CaixaBank promotes debate at MWC25 on the inclusion of senior talent in the cities of the future
On March 6, the bank held a round table at the MWCapital Foundation stand to explore the potential of technology to ensure effective socio-digital inclusion of older people.
Within the framework of MWC25, the Mobile World Capital Barcelona Foundation stand, in collaboration with CaixaBank, organised an event on Thursday 6 March to discuss the opportunities offered by technology to ensure effective socio-digital inclusion of senior groups. Under the title "Senior talent and the cities of the future: community and professional connections", the session addressed various aspects of how technology can be a key tool to strengthen the connection of seniors with their environment, as well as the training and adaptation of this group to a constantly changing labour market.
The round table, moderated by Laura Rosillo, vice-president of the Association of Seniors of Catalonia and expert in Age Management, included the participation of Eduard Martín, Chief Innovation Officer MWCapital; Therese Jamaa, Vice President of the Red Cross Foundation of Spain, and Natàlia Heredia, Manager of Design, Innovation and Digital Channel at CaixaBank. The aim of the four speakers was to convey how advanced technologies can improve the lives of older people. The initiative was part of CaixaBank's strategy to support the senior segment and at the same time encourage their participation in society through technology.
The future is also senior and it is necessary to integrate the group into the cities
Today, the population is increasingly older. According to Idescat, in Catalonia there are one and a half million people over 65 years of age (19.3%). These figures show that the ageing of the population is one of the great social challenges of the present and the future. And this is how Laura Rosillo kicked off the round table and highlighted an often ignored phenomenon: ageism, the preconceived idea that older people are digitally illiterate. In this context, Rosillo pointed out that "the future is also senior", alluding to the importance of integrating this sector of the population into current technological dynamics. Therese Jamaa, in the same vein, stressed that "the most important thing is the person's attitude and willingness to learn".
Eduard Martín, for his part, addressed the concept of "society 5.0" to explain that the objective is to design cities putting people at the centre in order to cover all the needs of seniors. According to Martín, "cities must evolve and be more accessible", and their infrastructure, mobility and available services must be rethought. To do this, "we have to build the 15-minute city"; that is, "we must have all the basic services within 15 minutes walking distance," explains Martín.
CaixaBank, committed to excellence in care for the elderly
Today, the bank, which has more than 4 million customers over 65 years of age and a share of more than 34% in direct deposit pensions, has established itself as a benchmark in the senior segment in Spain. Since 2022, it has implemented a plan to enhance personal attention to the elderly, with specialized training for its employees and adaptations to ATMs to facilitate their use by older people.
During the day, the manager of Design, Innovation and Digital Channel at CaixaBank, Natalia Heredia, stressed the importance of an inclusive design for older people. In her speech, she explained how the analysis of large volumes of data can help create technological solutions that better adapt to the needs of the group. "The ability we have to compile data on people's behavior in an aggregated and anonymous way can be very useful for designing technological products and services, and can help us make decisions based on these behaviors to objectively help evolve," explained Heredia. He added that technology, when designed in an inclusive way, "can become a key tool to overcome the digital divide and encourage the active participation of this group." Heredia, to conclude the day, stressed the importance of "humanizing technology thinking of the seniors of today, but also of the seniors of the future."
Guided tour of the Mobile World Capital Foundation stand
He workshopThe event, which was held with the participation of an involved senior audience, concluded with a guided tour of the main experiences offered at the Mobile World Capital Foundation stand and a tour of the Mobile World Congress.