# Unicaja Banco

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/unicaja
> research date 2026-05-30 · extracted at 2026-10-07
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [Unicaja Banco — official](https://www.unicajabanco.es/)

## Overview

**Unicaja Banco** is **Spain's 5th largest bank post-Jul 2021 Liberbank €1.16B all-stock merger** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [Spain report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/ES)</sup>. **2022 baseline**: post-Jul 2021 Liberbank merger + May 2022 technological + operational integration completion → Unicaja Banco 4.5M Spanish customers + 1.8M Liberbank customers migrated + 200M+ digitized documents migration; **Spanish savings bank cooperative heritage** (Unicaja origin: Andalusian Caja de Ahorros consolidation).

**Distinctive Unicaja Banco positioning** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [3][3]</sup>:
- **Spain's 5th largest bank post-Jul 30 2021 Liberbank €1.16B all-stock merger**
- **4.5M Spanish customers** post-merger
- **May 2022 technological + operational integration with Liberbank completion** + 1.8M Liberbank customers migrated + 200M+ digitized documents migration → distinctive Spanish banking technological consolidation
- **Spanish savings bank cooperative heritage** (Unicaja origin: Andalusian Caja de Ahorros consolidation)
- **Mar 1991 Unicaja founding** via Andalusian Caja de Ahorros consolidation (Caja Ronda + Caja de Antequera + Caja de Cádiz + Caja de Almería + Caja de Málaga merger)
- **Jul 30 2021 Unicaja Banco + Liberbank merger** for €1.16B all-stock → distinctive Spanish banking consolidation creating Spain's 5th largest bank

## History

**Mar 1991 — Unicaja founded** via Andalusian Caja de Ahorros consolidation (Caja Ronda + Caja de Antequera + Caja de Cádiz + Caja de Almería + Caja de Málaga merger) → distinctive Spanish Andalusian savings bank consolidation.

**Jun 30 2017 — Unicaja Banco IPO on BME (Bolsa de Madrid)**.

**Dec 30 2020 — Unicaja Banco + Liberbank merger announcement**.

**Jul 30 2021 — Unicaja Banco completes legal integration of Liberbank for €1.16B all-stock** → Spain's 5th largest bank <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**May 2022 — Unicaja Banco completes technological + operational integration with Liberbank** + 1.8M Liberbank customers migrated + 200M+ digitized documents migration <sup>[3][3]</sup>.

**2022 — Unicaja Banco 4.5M Spanish customers post-merger** <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

## Ownership & operator

**Operating entity**: **Unicaja Banco S.A.** (BME: UNI).

**Major shareholders**: **Fundación Bancaria Unicaja + Fundación Bancaria Caja de Ahorros de Asturias (Liberbank historical founder) + Spanish institutional + Spanish retail public float**.

**Regulators**: **Banco de España + ECB**.

## Technical integration

Unicaja Banco mobile banking app (iOS + Android) + unicajabanco.es online + Unicaja Banco cards (Visa + Mastercard) + Unicaja Banco Spanish branch network (post-Liberbank merger consolidation); SEPA Instant + Bizum (Spanish P2P payment service); Unicaja Banco Asset Management + Unicaja Banco Vida (Unicaja Banco Spanish insurance subsidiary).

## Users & growth

**2022 (post-Liberbank merger baseline)**: Unicaja Banco 4.5M Spanish customers; **2022 technological + operational integration**: 1.8M Liberbank customers migrated + 200M+ digitized documents migration.

## Use cases

Spanish retail + private + corporate + SME + investment + insurance banking via Unicaja Banco mobile + unicajabanco.es online + cards + branches; SEPA Instant + Bizum (Spanish P2P payment service); Unicaja Banco Asset Management + Unicaja Banco Vida.

## Implementations & partners

**Operator**: Unicaja Banco S.A. (BME: UNI); Fundación Bancaria Unicaja + Fundación Bancaria Caja de Ahorros de Asturias.

**Subsidiaries**: **Unicaja Banco Asset Management** + **Unicaja Banco Vida** (Unicaja Banco Spanish insurance subsidiary) + **Liberbank (post-Jul 2021 €1.16B all-stock merger; integrated May 2022)**.

**Major Spanish banking competitors**: BBVA (Spain #1 + global; BBVA Móvil + Garanti BBVA Turkish 86%+ subsidiary) + [CaixaBank + imagin](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/caixabank) (Spain #2; post-Mar 2021 Bankia €4.3B all-stock merger) + [Banco Santander (Spain parent)](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/santander-spain) (Banco Santander S.A.; Europe's 4th largest + world's 16th-largest banking institution) + [Banco Sabadell](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/banco-sabadell) (Spain #4; survived BBVA hostile takeover bid 2024-2025) + [Bankinter](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/bankinter) (Spanish top-tier bank + post-Jul 2025 EVO Banco merger absorbing 767K total + 330K active customers) + Openbank (Santander digital subsidiary) + Ibercaja + Abanca + Kutxabank.

**Regulators**: Banco de España + ECB.

## Fun facts

- **Spain's 5th largest bank post-Jul 30 2021 Liberbank €1.16B all-stock merger**.
- **4.5M Spanish customers** post-merger.
- **May 2022 technological + operational integration with Liberbank completion** + 1.8M Liberbank customers migrated + 200M+ digitized documents migration.
- **Spanish savings bank cooperative heritage** (Unicaja origin: Andalusian Caja de Ahorros consolidation).
- **Mar 1991 Unicaja founding** via Andalusian Caja de Ahorros consolidation (Caja Ronda + Caja de Antequera + Caja de Cádiz + Caja de Almería + Caja de Málaga merger).
- **Jul 30 2021 Unicaja Banco + Liberbank merger** for €1.16B all-stock.

## Comparison

| Feature | Unicaja Banco | [CaixaBank + imagin](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/caixabank) (Spain #2 rival; post-Mar 2021 Bankia €4.3B all-stock merger) | [Bankinter](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/bankinter) (Spanish top-tier bank rival + post-Jul 2025 EVO Banco merger) | [Banco Sabadell](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/wallets/banco-sabadell) (Spain #4 rival; survived BBVA hostile takeover bid 2024-2025) | Abanca (Spanish savings bank cooperative heritage rival) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | **Unicaja Banco S.A. (BME: UNI)** | CaixaBank S.A. (BME: CABK) | Bankinter S.A. (BME: BKT) | Banco de Sabadell S.A. (BME: SAB) | Abanca Corporación Bancaria S.A. (Spanish private) |
| Type | **Spain's 5th largest bank post-Jul 30 2021 Liberbank €1.16B all-stock merger + 4.5M Spanish customers + May 2022 Liberbank technological + operational integration + 1.8M Liberbank customers migrated + 200M+ digitized documents migration + Spanish savings bank cooperative heritage** | Spain #2 + post-Mar 2021 Bankia €4.3B all-stock merger + 21M+ CaixaBank customers + Now CaixaBank distinctive Spanish online subsidiary | Spanish top-tier bank + Madrid HQ + post-Jul 2025 EVO Banco merger absorbing 767K total + 330K active customers | Spain #4 + survived BBVA hostile takeover bid 2024-2025 + TSB UK 2025 sale to Santander UK + Banco Sabadell HQ Alicante | Spain #8 + 2.51% Spanish market share 2025 + €73.48B 2025 total assets + Galician savings bank cooperative heritage |
| Country | ES | ES + PT | ES + PT + IE + LU | ES + UK (TSB; sold 2025) | ES |
| Distinctive | **Mar 1991 Unicaja Andalusian Caja de Ahorros consolidation founding; Jun 30 2017 BME IPO; Dec 30 2020 Liberbank merger announcement; Jul 30 2021 Liberbank €1.16B all-stock merger; May 2022 Liberbank technological + operational integration completion** | 1904 Caja de Pensiones para la Vejez founding (CaixaBank predecessor); 2007 Caixa d'Estalvis founding via 30 Catalan savings banks merger; Mar 2021 Bankia €4.3B all-stock merger | Jun 4 1965 Banco Intercontinental Español (Bankinter) founding in Madrid by Banco Santander + Bank of America joint venture; 1972 Bankinter spun off from Santander + Bank of America; Jul 2025 EVO Banco merger | 1881 Banco de Sabadell founding in Sabadell, Catalonia; 2024-2025 BBVA hostile takeover bid attempt + survived | Sep 2011 NCG Banco formation via Galician savings banks merger; Jan 2021 Bankoa Crédit Agricole acquisition; Oct 2023 TARGOBANK España acquisition |

## Status

**Active, Spain's 5th largest bank post-Jul 30 2021 Liberbank €1.16B all-stock merger** <sup>[1][1], [2][2], [3][3]</sup>:
- **Unicaja Banco S.A. (BME: UNI)** since Mar 1991 Unicaja Andalusian Caja de Ahorros consolidation founding + Jun 30 2017 BME IPO + Jul 30 2021 Liberbank €1.16B all-stock merger + May 2022 Liberbank technological + operational integration completion.
- **4.5M Spanish customers + 1.8M Liberbank customers migrated + 200M+ digitized documents migration**.
- **Banco de España + ECB regulated**.

## Sources

[1]: https://theglobespot.com/liberbank-unicaja/ "Liberbank Unicaja: A New Era in Spanish Banking — theglobespot"
[2]: https://www.unicajabanco.com/en/sala-de-comunicacion/buscador-noticias/2021/07/unicaja-banco-culmina-la-integracion-legal-de-liberbank-que-conv "Unicaja Banco completes the legal integration of Liberbank"
[3]: https://www.unicajabanco.com/en/sala-de-comunicacion/buscador-noticias/2022/05/unicaja-banco-culmina-la-integracion-tecnologica-y-operativa-con "Unicaja Banco completes the technological and operational integration with Liberbank"
[es-cro]: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/ES

- [1] [Liberbank Unicaja: A New Era in Spanish Banking — theglobespot][1]
- [2] [Unicaja Banco completes the legal integration of Liberbank][2]
- [3] [Unicaja Banco completes the technological and operational integration with Liberbank][3]
- <sup>[Spain report](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/payments/ES)</sup> In-corpus: `reports/countries/ES-spain.md`

## Source

Biography extracted from [unicaja.md](https://docs.barcoder.ai/source/wallets/unicaja). See `matrix.md` for standards-support matrix if present.