“I am sure that this torch will no longer go out”

Carlos San Juan (78 years old) welcomes us at the Change.org headquarters in Madrid. The first thing he does is thank all the media that have published his story. The one that started a few months ago, when this retired doctor decided to put on his back a fair and sincere demand. In the middle of the pandemic, when financial institutions took advantage of the ‘break’ granted by the covid to close offices and ATMs, this man decided to start a battle against the sector most powerful in the economy. It was not an easy task, but –sometimes– with respect, humility and tenacity, great victories are achieved. His struggle, that of an anonymous man, slipped into the offices of the presidents of the largest banks in Europe. The financial exclusion they suffer hundreds of thousands of people without access to technology, it is no longer a ‘collateral damage’ of the transformation of the sector. This Monday, the determination of Carlos has seated at a table the presidents of the banking employers, the governor of the Bank of Spain and the first vice president of the Government in front of a paper of commitments, the fulfillment of which he promises to monitor while he has strength left.-

-Yesterday, the bank signed a decalogue of measures against financial exclusion, there are ten. Are you satisfied?

-Yes, I am very satisfied, I am hopeful. And I recognize that, to a small degree, also a little vigilant so that this is carried out as agreed.

-Pensioners -big losers- are the main clients of the bank, do you think these ten commitments are enough?

-As long as they are met, I think so. The objective that I defend is to protect the most vulnerable, -which are many-, the victims of this digital advance so fast that it was going to exclude them completely and that it was violating even their human rights.

–Perhaps in a few months, the debate on financial exclusion will be diluted. Do you trust the banks to maintain these commitments in the medium and long term?

–If there is no legislation that protects the financial system and banking from any external swing, call it a crisis, call it a change in the guidelines and objectives of your business, I trust. If, on the other hand, the banks themselves are allowed to assess themselves, I would not trust them in the long term, since the entities are subject to many ups and downs and many guidelines that can make those who have signed, change and come new responsible for modifying it.

–The first vice president, Nadia Calviño, has announced a bank customer protection law. Do you trust that legislation?

-Yes, I trust because I see it all combined. I associate everything with the fact that this (the debate on financial exclusion) has visualized a big problem. And this debate, I’m sure is here to stay. I already take advantage of every opportunity to say goodbye, but I am sure that this torch will not go out. May this outcrop of the problems that the elderly or everyone who is not familiar with digitization have continue. It is good for everyone, improves the prestige of politicians and improves the security of society by feeling defended in all areas.

–Should face-to-face service in banks be considered an essential service?

-Completely. The essence of the legislation is the defense of all users, which obviously gives it an essential character, since it is.

–Your fight against financial exclusion has sparked a dormant debate about the treatment that older people receive socially.

-The treatment of the elderly is very important. Unfortunately, it is not limited to banking. They have not yet removed that prejudice of the elder that can even be seen in advertising, in which they represent us sitting on a bench, feeding the pigeons, or spending the morning watching how the workers make the foundations of a House. This is a mistake. Today the elderly are very active and that activity that is now emerging is here to stay. Older people enroll in universities and can learn digitization. But within this larger sector, there is a very vulnerable part and it is related to their economic power and their cultural limitations. There is economic discrimination, there are pensions that are very low and the only requirement of these people is to make ends meet.

-During this process, you have had three interlocutors: the banks, the Bank of Spain and the Government. Who has disappointed you and who has surprised you?

-The three parts have surprised me for good. The Government has surprised me for the better, because it has acted quickly and, above all, has met strict deadlines. I really liked the attitude of the Governor of the Bank of Spain, because he has acted without protagonism, but I know that he has worked hard. And I liked the performance of the bank. When I started this campaign I was confident that the entities would not have a heart of flint, that they would have some human fiber. They could have signed a protocol without naming anything, but this has not been the case, not only have they signed on time, but they have had two fundamental details for me. In a meeting that I had with them on the 8th, all their highest representatives were present and they understood that they had to change. They included attendance and humanism, because they were very much on the way to digitization. They have listened to the opinion of an ordinary person. I am not an authority, I do not represent any protest platform. In addition, they have been humble, they reacted very quickly. I have a lot of responsibility behind me. And they have had the humility to accept all these aspects. The future will tell us, but they have not disappointed me.

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