This weekend, CaixaBank will undertake the largest technological and commercial integration conducted thus far in the Spanish financial system

The process of unifying Bankia’s systems begins

• The bank will begin work on Friday the 12th, at 3pm, following the closure of the branches to the public, and expects operational normality to resume on Monday the 15th.
• In this operation, 2.5 billion digitalised documents will be transmitted, which, spread out on paper, would occupy the area of more than 20,000 football pitches.
• The total information transmitted from 7.6 million active customers amounts to 10.4 petabytes, equivalent to 1.8 billion songs in high-quality MP3 format, or 45 times Spotify's stored capacity.
• Once the process starts, Bankia’s website and app will only allow customers to check their balance; as soon as the data migration is finished and operations can be resumed, both will automatically redirect to CaixaBank's digital channels.
• Bankia customers will be able to withdraw cash from ATMs and make card purchases normally throughout the weekend, but their balance will not be updated until the work is completed.
• Sending and receiving money through Bizum and instant transfers originating from or sent to Bankia customers will not be available while the integration is in progress.
• This operation will not affect CaixaBank customers, who will be able to operate normally on the bank's digital channels and the ATM network throughout the weekend.

On Friday 12 November, CaixaBank will begin its technological integration with Bankia, the process unifying the computer systems of both banks as well as the data stored on them. The work will start from 3pm on Friday 12 th, once the branches close to the public, and is foreseen to take two days to complete, coinciding with the weekend. It is expected that the integration will be concluded on Monday 15 th.

This operation will transmit the information of 7.6 million active Bankia customers with a volume of 10.4 petabytes, which is equivalent to 45 times Spotify's stored capacity or 1.8 billion songs in high quality MP3 format.

In total, there are 2.5 billion digitalised documents (national ID, contracts, signatures, receipts, or correspondence, among others) that, spread out on paper, would occupy the area of more than 20,000 football pitches.

Redirection to CaixaBank's digital channels

The integration will begin with the migration of information from Bankia systems to CaixaBank systems (Friday 12th at 3pm). As soon as the work starts, the balance updates on Bankia's digital channels will be temporarily suspended and, when customers view their position, they will only see the data recorded on Friday, at the start of the technological integration.

However, the preparations for the integration will begin to become apparent a few hours before the process formally starts. For example, from Thursday 11th , Bankia's customers may notice that their account balance is not immediately updated after certain transactions, rather it is completed 2 or 3 hours later.

When the migration phase is finalised (most likely during the night of Saturday 13th), both the Bankia website www.bankia.es, and the mobile banking application will be automatically redirected to the CaixaBank commercial website, www.caixabank.es, and the CaixaBankNow and imagin applications. As from Sunday 14th, Bankia customers will be able to download and access CaixaBank's online banking applications. All the information about their position will have been transferred to CaixaBank's systems.

The first time they access CaixaBank's mobile banking system, users will be able to use the same credentials they used with Bankia. The system will ask for the usual security checks, for which customers will need to have their mobile phone.

For this reason, an information campaign has been conducted in recent weeks to ensure that Bankia's digital banking customers check that the financial institution has their up-to-date telephone number. If this is not the case, customers will have limited online banking service as they will only be able to access read-only mode, and will not be able to make purchases over the internet until they inform the bank of their current telephone number.

From the first time they log on to CaixaBank's online banking channels, customers will have an extensive tutorial to become familiarised with the design and features offered by CaixaBankNow and imagin.

Alterations in online channels and self-service for Bankia customers

The technological process may cause some disruption in the availability of online channels and self-service for Bankia's customers.

• As soon as the data migration begins (Friday 12th at 3pm), Bankia customers will be able to enter their mobile and web online banking and check their balance, but they will not be able to carry out other usual banking services. The transaction log will also not be updated if the customer makes card transactions or ATM withdrawals.
• From 3pm on Friday 12th and until the end of the data migration (Saturday 13th during the night, according to estimates), Bankia customers will not be able to send or receive money through Bizum or immediate transfers, even if the senders are customers of other banks. Any attempts to make Bizum transactions that have a phone number associated with a Bankia customer as the source or destination will display an error message until the service becomes available again.
• Bankia customers will be able to make cash withdrawals normally at ATMs throughout the weekend. However, their updated account balance will not be displayed until the end of the integration work.
• The cards issued by Bankia will operate as usual while the integration is in progress, meaning purchases can be made in physical stores and also online. However, until the integration is finalised, statements of transactions made will not be updated.
• The POS terminals of Bankia's customer businesses will enable transactions as normal. Most of them are already connected to CaixaBank's systems, since this work has been brought forward to ensure the availability of the service.

Once the data migration is complete and customers can start banking through CaixaBank's online channels, all services are expected to be enabled, offering full availability, including sending and receiving money through Bizum and instant transfers. Similarly, their balance statements will be updated, including card purchases and cash withdrawals at ATMs made over the weekend.

Some specific products and services will show the updated position information within the following days. For instance, the plan valuation data of pension plans will be updated on Tuesday 16th November.

Bankia's customers at CaixaBank will still be able to bank on the channels they have done thus far, so that they can use the app or the web whether they are set to move to CaixaBank (CaixaBankNow app or www.caixabank.es) or imagin (imagin app or www.caixabank.es/imagin).

Banking as normal for CaixaBank customers

CaixaBank customers are expected to be able to operate normally through CaixaBankNow, both the website and mobile, or the imagin app, and may use ATMs and cards without incident, with real-time position updates. Similarly, customers of other banks who make withdrawals at ATMs may do so in the usual way, regardless of whether it is a Bankia or CaixaBank ATM.

Technological integration: A core phase of the merger process

Once the technological integration is complete, CaixaBank will have unified all commercial information, as well as the systems through which financial transactions and procurement of products can be performed, including all channels: branches, ATMs, web, mobile, payment networks and retail POS. For this reason, technological integration is a core phase in the merger process; when completed, both banks will operate as a single bank, less than eight months after the legal union took place.

For customers, this milestone means shifting to a much larger service network, with a larger branch network, more customer service specialists, more remote managers (for InTouch remote customers) and the support of Spain's leading online banking platform, with more than 10 million digital customers.

The bank has acquired a balanced and diversified geographical presence, with the most extensive and specialised branch network, and a commitment to maintain close ties to the community and the financial inclusion that CaixaBank and Bankia have always demonstrated. The bank has a presence in around 2,200 municipalities, and in 350 it is the only represented entity.

CaixaBank, Spain's leading bank

CaixaBank is the leading financial group in Spain. With the integration of Bankia, it reaches an asset volume of €685.73 billion, making it the domestic market's largest bank, occupying a major position at European level. Furthermore, CaixaBank has a strong presence in Portugal, where it fully controls BPI.

The group, headed by Chairman José Ignacio Goirigolzarri and led by Gonzalo Gortazar, has approximately 21 million customers and the largest commercial network in Spain and Portugal, with more than 6,000 branches, over 15,000 ATMs and leadership in digital banking, with a 71.4% share of digital customers.