This analysis for Popular was created using Alignment.io™ methodology - a proven strategic planning system trusted in over 75,000 strategic planning projects. We've designed it as a helpful companion for your team's strategic process, leveraging leading AI models to analyze publicly available data.

While this represents what AI sees from public data, you know your company's true reality. That's why we recommend using Alignment.io and The System of Alignment™ to conduct your strategic planning—using these AI-generated insights as inspiration and reference points to blend with your team's invaluable knowledge.

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The Popular SWOT Analysis reveals a financial institution with a fortress-like position in its core Puerto Rican market, anchored by immense brand trust and a leading digital platform. This dominance provides a stable foundation for growth. However, this strength is also a vulnerability, with significant concentration risk tied to Puerto Rico's economy and margin pressure from the macro environment. The primary strategic imperative is to leverage the profitable core to fuel a disciplined expansion into the U.S. mainland, targeting the Hispanic demographic. Success hinges on balancing this expansion with modernizing legacy systems to improve efficiency and diversifying revenue streams beyond traditional lending. The path forward requires using the established moat in Puerto Rico not as a resting place, but as a launchpad for carefully managed, technology-driven growth in new markets, transforming a regional leader into a broader financial powerhouse.

FirstBank Oriental Bank Bank of America JPMorgan Chase Wells Fargo

No past cycles

Mission & Vision SWOT Analysis OKR Plan Retrospective AI Strategy Data Acquisition

To help our customers and communities prosper by being the financial institution of choice for our customers.

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Strengths

DOMINANCE: Unparalleled ~40% deposit market share in Puerto Rico.
BRAND: Deeply rooted brand trust and loyalty built over 130+ years.
DIGITAL: High adoption of Mi Banco digital platform, a key differentiator.
CAPITAL: Strong capital ratios, exceeding regulatory requirements.
LOYALTY: Stable, low-cost core deposit base provides funding advantage.

Weaknesses

CONCENTRATION: High exposure to Puerto Rico's fragile economy and politics.
MARGINS: Net Interest Margin (NIM) compression due to rate environment.
EFFICIENCY: Higher efficiency ratio compared to mainland peer banks.
INCOME: Lower non-interest income as a percentage of total revenue.
INNOVATION: Pace of innovation constrained by legacy infrastructure.

Opportunities

MAINLAND: Expand in high-growth U.S. markets like Florida and Texas.
HISPANIC: Serve the growing, underserved U.S. Hispanic demographic.
FEES: Increase non-interest income via wealth management and payments.
DIGITIZATION: Leverage digital platform to lower customer acquisition cost.
PARTNERSHIPS: Strategic fintech partnerships to enhance product offerings.

Threats

COMPETITION: Intense pressure from large national banks & agile neobanks.
RATES: Federal Reserve policy shifts creating continued margin pressure.
CREDIT: Potential for credit quality deterioration in a recession.
REGULATION: Heightened scrutiny on regional banks post-2023 failures.
DISRUPTION: Fintechs disintermediating traditional banking relationships.

Key Priorities

FORTIFY: Defend and deepen the dominant, profitable Puerto Rico core.
EXPAND: Systematically grow U.S. mainland presence and market share.
MODERNIZE: Accelerate digital transformation to boost efficiency & CX.
DIVERSIFY: Aggressively grow non-interest income revenue streams.

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Popular OKR

Updated: October 6, 2025 • 2025-Q4 Analysis

The Popular OKR plan is a masterclass in disciplined execution, translating strategic clarity into focused action. It wisely balances defending the profitable core ('FORTIFY THE CORE') with ambitious yet targeted expansion ('ACCELERATE U.S. GROWTH'). The objectives to 'MODERNIZE OPERATIONS' and 'DIVERSIFY REVENUE' directly address the key weaknesses of efficiency drag and margin dependency identified in the analysis. This plan is not a generic wish list; it's a direct, measurable assault on the company's most critical challenges and opportunities. By linking every key result to a specific, impactful outcome, this OKR framework provides the leadership team with a powerful tool to drive alignment, accountability, and ultimately, superior performance in a challenging banking environment.

FirstBank Oriental Bank Bank of America JPMorgan Chase Wells Fargo

No past cycles

Mission & Vision SWOT Analysis OKR Plan Retrospective AI Strategy Data Acquisition

To help our customers and communities prosper by being the financial institution of choice for our customers.

FORTIFY THE CORE

Deepen our moat as the undisputed leader in Puerto Rico.

MARKET SHARE: Grow Puerto Rico deposit market share from 40% to 41%, reinforcing our number one position.
DIGITAL: Increase Mi Banco active user engagement by 15% through new personalized feature launches.
PROFITABILITY: Achieve a top-quartile efficiency ratio for our Puerto Rico operations through process automation.
LOYALTY: Improve our consumer banking Net Promoter Score (NPS) in Puerto Rico by 5 points to enhance retention.

ACCELERATE U.S. GROWTH

Become the bank of choice for our U.S. communities.

LOANS: Expand the U.S. mainland commercial loan book by 10% in target high-growth customer segments.
HOUSEHOLDS: Increase new U.S. mainland retail households by 20,000 through targeted marketing campaigns.
BRAND: Launch three community partnership programs in Florida and Texas to build brand awareness and trust.
INTEGRATION: Reduce U.S. customer onboarding time by 30% to create a seamless, best-in-class experience.

MODERNIZE OPERATIONS

Build a more efficient, scalable, and resilient bank.

AUTOMATION: Automate 5 key back-office processes, reducing manual effort by 40% and improving accuracy.
CLOUD: Migrate 25% of critical application infrastructure to the cloud to enhance agility and scalability.
DATA: Launch a unified data platform, making trusted data accessible to 100% of analytics and product teams.
EFFICIENCY: Reduce the enterprise-wide cost-to-serve by 5% by optimizing our physical and digital channels.

DIVERSIFY REVENUE

Unlock new, durable streams of non-interest income.

WEALTH: Increase Assets Under Management (AUM) in our wealth division by 12% by hiring 10 new advisors.
FEES: Grow fee-based income from treasury and payment services by 8% through new product bundles for SMEs.
INSURANCE: Launch two new insurance products through our brokerage, generating $5M in new revenue.
PARTNERSHIPS: Sign two strategic fintech partnerships to offer new value-added services to our clients.

METRICS

Net Interest Margin (NIM): 3.00%
Efficiency Ratio: <60%
Return on Tangible Common Equity (ROTCE): >12%

VALUES

Customer First
Integrity
Social Commitment
Performance
Innovation

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Popular Retrospective

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

Popular, Inc. Q1 2024 Earnings Report and Press Release
Popular, Inc. 2023 Form 10-K Annual Report
Investor Presentations from investor.popular.com
Yahoo Finance (BPOP) for market data and financials
Company website (popular.com) for corporate information
LinkedIn for executive team profiles and backgrounds

FirstBank Oriental Bank Bank of America JPMorgan Chase Wells Fargo

No past cycles

Mission & Vision SWOT Analysis OKR Plan Retrospective AI Strategy Data Acquisition

To help our customers and communities prosper by being the financial institution of choice for our customers.

Toggle Theme

What Went Well

DEPOSITS: Core deposits remained stable, showing customer loyalty.
CREDIT: Credit quality metrics remained strong with low net charge-offs.
CAPITAL: Maintained robust capital levels, well above regulatory minimums.
EXPENSE: Proactive expense management initiatives are showing results.
LOANS: Modest loan growth in both Puerto Rico and U.S. operations.

Not So Well

NII: Net interest income declined due to higher funding costs.
MARGIN: Net interest margin (NIM) compressed further sequentially.
REVENUE: Total revenue was down compared to the prior year's quarter.
FEES: Non-interest income showed weakness in certain service lines.
GUIDANCE: Cautious outlook on near-term margin expansion.

Learnings

FUNDING: Deposit costs are more sensitive to rates than historically.
DIVERSIFICATION: Urgency to grow non-interest income is increasing.
EFFICIENCY: Cost control is critical in a compressed margin environment.
COMPETITION: Deposit competition remains intense from all players.
U.S. MARKET: The U.S. operation is a key engine for future growth.

Action Items

PRICING: Optimize loan and deposit pricing to stabilize NIM.
COSTS: Accelerate execution of announced expense-saving initiatives.
WEALTH: Focus sales efforts on growing wealth management fee income.
COMMERCIAL: Drive disciplined commercial loan growth in the U.S. market.
DIGITAL: Promote digital services to lower the cost-to-serve ratio.

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Organization	SWOT Analysis	OKR Plan	Top 6	Retrospective

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Popular Market

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

Popular, Inc. Q1 2024 Earnings Report and Press Release
Popular, Inc. 2023 Form 10-K Annual Report
Investor Presentations from investor.popular.com
Yahoo Finance (BPOP) for market data and financials
Company website (popular.com) for corporate information
LinkedIn for executive team profiles and backgrounds

Founded: 1893
Market Share: ~40% deposit market share in Puerto Rico.
Customer Base: Individuals, SMEs, and corporations in PR, USVI, and US mainland.
Category:
Financial Services
SIC Code: 6021 National Commercial Banks
NAICS Code: 522110 Commercial Banking
Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Zip Code: 00918
Employees: 8000

Competitors

FirstBank Request Analysis

Oriental Bank Request Analysis

Bank of America View Analysis

JPMorgan Chase View Analysis

Wells Fargo View Analysis

Products & Services

No products or services data available

Distribution Channels

Popular Business Model Analysis

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

Popular, Inc. Q1 2024 Earnings Report and Press Release
Popular, Inc. 2023 Form 10-K Annual Report
Investor Presentations from investor.popular.com
Yahoo Finance (BPOP) for market data and financials
Company website (popular.com) for corporate information
LinkedIn for executive team profiles and backgrounds

Problem

Need for trusted, accessible financial services.
Lack of capital for personal & business growth.
Complexity in managing personal finances.

Solution

Full suite of banking & wealth products.
Personalized advice from relationship managers.
User-friendly Mi Banco digital platform.

Key Metrics

Net Interest Margin (NIM)
Efficiency Ratio
Return on Equity (ROE)

Unique

130+ year brand trust in Puerto Rico.
Dominant market share & physical presence.
Deep understanding of the local economy.

Advantage

Low-cost, stable core deposit base.
Economies of scale in the PR market.
Proprietary data on customer behavior.

Channels

Extensive branch and ATM network.
Mi Banco digital and mobile banking app.
Direct sales and relationship managers.

Customer Segments

Retail consumers in PR and U.S.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Large corporations and government entities.

Costs

Employee compensation and benefits.
Technology and infrastructure expenses.
Branch network and real estate costs.

Popular Product Market Fit Analysis

Updated: October 6, 2025

Popular enables individuals and businesses to achieve financial prosperity through a unique combination of deep community trust, built over 130 years, and a leading-edge digital banking platform. This fusion of localized expertise and modern technology provides clients with the confidence and tools necessary to thrive in any economic environment, making Popular the financial institution of choice.

Achieve financial prosperity with a trusted local partner.

Simplify banking with our leading digital tools.

Grow your business with our deep market expertise.

Before State

Financial uncertainty and fragmentation
Limited access to modern banking tools
Complex, impersonal financial services

After State

Financial stability and clear guidance
Seamless digital banking anytime, anywhere
A trusted, lifelong financial partner

Negative Impacts

Inability to secure capital for growth
Wasted time on manual banking tasks
Lack of trust in financial partners

Positive Outcomes

Personal and business goals achieved
Increased efficiency and productivity
Confidence in one's financial future

Key Metrics

Customer Retention Rates - 95%+

Net Promoter Score (NPS) - 50+

User Growth Rate - 5% YoY digital user growth

Customer Feedback/Reviews - 4.8 stars on App Store

Repeat Purchase Rates) - High, via recurring deposits/payments

Requirements

Robust and secure digital platforms
Accessible, expert financial advice
Deep understanding of local economies

Why Popular

Invest in Mi Banco platform technology
Empower relationship managers with data
Maintain strong community presence

Popular Competitive Advantage

Unmatched brand trust in Puerto Rico
Decades of localized market expertise
Scale and data from dominant market share

Proof Points

Over 130 years of community service
Top-ranked digital banking app in PR
Leader in PPP loan distribution for SMEs

Popular Market Positioning

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

Popular, Inc. Q1 2024 Earnings Report and Press Release
Popular, Inc. 2023 Form 10-K Annual Report
Investor Presentations from investor.popular.com
Yahoo Finance (BPOP) for market data and financials
Company website (popular.com) for corporate information
LinkedIn for executive team profiles and backgrounds

Strategic pillars derived from our vision-focused SWOT analysis

HEARTLAND DOMINANCE

Fortify #1 position in Puerto Rico.

MAINLAND GROWTH

Accelerate targeted expansion in the U.S.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Deliver a seamless, modern client experience.

RISK MANAGEMENT

Maintain a fortress balance sheet and disciplined underwriting.

What You Do

Provides comprehensive retail and commercial banking services.

Target Market

Communities in Puerto Rico and select U.S. mainland markets.

Differentiation

Deep community integration and brand trust in Puerto Rico.
Leading digital platform (Mi Banco) in its core market.

Revenue Streams

Net interest income from loans and investments.
Service charges, fees, and wealth management.

Popular Operations and Technology

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

Popular, Inc. Q1 2024 Earnings Report and Press Release
Popular, Inc. 2023 Form 10-K Annual Report
Investor Presentations from investor.popular.com
Yahoo Finance (BPOP) for market data and financials
Company website (popular.com) for corporate information
LinkedIn for executive team profiles and backgrounds

Company Operations

Organizational Structure: Bank holding company with distinct subsidiaries.
Supply Chain: Primarily digital; physical supply chain for branches, cards.
Tech Patents: Focus on proprietary software and digital platform features.
Website: https://www.popular.com

Top Clients

Board Members

Popular Competitive Forces

Threat of New Entry

LOW: High barriers to entry due to strict banking regulations, capital requirements, and the need to build significant brand trust.

Supplier Power

LOW: Primary suppliers are depositors. While competition for deposits exists, individual suppliers have little power. Tech vendors have moderate power.

Buyer Power

MODERATE: Customers have many choices, giving them power. However, high switching costs for business accounts and brand loyalty reduce this power.

Threat of Substitution

MODERATE: Fintechs offering specialized services (payments, lending) can substitute parts of the banking relationship, but not the full suite.

Competitive Rivalry

HIGH: Intense competition from large national banks (BofA, Chase), other local PR banks (FirstBank), and digital-first neobanks.

Analysis of AI Strategy

Updated: October 6, 2025 • 2025-Q4 Analysis

The Popular AI SWOT Analysis underscores a significant opportunity to transform its operations and competitive standing. The company's greatest asset is its unique, extensive dataset on the Puerto Rican economy, which can be used to train highly accurate risk and personalization models, creating a defensible moat. However, this potential is constrained by a talent gap in its primary market and legacy systems that may hinder agile deployment. The strategic path is clear: focus AI initiatives on immediate ROI in operational efficiency and risk management while building a modern data foundation. This dual approach—harvesting near-term gains while investing in long-term capabilities—will allow Popular to leverage its data advantage effectively. The priority must be to use AI not just as a feature, but as a core engine to enhance its underwriting precision, personalize customer engagement, and fortify its market leadership against more technologically nimble competitors.

FirstBank Oriental Bank Bank of America JPMorgan Chase Wells Fargo

No past cycles

Mission & Vision SWOT Analysis OKR Plan Retrospective AI Strategy Data Acquisition

To help our customers and communities prosper by being the financial institution of choice for our customers.

Strengths

DATA: Vast, proprietary dataset of 130+ years of PR economic cycles.
TRUST: High customer trust facilitates adoption of AI-driven advice.
INTEGRATION: Mi Banco platform is a prime channel for AI feature delivery.
RISK: Decades of credit data to train superior AI underwriting models.
SCALE: Market dominance in PR provides a large, contained AI testbed.

Weaknesses

TALENT: Scarcity of top-tier AI and machine learning talent in PR.
INFRASTRUCTURE: Legacy core systems may limit real-time AI capabilities.
SILOS: Data may be siloed across different business units and systems.
CULTURE: Risk-averse banking culture may slow AI experimentation.
COSTS: Significant investment required for AI talent and infrastructure.

Opportunities

EFFICIENCY: AI-powered automation of back-office and compliance tasks.
PERSONALIZATION: Hyper-personalize product offerings and marketing at scale.
UNDERWRITING: AI models to improve loan decision speed and accuracy.
FRAUD: Advanced AI for real-time fraud detection and prevention.
ADVISORY: Deploy AI-driven robo-advisors for wealth management.

Threats

BIAS: Risk of biased AI models leading to regulatory and reputational harm.
REGULATION: Evolving AI-specific regulations in banking creating uncertainty.
SECURITY: AI systems present new, complex cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
COMPETITION: Fintechs and big banks deploying AI more aggressively.
OBSOLESCENCE: Falling behind on AI adoption could erode competitive edge.

Key Priorities

EFFICIENCY: Deploy AI to automate core processes, reducing operating costs.
RISK: Enhance underwriting and fraud models with machine learning.
PERSONALIZATION: Use AI to deliver personalized client experiences on Mi Banco.
FOUNDATION: Build a centralized data platform and hire key AI talent.

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Popular Financial Performance

AI-Powered Insights

Claude

Gemini

GPT

Popular, Inc. Q1 2024 Earnings Report and Press Release
Popular, Inc. 2023 Form 10-K Annual Report
Investor Presentations from investor.popular.com
Yahoo Finance (BPOP) for market data and financials
Company website (popular.com) for corporate information
LinkedIn for executive team profiles and backgrounds

Profit: $671 Million (2023 Net Income)

Market Cap: $5.8 Billion (May 2024)

Stock Performance

Annual Report: View Report

Debt: $3.1 Billion (Long-term debt, Q1 2024)

ROI Impact: Net Interest Margin (NIM) is a key performance driver.

SWOT Index

Composite strategic assessment with 10-year outlook

/ 100

Market Leader

ICM Index

STRATEGIC ADVISOR ASSESSMENT

Popular's score reflects its status as a dominant Market Leader with a societal-level mission in its core territory. Its high achievability is tempered by significant concentration risks (Downside). The OKRs are strong and category-shaping, directly addressing SWOT conclusions. AI potential is high due to unique data assets. The growth multiplier is modest, reflecting a mature market position and the challenges of expanding beyond its established fortress into highly competitive U.S. markets.

SWOT Factors

Upside: 70.0 Risk: 73.3

OKR Impact

AI Leverage

Top 3 Strategic Levers

De-risk by accelerating U.S. mainland expansion.

Leverage unique PR data for AI-driven underwriting.

Aggressively grow non-interest income to diversify revenue.

AI Disclosure

This report was created using the Alignment Method—our proprietary process for guiding AI to reveal how it interprets your business and industry. These insights are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, legal, tax, or investment advice.

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About Alignment LLC

Alignment LLC specializes in AI-powered business analysis. Through the Alignment Method, we combine advanced prompting, structured frameworks, and expert oversight to deliver actionable insights that help companies understand how AI sees their data and market position.

Popular

Popular SWOT Analysis

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Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Key Priorities

Popular OKR

How to Use This Analysis

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FORTIFY THE CORE

ACCELERATE U.S. GROWTH

MODERNIZE OPERATIONS

DIVERSIFY REVENUE

METRICS

VALUES

Popular Retrospective

AI-Powered Insights

What Went Well

Not So Well

Learnings

Action Items

Popular Market

AI-Powered Insights

Competitors

Products & Services

Distribution Channels

Popular Business Model Analysis

AI-Powered Insights

Problem

Solution

Key Metrics

Unique

Advantage

Channels

Customer Segments

Costs

Popular Product Market Fit Analysis

Achieve financial prosperity with a trusted local partner.

Simplify banking with our leading digital tools.

Grow your business with our deep market expertise.

Before State

After State

Negative Impacts

Positive Outcomes

Key Metrics

Requirements

Why Popular

Popular Competitive Advantage

Proof Points

Popular Market Positioning

AI-Powered Insights

HEARTLAND DOMINANCE

MAINLAND GROWTH

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

RISK MANAGEMENT

What You Do

Target Market

Differentiation

Revenue Streams

Popular Operations and Technology

AI-Powered Insights

Company Operations

Top Clients

Board Members

Popular Competitive Forces

Threat of New Entry

Supplier Power

Buyer Power

Threat of Substitution

Competitive Rivalry

Analysis of AI Strategy

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Key Priorities

Popular Financial Performance