Santander Says Its US Digital Bank Will Become Full Service

Three days after Santander launched its digital bank in the United States, offering high-yield savings accounts, Executive Chair Ana Botin reportedly said the bank will have a full-service digital bank in the country by the end of 2025.

Santander’s digital bank, Openbank, is Europe’s largest digital bank in terms of deposits, Reuters reported Thursday.

Santander is also one of the few European banks with a retail presence in the U.S., with 409 branches in the country, mostly in the Northeast, according to the report.

Speaking Thursday during an Institute of International Finance conference in Washington, Botin said: “I was advised by many people, you should sell the bank in the U.S., it’s never going to make it. And I didn’t.”

The digital bank could help fund auto loans and expand Santander’s business in the U.S., the report said.

Openbank went live in the U.S. Monday (Oct. 21), with Santander saying in a press release that the digital bank will enable it to serve customers nationwide.

The release added that Openbank is part of a broader growth strategy by Santander to roll out additional banking products throughout 2025 in an effort to provide a full suite of banking services in the U.S., similar to its existing offerings in Europe.

“The U.S. is a key market for us, where we have been expanding our business over the past years,” Botin said in the release. “Openbank is banking made easy and will offer the best high-yield savings accounts in America that is simple and fast with a competitive rate, and built by Santander, a bank that has the trust of 168 million customers.”

Santander Consumer said in September that it is expanding its small business offering to all auto dealers using its platform. The program lets small business owners and entrepreneurs finance vehicles through the lender’s consumer banking division, broadening their available financing options.

It was reported in March that Santander was cutting 320 jobs, or a little under 3% of its American staff, while expanding its digital offerings.

Asked about the report by PYMNTS, Santander said at the time that it was evolving its business in the U.S. and investing in digital capabilities and “simplified processes.”