BBVA and OpenAI Strategic Alliance: Building an 'AI-Native Banking Model' with ChatGPT Enterprise

BBVA, a Spanish multinational bank, has entered into a strategic alliance with OpenAI to build an "AI-native banking model," deploying ChatGPT Enterprise across its entire global workforce of 120,000 employees. The deal represents a tenfold expansion from earlier pilot programs that had been limited to 11,000 staff members.

What Happened

The agreement between BBVA and OpenAI was announced on December 12, 2025, by BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. It follows nearly two years of joint work and represents a strategic collaboration, with teams from both companies working towards shared objectives and making joint investments.

OpenAI will support BBVA's AI strategy to improve customer experiences and optimize the bank's operations. The partnership allows BBVA to access OpenAI's latest AI models and expertise, as well as work closely with its engineering, research, and development teams.

Background and Context

The agreement marks a significant step in the adoption of generative AI tools across various industries, including banking. BBVA has been at the forefront of digital transformation, having pioneered mobile banking and online services. The bank's earlier trial run with 11,000 employees produced some compelling numbers, with participating staff saving an average of three hours per week on routine tasks.

Even more telling, 80% of those pilot users were leveraging the technology on a daily basis. This level of adoption suggests that generative AI tools can have a significant impact on employee productivity and customer satisfaction in banking operations.

Why it Matters to the Industry

The partnership between BBVA and OpenAI has significant implications for the adult industry, which relies heavily on streaming and webcam infrastructure. The use of generative AI tools can help improve moderation, age-gating, and fraud prevention, all critical areas of concern for adult-industry platforms and operators.

By leveraging OpenAI's expertise in AI development, BBVA is creating an "AI-native banking model" that can anticipate customer needs and provide personalized services. This level of personalization can be applied to the adult industry as well, where tailored content recommendations and real-time moderation can enhance user experience and improve platform efficiency.

What Comes Next

The multi-year program is designed to integrate generative AI tools across a wide range of banking operations, including customer-facing services, internal workflows, and operational processes. Among the prototypes already in development are a conversational banking application embedded within ChatGPT that delivers responses tailored to individual customer needs.

BBVA has also built an internal AI assistant called "Blue" to support employee productivity. The bank is extending the use of ChatGPT Enterprise to its workforce of more than 120,000 employees, following an initial phase involving 11,000 staff members.

Key Facts

• BBVA and OpenAI have entered into a strategic alliance to build an "AI-native banking model."
• The deal represents a tenfold expansion from earlier pilot programs that had been limited to 11,000 staff members.
• OpenAI will support BBVA's AI strategy to improve customer experiences and optimize the bank's operations.
• The partnership allows BBVA to access OpenAI's latest AI models and expertise, as well as work closely with its engineering, research, and development teams.
• BBVA is extending the use of ChatGPT Enterprise to its workforce of more than 120,000 employees.
• The bank has already seen significant adoption rates in earlier pilot programs, with 80% of participants accessing the assistant daily and reporting an average weekly time saving of three hours on routine activities.