María Dolores Dancausa is under no illusion that businesses all over the world have reason to feel uneasy about their economic future, but she is unapologetic in her belief that there is ample cause for optimism.
“Banks have been facing several challenges for some time now,” she argues. “Although these challenges are complex, we’ve been able to navigate them by rolling out effective mitigation strategies.”
For María Dolores Dancausa, while external factors over the past year have destabilized the economy, Bankinter remains steadfast in its goal towards organic growth. In the face of inflationary pressures and geopolitical concerns, she is clear that "the number one priority for banks should be ensuring the confidence of our customers, who entrust us with thier savings with the expectation that they will be managed correctly and transparently." She adds that "in our sector, we must be able to analyze the extent to which our role is necessary for modern society to function properly, as guardians of savings and funders of family and business projects."
Digital transformation has been essential in building this trust: “We are a relationship-based business, and we operate on the trust of our customers. The use of technology and the security it provides as we handle confidential data has been crucial to our activity." Growing and accelerating the company's digital capabilities has been and continues to be a priority for the bank: “Technology continues to allow us to manage our business better whilst providing a service that lives up to customer expectations.”
This vision of what a good bank should be has been conistently reflected in Bankinter's responsible strategy over the years. This has resulted in the bank's outstanding performance in the latest stress tests that the European Banking Authority conducted on the largest banks on the continent. Bankinter ranked as the top Spanish bank offering the strongest resistance to any adverse macroeconomic impact, and the third in Europe. This resilience gives the company a competitive advantage against a possible recession.
Ultimately, María Dolores Dancausa firmly believes it is the banking sector’s responsibility to help facilitate sustainable transformation: “The financial sector should walk hand-in-hand with companies that are transforming toward more decarbonized business models and play a role that goes far beyond merely financing the greenest sectors.” She argues that this transition process presents banks with multiple opportunities, “from the possibility of funding projects that accelerate this dynamic to marketing investment products based on these types of assets.”
