BBVA has significantly expanded its partnership with OpenAI, nearly quadrupling its number of ChatGPT Enterprise licences from 3,300 to 11,000, as part of its push to enhance productivity with generative AI. The Spanish banking group found that employees using ChatGPT save an average of 2.8 hours per week by automating routine tasks.
The bank, which was the first in Europe to partner with OpenAI, reports that 83% of licensed users interact with ChatGPT at least once daily. So far, more than 3,000 custom assistants have been developed to support various functions — from translations and document summarisation to coding help, legal research, financial data analysis, and marketing support.
To ensure responsible AI adoption, BBVA offers employee training aligned with strict data security and confidentiality protocols. The bank has also launched a dedicated AI community with regular meetups and online forums, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing among staff.
Elena Alfaro, global head of AI adoption at BBVA, says the surge in licences reflects widespread internal demand: “The expansion of our licences is a product of heavy in-house demand, as many business areas in all countries have expressed an interest in integrating generative AI capabilities into their teams.”
This move underscores BBVA’s ambition to embed AI into its operations and workflows as the technology continues to reshape how financial services are delivered.