The bank will use AI tools to create services and solutions that help to improve the security of the operations carried out by financial institutions through two projects funded by the European Commission as part of the Digital Europe initiative.

The only Spanish enterprise involved in both projects, INTERSOC (GA: 101145874) and NG-SOC (GA: 101145874), is CaixaBank. As such, it will take the lead in evaluating and implementing the offered solutions from the perspective of the financial industry. The ultimate purpose of both programs is to enhance the industry's capacity to identify and address threats, as well as to foster a cooperative ecosystem among the various SOCs (security operation centers) that facilitates the enhancement of each SOC's capabilities.

Both of the projects funded by the call for proposals "Strengthening the capabilities of the Security Operation Centers" have a three-year timeline (until the end of December 2026) and are intended to identify novel attack patterns in addition to developing systems for information sharing, knowledge sharing, analysis, and quicker responses at the national and European levels. These initiatives follow the best practices set by CERT-EU and the CSIRT Network, which are the response teams in charge of handling computer security incidents affecting Spain and the EU, respectively.

Participation in European initiatives

CaixaBank consistently participates in research and analysis projects around Europe concerning the different problems and difficulties that the financial sector faces. It has declared that it will be participating in the EMERALD initiative, which aims to give tools for automating and standardizing cloud service security control administration.
 

Apart from this partnership, CaixaBank has taken part in several European projects under the auspices of the Horizon 2020 program, the European Commission's 2014–2020 research and innovation funding framework, which was awarded with about 80,000 million euros. The bank is now involved in several Europe Horizon initiatives. Europe Horizon is a financial framework that strives to ensure that Europe can produce top-notch science and remove all obstacles that hinder innovation. It has been allocated 95,510 million euros for the 2021–2027 term. CaixaBank has earned more than three million euros in funding for cybersecurity and technical innovation, making it a member of thirteen successful consortia overall in recent years.
 

By taking part in these initiatives, CaixaBank positions itself as a leader in financial industry R&D, with an emphasis on information security. Additionally, the institution benefits from increased collaboration in the continuing enhancement of the financial sector's overall cybersecurity environment and its own cybersecurity environment by becoming a member of these international consortia.

The strategic importance of cybersecurity

CaixaBank has made cybersecurity a strategic priority. To guard against security events, the bank has put in place a cybersecurity ecosystem that includes specialized personnel and cutting-edge technical infrastructure.

The bank continuously makes investments in technology to satisfy the needs of its clients, ensure expansion, be flexible enough to meet changing business requirements, and ensure that information is always available. Consequently, it guarantees that its infrastructure is fully adjusted to meet the demands of customer service and financial management.

CaixaBank is a leader in security research and coordination, having taken steps like setting up a center that manages the Group's overall security and a specialized group for handling IT security problems. It also participates in the principal international cybersecurity research and cooperation forums.