade, as the way we bank has been transformed dramatically. The percentage of EU citizens using online banking in the last decade has risen from 42% to 67%, in Spain that number was closer to 75% in 2024¹.

CaixaBank’s growth in digital channels reflects these trends. The Bank is, by some distance, the leading digital bank in Spain. It has the largest digital customer base, which in 2024 grew from 11.5 million customers to 12.1 million.

The bank’s digital lifestyle platform for younger customers, imagin, has surpassed 3.5 million banking customers – growth of 11% on the previous year, with almost half of CaixaBank’s new customers in the last year being recruited through imagin. Customer loyalty is increasing, with 50% of adults directly depositing their salary into the bank.

At the app user level, which includes all those who do not make financial operations but make use of the imagin app’s non-banking services, the number of imaginers now exceeds 4.5 million.

This data reinforces imagin’s position as a leading neobank and consolidates its position as a leader among young people. According to GfK statistics, imagin has a 48% market share among the main neobanks and fintechs in the 18-34-year-old segment in Spain.

In addition to increasing the number of new users, the platform has also managed to strengthen the loyalty of imaginers. In terms of activity volume, the application has an average of 60 million monthly visits and more than 11 million transactions per month are conducted through Bizum, 15% more than in 2023.

Imagin complemented its portfolio in 2024 with new products such as a fee-free debit card for use abroad, and financing and investment options, making it the only neobank with a complete banking offer tailored to a young and 100% digital audience.

The bank’s hybrid remote assistance service InTouch has more than 3.3 million users. InTouch is a new relationship model that combines remote communication tools (video call, voice call, email, WhatsApp, etc.), with the relationship of trust provided by an expert manager.

CaixaBank is also the leader in traditional website channels: this includes CaixaBankNow, the reference application for CaixaBank customers, and imagin.

Overall, CaixaBank leads in Spanish digital banking with a 45.4% penetration on digital banking users in Spain at year-end 2024.

The bank’s digital transformation is to some extent a mirror for Spain’s early adaptation to an increasingly digital and competitive global landscape.

In the latest State of the Digital Decade report outlined by the European Union, Spain stood out thanks to two main strengths, the large number of citizens with basic digital skills (66.2%), compared to the European average (55.6%), and the progress in the use of artificial intelligence by companies (9.2 %) compared to 8% in Europe.

CaixaBank’s recently launched Strategic Plan for 2025-2027 outlines an ambitious vision for the future, fully in line with the country’s determination to maintain leadership in digital innovation.

Among many commitments, the plan earmarks €5 billion in investment towards AI, cloud computing, and automation. This initiative, known as the Cosmos plan, aims to enhance operational efficiency, develop new customer-centric digital services, and strengthen the bank’s technological infrastructure.

One of the most transformative aspects of CaixaBank’s digital strategy is its integration of AI into customer interactions. AI-powered tools facilitate automated financial recommendations, conversational banking assistants, and enhanced fraud detection, streamlining both user experience and internal operations.

AI-powered tools will allow for automated financial recommendations, conversational banking assistants, and self-service options for customers. The technology will also streamline internal processes, reducing administrative burdens on bank employees while improving decision-making and fraud detection.

A key trend in this shift is the growing emphasis on technological talent, and the concern around this topic is highlighted in The Global Risks Report 2025, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), where the shortage of skilled talent stands out as one of the key risks businesses must navigate this year. As digital banking evolves, institutions are increasingly expanding their technology hubs to attract specialists in AI, cybersecurity, and cloud computing.

Spain has again emerged as a leader in this space, with financial institutions investing heavily in developing digital capabilities. Technology jobs are growing faster in Spain than anywhere else in the world, according to the Equinix 2023 Global Tech Trends Survey.

CaixaBank, for example, has outlined an ambitious plan to strengthen its technological infrastructure while expanding its tech subsidiary, CaixaBank Tech, which is undergoing significant expansion with a goal to reach a total of 2,000 employees within the next three years. The offices in Barcelona, Madrid, and the new centre in Seville will become talent-attracting technological hubs.

Digitalisation is not just about cutting-edge AI. The rise of mobile-first banking is reshaping the financial landscape, as consumers increasingly expect seamless, secure, and accessible digital services. Across the industry, banks are investing in mobile platforms to meet the needs of a generation that prefers managing finances on the go.

67% of bank account holders in Spain handle banking via mobile devices, this trend has driven significant innovation, from digital-only banking models to flexible payment solutions that integrate with everyday mobile experiences. And it was way back in 2016 that CaixaBank’s imagin service became the first in the world where all transactions are performed using only apps for mobile phones or social media.

Today, according to data from the bank, more than 30% of in-person purchases made in Spain with CaixaBank cards are now being done via mobile phones. The bank has around 4.4 million customers with cards linked to mobile devices, figures that are on the rise, with more than 800 million transactions in the last 12 months.

Partnerships between banks and tech companies are also shaping the next generation of digital transactions. In line with this, and as a further demonstration of the bank’s firm commitment to improving the customer experience, CaixaBank, through CaixaBank Payments & Consumer, has signed a pioneering agreement with Apple.

As a result of this partnership, CaixaBank customers with iOS 18 and iPadOS18 will soon have the option to pay in full or spread the cost over multiple months directly at the point of purchase when paying with their CaixaBank cards in Apple Pay. Customers that decide to choose this option will have the choice to do so when shopping online using Apple Pay and in-app on iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

This new functionality will allow customers to see payment options available to them, understand cost including any interest, and choose how they’d like to pay before completing their purchase.

As digital banking evolves, financial institutions are placing greater emphasis on automation and cybersecurity to enhance efficiency and protect customers. AI-driven analytics are enabling banks to deliver hyper-personalised financial solutions, helping individuals make more informed decisions. At the same time, advanced security frameworks, including real-time fraud detection and AI-powered risk management, are becoming critical in safeguarding digital transactions.

In Spain, financial institutions have been recognised for their strong commitment to digital security. Many banks have implemented next-generation fraud detection systems and encryption technologies to safeguard transactions. CaixaBank, for example, has been acknowledged for its advanced cybersecurity measures, reinforcing the industry’s broader push to ensure secure digital banking experiences.

As Spain’s financial sector continues to embrace digital innovation, its commitment to technology, security, and inclusivity will position it as a leader in shaping the future of banking in an increasingly digital world.