BBVA Scales ChatGPT Enterprise to 120,000 Staff in AI Push
The program is positioned as a broad operating model shift rather than a point solution. BBVA plans to create new AI-powered capabilities with OpenAI that reshape customer interactions, help bankers support clients more effectively, streamline and enhance risk analysis, and redesign internal processes such as software development and employee productivity support.
Carlos Torres Vila, Chairman, BBVA, said: “We were pioneers in the digital and mobile transformation, and we are now entering the AI era with even greater ambition. Our alliance with OpenAI accelerates the native integration of artificial intelligence across the bank to create a smarter, more proactive, and completely personalized banking experience, anticipating the needs of every client,“ framing the initiative as a continuation of the bank’s previous digital playbook—but at a larger scale.
Why Rolling Out to 120,000 Employees Is a Big Signal for Banking AI
Deploying generative AI across an entire workforce is still unusual in financial services, where security, governance, and model risk management can slow experimentation. BBVA’s decision to standardize on ChatGPT Enterprise for all staff puts it among the largest enterprise GenAI deployments in the sector and highlights how major banks are shifting from “innovation labs” to everyday workflow tooling inside regulated environments.
BBVA is presenting the expansion as a build on measurable usage and productivity results. The bank began working with OpenAI in May 2024 with 3,300 ChatGPT accounts, then expanded to 11,000 employees, where it created thousands of custom GPTs for collaboration and work. BBVA says employees saved nearly three hours per week on routine tasks and that more than 80% of users engaged daily—figures the bank is using to justify moving to universal availability.
Sam Altman, CEO, OpenAI, said: “BBVA is a strong example of how a large financial institution can adopt AI with real ambition and speed. With this expansion of our work together, BBVA will embed our AI into the core of their products and operations to enhance the overall banking experience for their customers,” reinforcing the message that the partnership is designed to land AI in core processes—not only back-office experimentation.
Takeaway: BBVA’s decision to roll ChatGPT Enterprise out to all 120,000 employees is a clear “scale signal” for financial services: the winners won’t just pilot GenAI—they’ll operationalize it with strong controls, measurable productivity gains, and direct links to customer outcomes.
What’s Next: From Internal Productivity to AI-Native Customer Banking
Beyond internal productivity, BBVA is already applying OpenAI models to customer-facing experiences. The bank has rolled out a virtual assistant called Blue, built on OpenAI models, to help customers manage cards, accounts, and everyday questions using natural language—an early example of how banks are trying to reduce friction in service journeys while keeping interactions compliant and auditable.
Under the expanded agreement, BBVA will establish a dedicated team working directly with OpenAI’s product, research, and technology success teams. The two organizations also plan specialized training programs and a structured adoption model, aiming to integrate tools consistently and securely across areas and functions. The groupwide ChatGPT Enterprise rollout is expected to include security and privacy controls, access to OpenAI’s latest models, and tools for creating internal agents connected to BBVA systems.
Strategically, BBVA is also exploring deeper distribution: integrating products and services so customers can interact with the bank directly through ChatGPT. If executed, that would push banking toward an “AI-native” service layer where conversational interfaces become an entry point to account actions and financial guidance—raising the bar for authentication, permissions, and oversight, but also creating a new battleground for customer acquisition and engagement.