Santander to build £150m tech hub in UK
Santander has unveiled its plans for a new £150 million tech hub in Milton Keynes in the UK.
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According to the bank, this will be its “flagship” UK technology hub and provides a “boost” to the UK government’s vision of a Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford “growth corridor”, which is located just north of London.
The proposed office is expected to be home to over 5,000 staff and replace the bank’s existing local office buildings.
Nathan Bostock, chief executive, Santander UK, says: “We want a workplace which truly reflects our culture and our vision for the future, which is based on innovation and harnessing new technology to make banking simpler and more personal for our customers.”
Bostock adds that Milton Keynes has its new MK:U university on the horizon, which is set to become an “even greater magnet for technology talent”.
Features of the planned campus include an environmentally sustainable building; event space for colleague training; fitness centre, cycle storage, rooftop walking and running track; and “flexible collaboration space” that will be offered to local businesses and community organisations.
Santander says it is expected that a planning application for the new campus will be submitted early in 2019 following consultation with the local authority and community groups. Subject to planning permission, it is anticipated that the building will be ready to open in 2022.
Santander UK has 24,200 employees and around 15 million customers. Back in May, Santander UK launched a digital financing platform for SMEs.
