To spearhead the US digital charge, Santander appoints former Marcus chief Swati Bhatia.

The US division of Santander has appointed Swati Bhatia, a senior executive of Goldman Sachs' Marcus division, to oversee its retail division and spearhead a digital transformation initiative.

Madilyn Swift

April 02, 2024

1Min Read

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Banking

Bhatia takes a leadership role in retail banking and transformation at Santander Bank. She will oversee all associated digital transformation projects as well as the US Consumer and Business Banking division.

Bhatia led the consumer digital bank Marcus and co-led the BNPL division GreenSky for two years at Goldman Sachs. As Goldman withdrew from the consumer market in January, selling off GreenSky and combining Marcus into a new asset and wealth management subsidiary, she departed.

Bhatia held positions at PayPal and Capital One in addition to being the chief payments risk officer at Stripe before to joining Goldman.

She joins Santander as the Spanish behemoth is ready to introduce its consumer and business divisions in the US with a fully digital platform.

The bank cut off about 330 employees earlier this month as part of a shift in the US that put an emphasis on digital skills. By selecting five locations to test a new "vision" for in-person banking that centers on assisting clients in using online and mobile channels, it announced this week that it is shifting its focus to digital.

Tim Wennes, CEO of Santander Bank, states, "The Bank has reached a turning point as we move towards being a national, digital bank with branches, and I am thrilled to have Swati managing the business throughout this next phase.

Bhatia adds that Santander's globally connected technology platforms and depth of digital expertise offer a competitive advantage. This positioning sets the business up for profitable growth in the U.S. market.