Santander finalizes digital transformation of Spanish tech infrastructure through Gravity rollout
In a significant stride towards digital transformation, Santander España has completed the migration of its core technology infrastructure to Gravity, its innovative cloud-based core banking platform. This decisive step, announced on June 19, 2025, marks Santander as the first major established bank in the Western world to operate 100% in the cloud.
Dirk Marzluf, Group Chief Operating and Technology Officer, hailed the move, stating that Gravity makes Santander a 'digital native' company. The platform, built using best-in-class capabilities, enhances Santander's ability to attract top talent and offers nearly 30,000 software developers and engineers a high-performance environment for developing customer-centric applications.
Gravity's software provides simultaneous data processing, enabling the bank to run workloads both on its mainframe and in the cloud at the same time. This feature ensures real-time testing without interrupting operations, and once stability and performance are verified, the bank can switch from the traditional mainframe to the cloud.
Santander España processes more than 4.3 billion transactions per year, with peaks of up to 33,000 transactions per second. With the implementation of Gravity, the platform is expected to handle more than one trillion technical operations annually across Santander's systems. This migration has shortened the launch time for new functionalities from weeks to hours, promising a more agile and efficient banking experience for customers.
Ignacio Juliá, CEO of Santander España, has congratulated over 1,000 people involved in the deployment of Gravity. The successful implementation of Gravity is a testament to Santander's commitment to digital innovation. The Banker magazine named Santander the most innovative bank in the world, highlighting the successful implementation of Gravity, which was recognised as a "massive and highly ambitious" project by The Banker's Digital Banking Innovation Awards.
While specific details about the impact of Gravity on customer experience and operating efficiency are not yet available, Santander's initiatives suggest a focus on enhancing these areas. For instance, Santander's fully digital bank, Openbank, has shown significant growth, achieving 110,000 customers in Mexico in less than four months. This growth is supported by platforms that provide faster access to data and rapid deployment of new functionalities.
Moreover, the financial services industry, including Santander, is focusing on rethinking data architecture to address data gravity and leverage advanced analytics and AI. This could transform customer experiences by providing more personalized services and improve operational efficiency through better data management.
With upcoming rollouts in Brazil and Mexico, Santander is set to migrate around 80% of its core technology infrastructure to the cloud globally. This transition promises a future of seamless, efficient, and innovative banking experiences for Santander's customers worldwide.
Digital banking is set to significantly evolve with Santander's global migration of 80% of its core technology infrastructure to the cloud, following in the footsteps of its Spanish arm, Santander España. This move, driven by advanced technology and innovation, is expected to bring about more agile and efficient business operations, as well as improve customer experiences through personalized services and better data management. Moreover, the focus on redefining data architecture and leveraging advanced analytics and AI could revolutionize the financial industry.
