Global Banking & Finance recognizes Santander as the Best Digital Bank in Chile

Once again, the magazine recognized the Bank in this category, thus reflecting the success of the digital strategy it has carried out with products such as Life, Superdigital, Klare and Getnet, among others. In addition, Santander was recognized as Fastest Growing Digital Bank Chile 2022 and Excellence in Innovation Digital Banking Chile.

Santander works daily to deliver new and innovative solutions to customer requirements, where the development of the digital world is essential. In this context, the entity was once again recognized by Global Banking & Finance in its 2022 edition as “Best Digital Bank in Chile”, “Bank with the Highest Digital Growth in Chile” and “Excellence in Innovation Digital Banking Chile”. These are awards that reflect the progress made by strategic products such as Life, Superdigital, Klare and Getnet, among others.

“We live in an increasingly digitized society, with customers who expect solutions from companies that are up to the new challenge. For this reason, we are very proud to have once again received these recognitions that are an endorsement of the work that our teams carry out on a daily basis and, at the same time, an invitation to continue innovating with products that help people and companies to progress”, said Marcos Thomas, head of Innovation and Strategic Alliances of Santander Chile.

Indeed, the executive recalled that “the pandemic accelerated the digitization process of many companies, regardless of their field. In our case, we had already been working on these matters, which allowed us to face the challenges of the health crisis with products that facilitated the needs of our customers, in especially difficult times”.

And this is evidenced by the figures. During 2020 and 2021, the Bank has strengthened its digital channels, allowing digital customers to increase by 30% and their loyalty by 9%. In the case of Life -product with 100% digital onboarding that seeks to reach unbanked sectors and that rewards clients for their good financial performance- the total number of clients exceeds 900,000, representing a growth of 86% as of December 2021 with respect to the same period of the previous year. “Life came to revolutionize the banking industry, through a new way of relating to customers, because with this product for the first time their good financial behavior was recognized, which has allowed them to access various benefits, among them, a reduction in your interest rate. Life´s good reception has shown that it is highly valued by the market”, said Thomas.

According to the latest public information available, the net opening of accounts in Santander Chile is almost equivalent to the opening of total accounts in the rest of the banking system as a whole, thus reaching a market share of 29%, a phenomenon which has been especially driven by Life.

In the case of Superdigital, as of December 2021 there were already more than 280,000 accounts, reflecting a growth of 119%. Thanks to this prepaid digital account, launched in 2020, users can receive their salaries and other social benefits directly to their accounts, without having to go to a branch in person to collect these cash transfers.

Meanwhile, the entity also innovated in the insurance market through Klare, the first 100% digital insurance broker in the country, which compares insurance between different providers quickly and transparently. Klare already has 65 thousand monthly visits and sells life, health, sports and dental plans. Klare continues to increase the offer of insurance products and recently launched insurance for medical emergencies, oncological insurance, and a new life insurance with a pension savings scheme.

Digital strategy, one of the keys to success

In November 2020, the entity held a virtual meeting to publicize Santander’s digital strategy for the 2021-2023 period. On this occasion, Miguel Mata, CEO of Banco Santander, explained that this would be based on two pillars:

1. Run the Bank, a consumer-centric approach with a phygital distribution model and a value proposition based on what people are trying to achieve. The objectives are to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction, increase productivity in all channels, and be more efficient and profitable. This was reflected in two initiatives: Santander Life, with its strong growth in the opening of Life Accounts, and WorkCafé, which includes a community to help entrepreneurs.
2. Change the Bank, which seeks to transform the Bank into a benchmark based on the advantage of high market share by developing a technology platform for customers to use as a channel or software developer to increase their business. In this regard, Santander leverages its relationship with the Group and global projects, such as Pago Nxt, which intends to develop three vertical solutions- Merchant, Trade and Consumer solutions- that can be exported or have already been exported to Chile. Examples include Superdigital, Klare, Autocompara, One Pay Fx, and Getnet.

Indeed, Getnet has made significant strides in the payment industry. This acquiring network uses a four-part model to operate, offering a payment solution especially to small and medium-sized businesses. Thanks to Getnet, customers can receive money from their sales on the same day and can choose from various plans that fit their needs. The POS can be fixed or mobile, and automatically detects what type of card the customer has, thus making the shopping experience seamless. Currently there are more than 55,000 clients that are part of Getnet, with 68,000 POS sold.