HolaBank expands its service with ten branches in the north of Spain, propelled by the growing volume of home purchases by international customers

• HolaBank, CaixaBank's specialised programme for international customers who spend long periods of time in Spain or who wish to settle here, is expanding its presence in the Basque Country, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia.

• Interest in real estate transactions in the north of Spain, as well as the increase in tourism and its deseasonalisation, are among the important factors in this expansion.

• HolaBank's mortgage portfolio amounted to €5.004 billion euros at the end of 2024, which represents a growth of 11.6% compared to 2023. The bank has increased the number of branches in the last year by almost 20%, reaching a total of 350 branches at the end of 2024.

HolaBank, CaixaBank's specialised programme for international customers who spend long periods of time in Spain or who wish to settle here, has expanded its presence in the north of the country with ten branches in the Basque Country (San Sebastián, Hondarribia and two in Irún), Cantabria (three in Santander), Asturias (Vigo) and Galicia (two in Girona), (San Sebastián, Hondarribia and two in Irún), Cantabria (three in Santander), Asturias (Gijón) and Galicia (two in Vigo), demonstrating its adaptation to new market trends and to its potential customers, who are showing increasing interest in settling in this part of the country.

HolaBank's branches, which are part of the CaixaBank network, provide coverage to international customers in the main tourist areas and large cities, where customers looking for a second or retirement home are likely to be found, as well as expatriates for work reasons, digital nomads and investors. 

Unlike others, these branches can work with mortgage brokers who act as intermediaries between CaixaBank and international customers looking for the best way to finance their home in Spain, regardless of the currency in which they receive their main income and the currency in which the mortgage is applied for, with a choice of 19 currencies, including the pound sterling, the US dollar, the Swedish, Danish or Norwegian krone and the Swiss franc. All this with a streamlined process, supported by multilingual managers and with the advantage of not having to translate certain documents.

The extension of the HolaBank programme to the north of Spain is a response to the growing interest in settling in this part of the country from people from neighbouring countries and further afield. Of the total number of HolaBank customers in the northern district, one third are Portuguese, around 15% are Italian, while French and British make up 10% and 8% respectively. Other prominent nationalities, but with lower representation, are American, German, Irish, Dutch and Swiss, with figures ranging from 1% to 4%.

All these factors have boosted CaixaBank's HolaBank programme. At the end of 2024, HolaBank's mortgage portfolio amounted to €5.004 billion, an increase of 11.6% compared to the end of 2023. The bank has increased the number of branches in the last year by almost 20%, reaching a total of 350 branches at the end of 2024.

Higher tourist spending and house sales in northern Spain 

According to data from the report “The impact of climate change on tourism in Spain: analysis and outlook”  by CaixaBank Research, the analysis of the change in tourist spending shows that the warmer areas of Spain had slower growth in tourist spending in the high seasons between 2019 and 2023, and that, in a context in which temperatures are rising, coastal and urban tourism in the less warm municipalities highlights the attractiveness that these types of destinations are gaining.

This is reflected in the interest of foreigners in investing in property in Spain. According to data from CaixaBank Research, the demand for property in Spain by foreigners has grown significantly since the pandemic. In 2024, the purchases of foreigners represented 14.6% of the total, according to the Registrar's Association, reaching 93,000 purchases, which represented an increase of 6.4% with respect to 2023, very close to the record of buying and selling of foreigners in Spain of 2022 (94,500) and 48% above the record of 2019 (63,000).

The data suggest that the revival of interest in Spain has also spread to the north of the country, which has traditionally been further away from the focus of investors. In December 2020 foreigners accounted for only 1.8% of property purchases in Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque Country (CaixaBank's Northern Territory); however, by the end of 2024 this figure had risen to 3.9%.

Among these four autonomous communities, the greatest international interest was in the Principality of Asturias, where sales to foreigners represented 5.8% of all transactions completed in 2024, followed by Cantabria with 3.6%, while the Basque Country and Galicia have ratios of 3.7% and 2.2% respectively.

The HolaBank value proposition

HolaBank is CaixaBank's specialised programme for international customers who spend long periods of time or who wish to settle in Spain. Through this programme, the bank supports international customers from the moment they arrive in the country and throughout their stay, offering a comprehensive financial service that meets their needs and makes their day-to-day life as easy as possible.

To this end, the programme has its own network of 350 branches located in the main tourist areas, more than 500 managers specialised in this type of customer and the CaixaBankNow app, available in 20 languages, forming an omnichannel service model that accompanies the customer at all times and from anywhere.

HolaBank also offers a portfolio of financial and non-financial products and services, especially designed to meet the specific needs of CaixaBank's international customers. Among them, the HolaBank Account stands out, which includes a package of high-quality financial services for customers, as well as the HolaBank Club, with 24/7 telephone support in five languages, translation services and online interpreters, utility setup, among others, with the aim of meeting all their needs in Spain. 

The division is also a pioneer in technological innovation, becoming the first organisation in Spain to offer 100% digital solutions for both opening an account in five simple steps (digital on-boarding) and applying for a mortgage (MortgageNow). 

In this way, CaixaBank strengthens its strategy of offering a banking model specialised into sectors, fully tailored to suit the needs of each customer profile, with the goal of always offering the best customer experience.