BBVA has formalized a long-term strategic alliance with OpenAI With this move, the bank aims to take a decisive leap forward in the use of generative artificial intelligence, both in its internal operations and in the services it offers its clients. The announcement, made at OpenAI's headquarters in San Francisco, reinforces the Spanish bank's commitment to positioning itself among the most advanced financial institutions in digital transformation.
The agreement comes after almost two years of prior collaborationIn previous collaborations, teams from both organizations tested use cases, refined models, and defined a common roadmap. Now, that relationship is entering a more ambitious phase, with shared objectives, joint investments, and an active role for OpenAI in designing tailored solutions for the banking group, particularly in Spain and the rest of Europe.
An alliance to put AI at the heart of the bank
As the bank itself explained, OpenAI will play a key role in BBVA's AI strategyThis involves redesigning the customer experience, introducing new ways of working, and improving the efficiency of internal processes. It's not just about incorporating specific tools, but about integrating AI "natively" into the core of the organization's operating model.
Carlos Torres Vila, president of BBVAHe recalled that the bank was a pioneer in mobile and digital banking, and that it now wants to take a similar step with artificial intelligence. According to him, the alliance with OpenAI will allow them to build a “smarter, more proactive, and fully personalized” experience, in which the bank is able to anticipate each customer's financial needs.
From OpenAI's perspective, BBVA becomes an emblematic use case This demonstrates how a large financial institution can rapidly and ambitiously adopt generative AI. Sam Altman, CEO and co-founder of the technology company, emphasized that the collaboration will focus on integrating OpenAI's models into the core of the bank's products and operations to transform the banking experience for millions of users.
The alliance positions BBVA as one of the first major European banks with preferential access to OpenAI's most advanced capabilities. This includes expert talent, state-of-the-art models, engineering and research support, and the opportunity to experiment early with new versions of the technology before its mass adoption in the market.
Co-creation of solutions: from the financial assistant to the employee's "alter ego"
One of the distinguishing elements of the pact is the co-creation of specific solutions for bankingBeyond the standard use of generic tools, both companies will work closely together to design products and systems tailored to BBVA's actual needs and the regulatory requirements of the European financial sector.
Among the flagship projects is the development of a smart financial conversational assistantDesigned to help people manage their money on a daily basis, this assistant should help customers manage their accounts, understand their spending, plan savings or request products, all through a natural dialogue and in everyday language, raising a new standard in the bank-customer relationship.
The alliance also includes specific tools for the BBVA network business managersThe goal is for them to offer much more tailored advice to each client. Thanks to AI, these professionals will have access to synthesized information, personalized recommendations, and real-time support, which is expected to change the way they interact with individuals and businesses.
Another priority area will be that of risk analysis and internal controla particularly sensitive area in banking. OpenAI and BBVA plan to work on models that will help detect risk patterns With greater anticipation, improve the quality of credit granting decisions and strengthen supervisory systems, always within European regulatory frameworks.
On an operational level, the collaboration includes the design of systems to modernize key tasks such as software development, process automation, and internal supportThis is where one of the most striking concepts of the agreement comes into play: the so-called "digital alter ego" or "second self" for each employee, an AI assistant that learns the professional's work style, remembers projects and can execute tasks under their supervision.
The digital “alter ego”: AI as a work partner
The idea of the “alter ego” is presented as a proactive digital companion for BBVA staff. This internal assistant would be trained to support the employee in drafting documents, preparing reports, analyzing information, or programming, among other uses, always complying with the entity's security and privacy policies.
According to the bank, Final control will remain in the hands of the worker.The AI proposes solutions, but it is the human who reviews, corrects, and validates what is implemented. The intention is to free up time from routine and repetitive tasks so that professionals can focus on higher value-added activities, such as customer service, product design, or strategic decision-making.
This approach aligns with BBVA's strategy to promote a completely new productivity modelsupported by generative AI. The organization not only wants to digitize existing processes, but also to rethink how daily work is organized within teams, from technology areas to sales and support units.
OpenAI emphasizes that deploying these types of internal assistants requires a progressive adoption modelwith training, advanced user communities, and spaces for experimentation. In fact, BBVA has already worked with pilot groups and internal surveys to understand how these tools are integrated into the daily work routine.
In this context, the alliance with OpenAI also serves as laboratory of good practices for the responsible use of AI in regulated environments, something especially relevant for other European banks that closely follow these types of initiatives and their compatibility with EU regulations.
ChatGPT Enterprise for over 120.000 employees
The other major pillar of the agreement is the Mass deployment of ChatGPT Enterprise across the organizationBBVA has announced that it will extend this corporate version of the OpenAI assistant to its entire workforce, made up of more than 120.000 employees in its different markets, in what will be one of the most extensive implementations known in the financial sector.
Before taking this step, the bank had already developed a pilot phase with approximately 11.000 internal usersDuring that period, ChatGPT Enterprise was used in all areas of the business, from corporate functions to technology teams, with results that the entity describes as positive in terms of usefulness and efficiency.
According to data shared by BBVA, approximately 80% of those who had the tool used it dailyThey reported an average savings of around three hours per week on repetitive tasks. This improvement in productivity is one of the reasons that led the bank's management to extend access to the rest of the organization.
OpenAI, for its part, highlighted that BBVA adopted a “democratic” approach in this first stage, distributing thousands of licenses among different profiles and regions, and supporting its use with workshops, specific training and a community of advanced users —who have been internally referred to as “AI wizards”— who shared use cases and best practices.
With the generalization of ChatGPT Enterprise, the entity aims to consolidate a work environment where AI is an everyday toolas ubiquitous as email or internal applications. The expectation is that this step will accelerate the cultural transformation and facilitate the adoption of new solutions co-created with OpenAI.
Banking through ChatGPT: a new relationship channel
Beyond its internal use, BBVA and OpenAI are working on directly integrate the bank's products and services into ChatGPTso that users can consult information and perform certain tasks without leaving the conversational assistant.
The bank has already shown prototypes of this integration in their digital banks in Italy and Germanywhere initial versions of a banking application accessible via ChatGPT were demonstrated. The idea is that, over time, any customer will be able to interact with the bank through this channel, always complying with security requirements. bank verification and data protection.
This approach opens the door to the conversational channel becomes another way to connect with the entity, complementing the remote bankingthe web and physical offices. For a growing number of users, accustomed to interacting with virtual assistants, this approach could prove more convenient and natural.
In the European context, the initiative is considered a relevant step in the race to build more open and user-oriented banking modelswhere technology adapts to the customer's language, not the other way around. BBVA aims to be at the forefront of this transition, at least in the markets where it has a stronger digital presence.
The integration of financial services into generative AI platforms also raises regulatory and trust challengesFrom the protection of personal data to transparency in automated recommendations, the bank has emphasized that any final commercial rollout will be conducted under the supervisory standards of European and national regulators.
A benchmark for the transformation of the financial sector
The announced collaboration framework is presented as a long-term strategic agreementThe financial terms have not been publicly disclosed. BBVA and OpenAI insist that the focus is on developing practical, scalable solutions that comply with the ethical and regulatory requirements governing banking activity in Europe and other markets where the company operates.
For BBVA, the alliance fits into a trajectory of sustained commitment to technological innovationThis strategy, which in recent years has included expanding its digital banking, boosting data analytics, and investing in new platforms, is now being furthered by the incorporation of generative AI. The aim is to strengthen its competitive position against other major European banks and purely digital players.
For OpenAI, the agreement with a global financial institution like BBVA means consolidate its presence in highly regulated sectors and demonstrate that their models can be used safely and responsibly in sensitive areas such as finance. The case thus becomes a showcase for other European organizations interested in adopting generative AI on a large scale.
The collaboration aims to to set a new standard for what will be possible in banking in the next decadeFrom readily available financial assistants to employees supported by digital alter egos, and from more agile internal processes to better-informed decisions, the starting point is already set. The true scope of this initiative will become clear as the solutions move from the laboratory to the daily operations of clients and employees.
