Santander appoints dentsu in multi-year deal to support the globalisation of its international growth platform for SMEs

Santander Corporate and Commercial Banking has appointed dentsu, the integrated business transformation partner, to support the globalisation of its international growth platform for SMEs (small and medium enterprises).  

The platform, which aims to simplify international trade for businesses around the world, is embarking on an ambitious growth journey spanning the next five years. Launching into new markets will be essential for these plans, with sights set on 45 across the globe. This includes 10 core markets for the bank alongside additional markets related to its alliance banking partners. 

It will provide users with a digital-first customer experience, giving them access to everything they need to enter a new market with confidence. Users will be able to build their knowledge with key industry and market insights, create important new connections through exclusive discounts and in-market providers with access to bespoke solutions to help break down trade barriers. 

The platform, to be built by dentsu, is foundational to Santander’s mission to simplify international trade for the world's SME community, which represents over 90% of the business population and contributes around half of GDP. These businesses are the backbone of the economy, driving growth, prosperity and innovation. Empowering more to expand internationally will unlock new opportunities, driving transformative impact on a global scale. 

This transformative multi-year deal builds on dentsu’s long-standing relationship with Santander. The design, build, operations and marketing of the platform will be managed by dentsu and powered by its technology partners including Salesforce, Adobe and Amazon. It leverages the full breadth of dentsu’s integrated capabilities across media, creative, customer experience, business transformation and b2b specialisms. 

The appointment highlights the aligned values between Santander and dentsu. Santander’s dedication to helping businesses prosper will be bolstered and brought to life by dentsu’s ongoing commitment to helping companies transform and grow sustainably through integrated solutions that benefit people, business and society.  

The platform is currently scheduled to launch in Q2 2025. 

John Carroll, Head of International and Transactional Banking at Santander said: “Over the last five years, we’ve created a revolutionary international proposition that has broken the mould for traditional banking customers. It’s been fundamental in shaping international trade for UK businesses and has allowed us to support them in new international markets. We’ve seen first-hand what can be achieved when all the pieces of the puzzle are put in place, when businesses can feel empowered to take their next step and realise their true growth potential. Now, it’s our time to export. We’re ready to take the support we can offer to the next level and help more businesses than ever before across all corners of the globe. I’m delighted to be working with dentsu to work on this next phase. Their knowledge and expertise are second to none and they will be pivotal to the future of this offering. Together, we will pave the way for the future of international trade, a simpler way that means more businesses can take advantage of the massive opportunity it holds.”  

Angela Tangas, Chief Executive Officer UK&I at dentsu, said: “In a changing macro environment, new business models which create new sources of revenue growth, are fundamental to how clients such as Santander achieve sustainable long-term advantage. We are delighted to offer our broad range of transformation capabilities in support of Santander's strategy and to play a key part in both delivering and realising its growth vision and with it, co-create a new ecosystem for SMB international trade. For us, this is business transformation, this is innovating to impact”