Unicaja, one of the main banks in the Spanish financial system, has decided to boost its hybrid cloud strategy in collaboration with IBM, adopting IBM Cloud for Financial Services. This platform is designed to facilitate financial institutions in incorporating the cloud while meeting the regulatory and security requirements of the sector. The entity has chosen to join IBM’s Multizone Cloud Region (MZR) in Madrid, inaugurated last year to help companies accelerate innovation while complying with the regulatory and digital sovereignty, operational, and data requirements of the European Union.
### Bet on IBM’s hybrid cloud
With this alliance, Unicaja seeks to transform its applications, infrastructure, and operational strategy, leveraging IBM Cloud Pak for Automation, Integration, and Applications solutions, built on Red Hat OpenShift architectures. These tools will enable the entity to gain agility and flexibility in its integration and infrastructure transformation initiatives, as well as access specialized services tailored to the financial sector.
### Challenges and regulatory compliance
According to the ‘IBM Transformation Index: State of Cloud’ study, 56% of respondents in Spain and 53% globally believe that ensuring regulatory compliance in the cloud is currently too difficult. In the financial services industry, more than a quarter of respondents agree that these requirements prevent them from fully achieving their goals in the cloud.
Raúl Cals, CIO of Unicaja, emphasized that this partnership aims to “drive innovation, exploring and adopting cutting-edge technologies to enhance products and services for customers. This push, hand in hand with IBM, will enable the successful execution of that transformation, ensuring success in six fundamental dimensions of our cloud strategy: reducing time to market, resource optimization, platform scalability, cost savings, resilience, and security.”
### IBM’s Comments
Carmen Prada, IBM Cloud Leader for Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Israel, highlighted the importance of balancing innovation with security and regulatory compliance. “Thanks to IBM’s experience in the financial sector and access to our leading capabilities in artificial intelligence and hybrid cloud, Unicaja will be able to continue transforming the customer experience and more efficiently address the sector’s regulatory and security requirements.”
### Commitment to secure modernization
IBM’s MZR in Madrid enhances resilience and enables customers to run critical workloads continuously, offering access to innovative security features crucial for regulated sectors like financial services. The IBM Cloud for Financial Services platform allows financial institutions to accelerate cloud adoption and address potential systemic risks, with built-in controls and data protection capabilities designed to meet regulatory compliance requirements.
### About Unicaja
Unicaja is a benchmark bank in the Spanish financial system and a publicly traded company on the Ibex 35, with a solid base of four million customers. It operates mainly in six autonomous communities, in addition to having a presence in Madrid, Ceuta, and Melilla. Unicaja is characterized by its universal banking model and sustainable business, focused on retail banking and digital transformation.
### About IBM
IBM is a leading provider of enterprise AI, hybrid cloud architecture, security, and ESG insights for the global financial services sector. Its expertise in the sector and extensive ecosystem of fintech partners empower collaboration and innovation. IBM guides financial institutions in their digital transformation journeys through IBM Consulting and provides the infrastructure, software, and services necessary for their secure modernization.