Openbank's Next Stops: Colombia, Peru and, Eventually, Brazil

Openbank's Next Stops: Colombia, Peru and, Eventually, Brazil
Openbank Could Be Coming to Brazil

Hey Digital Banking Fanatic!

Santander's digital bank has its next stops on the map.

Speaking to journalists in Madrid, Ana Botín said Santander plans to take Openbank to Colombia and Peru, and eventually to Brazil.

The idea is to use one integrated global platform to lower unit costs and compete with digital and global players.

Openbank already operates in Mexico, where it has 1.6 million customers, and in the US, where it holds $11 billion in deposits.

Botín also pointed to Santander's voluntary offer for the roughly 10% of Santander Brasil it doesn't already own, as a sign of confidence in the country.

The interesting part for me is the model. Instead of building a separate digital bank in every country, Santander wants one platform it can take into new markets.

Of course, this is a plan, not a launch date. No timeline was given, and Brazil comes after Colombia and Peru.

Now let's see which one goes live first.

Here's what else is happening in digital banking today👇

See you tomorrow!

Cheers,

Marcel


INSIGHTS

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NEWS

🌎 Santander's Openbank could eventually launch in Brazil, says Ana Botín. The digital bank, present in Spain, Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, Mexico and the US, will next expand to Colombia and Peru, Botín said, citing Santander's single global platform.

🇬🇧 Revolut completes fundraise at a $115B valuation. Glade Brook Capital Partners, Coatue, Durable Capital Partners, T. Rowe Price and Baillie Gifford led the transaction. Revolut's 2025 revenue grew 46% to $6.0B, while pre-tax profit rose 57% to $2.3B.

🇦🇹 Revolut passes 500,000 customers in Austria. The figure has doubled from 250,000 in November 2024. Revolut has completed its Austrian branch registration and plans to introduce local IBANs in 2027.

🇬🇧 Revolut cuts dozens of staff in latest performance review round. Financial News reports that the company has let go of dozens of employees following its latest round of performance reviews.

🇵🇾 Paraguay's central bank chief resigns as Ueno Bank crisis deepens. Carlos Carvallo stepped down at President Santiago Peña's request after the regulator put the digital lender into resolution. Board member Liana Caballero has taken over as interim president.

🇩🇪 Nordnet to launch in Germany on 16 November. Early-access customers will get securities accounts, a savings account, funds, ETFs and the Nordnet Social community, ahead of a full market launch in January 2027 that adds pension savings.

🇵🇭 UnionBank says capital for UnionDigital Bank is ready despite relief request. The lender has asked the BSP to exempt it from further injections ahead of integrating its digital bank by April 2027. UnionDigital posted a net loss of ₱2.19B last year.

🇧🇷 Itaú's Q3 recurring profit rises 6.2% to R$12.6B. Recurring ROE eased to 23.6% from 24.3% in Q2, while the loan book reached R$1.54 trillion as the bank's credit quality stayed strong.

🇳🇬 Rex Africa launches an AI-native bank in Nigeria. Powered by CBN-licensed Rex Microfinance Bank, the platform offers savings, cards, POS and credit products, with deposits insured by NDIC. It says thousands of individuals and hundreds of businesses have signed up.

🇲🇽 Klar Empresarial's SME credit origination grows 216% to MXN1.9B in six months. Client numbers rose 165% over the half-year, and businesses moved more than MXN11.5B through its Cuenta 360 account. Klar is now opening its digital business platform to Mexico's 10 to 12 million self-employed professionals.

🇬🇧 Trading 212 rolls out automated deposits with TrueLayer. Users can fund accounts through TrueLayer's Bank on File, now live with all six of the UK's largest banks. Trading 212 says the deposits have a 97% success rate and are 50% larger than card payments.

🇺🇸 Capra Bank and Zact expand partnership with Capra SpendLink launch. The new platform helps commercial customers manage business spending and builds on a Zact-powered commercial card programme. The two firms are exploring further commercial banking capabilities.

🇪🇸 Openbank leads €120M-plus deal in Spanish car-leasing platform Revel. DTE Capital and Citi also took part in the transaction, which combines share purchases, a capital injection and conversion of convertible loans. Santander's digital bank first partnered with Revel in 2023.

🇮🇳 OneStack raises $1.32M to expand banking technology for cooperative banks. Shepherd's Hill led the ₹12.5 crore round, with Pentathlon Ventures and AVNM Ventures participating. OneStack lets cooperative banks connect directly to NPCI as UPI issuers and acquirers under their own brands.


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