CaixaBank Creates an AI and Data Department to Accelerate Its Digital Transformation
CaixaBank creates an executive AI and Data department, led by Juan Arandilla, to unify its data and artificial intelligence strategy and accelerate its digital transformation.
CaixaBank has created a new AI and Data Department to accelerate its data- and artificial intelligence-based transformation, a move that reinforces the bank's commitment to placing data and AI at the center of its digital strategy. The new department, which will be led by Juan Arandilla, emerges with the goal of unifying and giving greater momentum to all initiatives related to artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and data management within the organization.
The decision comes at a time of full expansion of generative AI in the Spanish financial sector, where major entities are reorganizing their internal structures to avoid falling behind in the technological race. The news was made public in early October 2026, generating considerable interest in the country's financial and technological ecosystem.
What the New AI and Data Department Is
The bank's new organizational unit aims to centralize the artificial intelligence and data capabilities that until now had been spread across different areas of the bank. Its creation responds to the need to accelerate data-based transformation, turning the information managed by the entity into a real competitive advantage for the business.
Its main functions include:
- Defining the entity's global artificial intelligence and data strategy.
- Governing generative AI and advanced analytics projects across all business areas.
- Maintaining quality, security, and regulatory compliance in data management.
- Promoting a data-driven culture among the bank's internal teams.
Leadership falls to Juan Arandilla, a profile with an extensive track record in digital transformation and technological innovation within the entity, ensuring continuity and deep knowledge of the business.
A Context of Technological Alliances
This organizational move does not come alone. The entity has also extended its collaboration with Google Cloud until 2033, a strategic alliance focused on AI agents, hybrid cloud, and team training. This combination of a powerful internal structure and a top-tier technology partner ecosystem positions the bank among the most advanced entities in Europe in artificial intelligence adoption.
The creation of a specific AI and Data department demonstrates that artificial intelligence is no longer a pilot project in banking, but rather a structural piece of the business.
Why This Decision Matters
The banking sector is one of the major drivers of technology investment in Spain. The creation of this department sends several relevant signals:
- AI becomes structural: it goes from being scattered initiatives to an executive area with its own direction and a clear responsible party.
- Data as a strategic asset: the professionalized management of data is consolidated as a source of decision-making at all levels.
- Pressure on talent: the demand for specialized profiles in AI, data, and analytics continues to grow in the Spanish job market.
- Ripple effect in the sector: it is expected that other financial entities will replicate this type of structure to remain competitive.
Security and Governance Challenges
CaixaBank has also strengthened its cybersecurity structure to address the specific challenges posed by AI, aware that greater use of data and generative models also implies new risks. Client privacy, compliance with European artificial intelligence regulations, and the fight against fraud are priority axes of this transformation.
The combination of AI, data, and reinforced cybersecurity paints the profile of the banking of the future: more agile entities, more personalized in their customer service, and capable of detecting risks in real time thanks to the massive analysis of information.