The Challenge

Santander entered 2025 with aggressive acquisition targets across Credit Cards and Current Accounts, operating in one of the UK’s most competitive financial services markets. With rivals saturating the market with switcher incentives and a savings relaunch on the horizon, Santander needed a faster, smarter and more scalable affiliate strategy, without compromising on compliance or customer quality.

The Strategy

A focus on growth, quality and profitability through affiliate innovation, balancing performance scale with the compliance and quality standards required in a highly regulated financial services environment.

Execution and Innovation

Affiliate innovation was deployed to drive incremental sales growth, with a sharp focus on lead quality and programme integrity throughout.

Results

Acquisition targets were exceeded, profitability improved, and Santander delivered its strongest-ever performance from affiliate-led incentives. This included a record-breaking 24-hour acquisition day.

Judges’ Verdict

“A masterclass in high-stakes program management, this programme transformed a channel trailing behind target into a benchmark of enterprise excellence.”

“Even the most restricted financial programs can achieve scalable, profitable growth through technical innovation and relentless optimisation.”