GLADIUS MarketBrief — Banking Sector | El Salvador | Aug 2026
GLADIUS · Extended 300 · Interactive Results Dashboard
Banking Sector — El Salvador
Field date
August 2026
Sample
n = 300
Margin of error
±5.66 pp
Confidence
95%
Top of Mind #1
Agrícola
48.0% spontaneous first mention
Preferred Bank
Agrícola
44.7% declared preference
KSA #1 — Most valued attribute
App
48.3% of consumers rank it first
Key strategic gap
Davivienda
74.3% awareness → only 7.3% preference
Overview
Brand Metrics
KSAs & Attributes
Strategic Signals
Sample Profile
Top of Mind — First spontaneous mention
Which bank comes to mind first, unprompted?
Banco Agrícola
48.0%
48.0%
Banco Cuscatlán
18.0%
18.0%
BAC Credomatic
12.7%
12.7%
Davivienda
8.7%
8.7%
Promerica
7.0%
7.0%
Others
4.7%
Total Brand Awareness — Spontaneous total mentions
% of consumers who mentioned each bank in any position
Banco Agrícola
94.7%
94.7%
Banco Cuscatlán
85.3%
85.3%
Davivienda
74.3%
74.3%
BAC Credomatic
67.3%
67.3%
Promerica
57.7%
57.7%
Banco Azul
42.0%
Preferred Bank
Which bank would you choose if you could pick freely?
Primary Bank — Most used
Which bank do you use most regularly?
Banks Worked With — Active banking relationships
% of consumers who hold at least one active product with each bank (multi-response — does not sum to 100%)
Banco Agrícola
62.0%
62.0%
Banco Cuscatlán
43.3%
43.3%
BAC Credomatic
33.7%
33.7%
Davivienda
22.7%
22.7%
Promerica
14.7%
14.7%
Full Brand Intelligence Scorecard
All brand metrics in a single view — n=300, El Salvador, August 2026
Bank Top of Mind Total Awareness Preferred Bank Primary Bank Works With
Banco Agrícola 48.0% 94.7% 44.7% 41.0% 62.0%
Banco Cuscatlán 18.0% 85.3% 22.0% 24.7% 43.3%
BAC Credomatic 12.7% 67.3% 16.3% 17.0% 33.7%
Davivienda 8.7% 74.3% 7.3% 9.3% 22.7%
Promerica 7.0% 57.7% 7.0% 5.7% 14.7%
Brand Funnel — Awareness → Preference → Use
How each bank converts awareness into active banking relationships
Key Success Attributes (KSAs)
What makes a bank "the best"? — Top 3 attributes selected by consumers
#AttributeBar%
1Mobile app (Mobile banking)
48.3%
2Trustworthy / Financial backing
43.7%
3Fast service
35.3%
4Good digital platform
33.0%
5Agile processes
29.0%
6Effective problem resolution
26.7%
7Convenient hours
22.3%
8Accessible credit
19.3%
9Presence everywhere
16.3%
10Technological innovation
15.7%
11Informative website
9.7%
KSA Radar — Top 6 attributes by bank
Positive attribute association per bank vs. sector KSA importance
Positive Brand Attributes — Top 5 per bank
% of consumers associating each positive attribute with each bank
Banco Agrícola
Market leader — n=300
Mobile app
42.0%
Presence everywhere
41.7%
Fast service
36.7%
Trustworthy
35.0%
Good digital platform
32.7%
Banco Cuscatlán
Challenger #1 — n=300
Mobile app
34.3%
Trustworthy
33.0%
Agile processes
33.0%
Fast service
30.7%
Effective problem resolution
26.7%
BAC Credomatic
Challenger #2 — n=300
Fast service
35.3%
Mobile app
30.7%
Agile processes
29.7%
Trustworthy
29.0%
Convenient hours
28.7%
Davivienda
Challenger #3 — n=300
Fast service
34.3%
Convenient hours
27.7%
Agile processes
26.0%
Trustworthy
25.3%
Mobile app
22.7%
⚠ The following Strategic Signals integrate primary on-field data with macro context (economic, fiscal, legal and political environment). AI-generated analytical interpretation — not verified fact. Review recommended before use in strategic or investment decisions.
Signal 1 · Digital
The app battle is more open than TOM suggests
The #1 KSA is Mobile app (48.3%), but Banco Agrícola — which dominates every other indicator — only reaches 42.0% positive app association. Cuscatlán is just 7.7 points behind (34.3%). BAC and Davivienda trail further. The digital battle is more contested than brand leadership numbers suggest. A bank that invests decisively in mobile UX could close this gap quickly.
Signal 2 · Conversion gap
Davivienda: high awareness, low conversion
Davivienda outperforms BAC in Brand Awareness (74.3% vs. 67.3%) but loses in Preferred Brand (7.3% vs. 16.3%), Primary Bank (9.3% vs. 17.0%) and Banks Worked With (22.7% vs. 33.7%). Its weakest attribute vs. the top KSA: mobile app (22.7%) vs. 48.3% consumer importance.

Macro amplifier: In a market growing at 4.5% GDP with record remittances driving financial inclusion, the window for challengers to capture converting consumers is open. Davivienda's gap is a product-market fit problem that BAC or a new entrant could exploit.
Signal 3 · Challenger efficiency
Cuscatlán converts awareness into use more efficiently than BAC
Cuscatlán: 85.3% Brand Awareness → 24.7% Primary Bank. BAC: 67.3% awareness → 17.0% Primary Bank. Cuscatlán's value proposition converts brand knowledge into active banking relationships more effectively — the strongest structural challenger.

Macro amplifier: In a legally open investment environment (Investment Expansion Law 2026, equal treatment for foreign investors), Cuscatlán's efficiency model is replicable — the market rewards banks combining service quality with agile processes.
Awareness → Preference → Primary Bank conversion rates
Comparing how efficiently each bank converts brand awareness into active customer relationships
Signal 4 · Macro
IMF anchor as structural opportunity for new entrants
El Salvador's US$1.4B IMF program (positively reviewed September 2026) is reducing sovereign risk. GDP growth of 4.5% in 2026, record remittances (US$9,988M — 24% of GDP, source: BCR El Salvador, 2026) and growing private investment create a demand-side tailwind for banking services.

Strategic implication: The combination of macroeconomic stability, a growing young unbanked population (61.3% of our sample aged 18–35) and a government actively courting financial innovation represents a structural entry opportunity for digitally-native banking models.
Signal 5 · Risk
Structural vulnerabilities to monitor
Fiscal fragility: Significant sovereign debt maturities approaching; IMF program metric compliance is the key risk indicator. A fiscal shock would directly impact banking system liquidity and credit costs.

Remittance dependence: 27.3% of GDP from the U.S. creates a structural vulnerability to U.S. immigration and economic policy shifts. Any reduction impacts deposit growth and consumer purchasing power simultaneously.

Regulatory unpredictability: Laws implemented quickly without extensive consultation create compliance risks that foreign banks and fintechs must factor into market entry timelines.
Gender distribution
Male50.3% (151)
Female49.7% (149)
Age range
18–25 years23.3%
26–35 years38.0%
36–45 years25.0%
46–55 years9.7%
56–65 years4.0%
Monthly household income
Under $50023.3%
$501–$1,00033.7%
$1,001–$1,50022.4%
Over $1,50020.6%
Geographic distribution
San Salvador dept.86.0% (258)
La Libertad5.0%
Santa Ana1.7%
Ahuachapán1.7%
Other departments5.6%
Vehicles in household
None43.3% (130)
1 vehicle34.0% (102)
2 vehicles19.3% (58)
3 or more2.3% (7)
Methodology
DesignFree Fall (no quotas)
Samplen = 300
Confidence95% (z = 1.96)
Margin of error±5.66 pp
MethodOnline survey (CAWI)
PanelMixed (GLADIUS + external)