Excellence in leadership in Western Europe 2020: CaixaBank

CaixaBank’s response to the coronavirus crisis started with a recognition of the vital role of its physical network, which reaches more small and isolated communities than any other bank in Spain. 

It kept 90% of this network open, even while half of its branch staff and 98% of the staff in central services and subsidiaries worked remotely.

The bank has a market share of around 30% among the over-65 age group. During the crisis it worked to support these older clients, given their increased vulnerability to the virus and risk of isolation. It phoned all clients over 75 years old to offer advice and support, for example, and implemented measures to help pensioners avoid queues at bank branches. 

As the biggest group represented publicly by the Spanish savings banks’ federation, CaixaBank’s involvement in industry-wide initiatives has been crucial. It has processed hundreds of thousands of requests for repayment holidays by mortgage and consumer borrowers, and brought forward pension and unemployment payments for around five million clients.