50
Special 50th anniversary
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01. Introduction
español

"We do not aspire to be the biggest, but we do aspire to be the best."


Pedro Guerrero, Chairman of Bankinter, takes stock of the bank's history and points out the challenges ahead. “We do not aspire to be the biggest", he says, "But the best, yes.”

What stands out from Bankinter's first half century?

The first thing is that it has been able to survive and consolidate alone, without being merged, taken over, or acquired. When Bankinter was first launched, many other companies also appeared, under the protection of the 1962 Banking Act, which opened up the system. Well, the only one still in existence today is ours. The others have either disappeared or been incorporated into large groups, some which have disappeared themselves.

Furthermore, Bankinter has always proven an enormous capacity to adapt to the changing circumstances under which it performs its activity. Particularly, it has known how to adapt to the technological changes, of which it has made good use to provide a new, more modern and personal type of banking that values its customers. Telephone Banking, Internet Banking and Mobile Banking are tools that we pioneered and are currently well-established tools that enable us to provide a top quality service.

I must also highlight the innovative nature of Bankinter, not only in terms of technology, but also in business organisation. This has enabled us to conceive and implement formulas such as the Agents Network or Partnet Banking, which are unmatched in the sector and have contributed to our organic growth throughout these past years. Innovation permeates all areas of Bankinter; it is an essential part of our DNA, up to the point that if it were not for this innovation, we would not be where we are now.

How do you imagine the bank's next fifty years?

It is not easy to make predictions, but some things are evident. One of them, undoubtedly the most significant one, is that we must continue working to remain worthy of our customer's trust. Trust is a key aspect in this business and retaining it is subject to behaving rigorously, ethically and professionally at all times. After all, we are merely managing the resources that our customers and shareholders entrust us, and we must do so with this in mind.

By all means, we must continue down the path of innovation, which I am convinced will continue to bring us great joy. In addition, we have to intensify our commitment towards sustainability and corporate responsibility. Bankinter has been working along these lines for years, aware of the fact that it is an unavoidable requirement while at the same time doing it under its own free will. The Sustainability Plan, which maximises our positive and minimises our negative impact on the environment, and the activity carried out by the Bankinter Foundation, which increasingly supports entrepreneurship, are proof of this.

What does the slogan Thinking different mean to you?

Thinking different is the capacity to reinvent oneself every day, to innovate and to anticipate the future. That is, exactly what we have been doing since Bankinter was established fifty years ago. And, this necessarily requires taking care of, among other things, our talent. We have a splendid team of people that have been trained by experts, are eager to provide an outstanding service and are highly sensitive to everything that implies innovation. It is essential for the bank that they always be motivated and that they can channel their creativity. We do not aspire to be the biggest, but we do aspire to be the best.



"It is possible to achieve almost any goal we set ourselves"


Bankinter's CEO, María Dolores Dancausa, explains the reasons for the bank's success and points out what the future may hold. She has a firm conviction: “It is possible to achieve almost any goal we set ourselves.”

How would you summarise Bankinter's first half century?

Arriving at this point fully autonomous and independent is absolutely exceptional. So is the fact of having grown organically, customer by customer, doing things a little differently to everyone else. That is why, when you think of an innovative financial institution, Bankinter always comes to mind. We have pioneered new ways of communicating with customers, opening up pathways not previously trod.

This has only been possible because of the work and the commitment of our group of employees, collaborators, members and agents. Thanks to their initiatives and hard graft, Bankinter has grown, achieved unusual levels of profitability and efficiency, and become a model for the Spanish financial and business world. With all that accumulated talent put at the service of the company, it is possible to achieve almost any goal we set ourselves.

What are they keys for the next fifty years?

I usually say, because there is evidence to confirm it, that organisations which make it to the half century mark, continuously and independently, have a good chance of reaching a hundred. And I do not doubt that Bankinter will make it to that ripe old age, too, because it is capable of remaining true to the principles of righteousness, integrity, and honesty that have characterised its first fifty years. Ethical principles are essential for gaining and maintaining the trust of customers, something that without which no company can move forward, and far less so a credit institution. Especially faced with such a fickle future as that, which in many other aspects, lies ahead of us.

The means through which banking does its business have varied substantially in recent times due to advances in technology that still push change at an ever more accelerated rhythm. For this reason we must continue to have, as we have up to now, open and forward-looking minds, as well as the skills to adjust that have, in the past, been one of the secrets of our success. New technologies are also going to oblige us, are already obliging us, to compete with another series of players, not necessarily financial, who are global and have exceptional analytical abilities, and which, logically, are fighting to attract the same clients that interest us. Faced with this, Bankinter should stand firm in its conviction to be the most efficient bank, crucial for surviving in a world doomed to live within narrow margins.

What does the slogan "Thinking differently" suggest to you?

It suggests exactly that which, for the members of the Bankinter family, has become our watchword. Something that can be seen in this company's workforce. As I have already underlined, we have never done banking the traditional way and, if we had tried it, I very much doubt we would be where we are today. We work with the same raw material as our competitors, but we know how to give it a different touch, this enormous contribution made by innovation, the rigour applied to what we do and to how we do it. For this reason, our initiatives, our ideas, the tasks we undertake… are all done "thinking differently."



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