Allowance for credit losses - Amortized cost basis of the loans modified to borrowers experiencing financial difficulties (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2023	Mar. 31, 2022
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis		$ 89,903
Mortgages
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis		35,592
Commercial | CRE non-owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis		3,400
Commercial | CRE owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis		727
Consumer | Credit card
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis		273
Consumer | Personal loans
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis		728
Consumer | Auto Loan
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis		28
Consumer | Other
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis		0
Leasing
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis		$ 0
Interest Rate Reduction
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 899
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Interest Rate Reduction | Mortgages
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 227
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Credit card
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 497
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.05%
Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Personal loans
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 172
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.01%
Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Other
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 3
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Term Extension
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 25,431
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.08%
Term Extension | Construction
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 3,518
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.50%
Term Extension | Mortgages
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 16,374
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.22%
Term Extension | Commercial | CRE owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 1,754
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.06%
Term Extension | Commercial | Commercial and industrial
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 3,705
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.06%
Term Extension | Consumer | Personal loans
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 80
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 11,353
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.04%
Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Mortgages
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 10,801
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.15%
Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Commercial | CRE owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 101
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Personal loans
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 422
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.02%
Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Auto Loan
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 29
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 30,959
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.10%
Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Commercial | CRE non-owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 1,751
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.04%
Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Commercial | CRE owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 26,900
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.89%
Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Commercial | Commercial and industrial
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 2,275
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.04%
Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Consumer | Other
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 33
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.02%
Puerto Rico | Interest Rate Reduction
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 899
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Puerto Rico | Interest Rate Reduction | Mortgages
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 227
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Puerto Rico | Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Credit card
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 497
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.05%
Puerto Rico | Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Personal loans
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 172
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.01%
Puerto Rico | Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Other
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 3
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Puerto Rico | Term Extension
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 20,006
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.09%
Puerto Rico | Term Extension | Construction
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Puerto Rico | Term Extension | Mortgages
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 14,521
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.24%
Puerto Rico | Term Extension | Commercial | CRE owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 1,754
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.12%
Puerto Rico | Term Extension | Commercial | Commercial and industrial
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 3,705
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.09%
Puerto Rico | Term Extension | Consumer | Personal loans
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 26
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Puerto Rico | Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 11,025
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.05%
Puerto Rico | Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Mortgages
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 10,473
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.17%
Puerto Rico | Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Commercial | CRE owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 101
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.01%
Puerto Rico | Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Personal loans
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 422
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.03%
Puerto Rico | Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Auto Loan
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 29
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Puerto Rico | Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 16,351
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.07%
Puerto Rico | Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Commercial | CRE non-owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 1,751
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.06%
Puerto Rico | Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Commercial | CRE owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 13,156
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.88%
Puerto Rico | Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Commercial | Commercial and industrial
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 1,411
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.04%
Puerto Rico | Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Consumer | Other
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 33
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.03%
Popular U.S. | Interest Rate Reduction
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Interest Rate Reduction | Mortgages
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Credit card
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Personal loans
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Other
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Term Extension
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 5,425
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.06%
Popular U.S. | Term Extension | Construction
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 3,518
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.65%
Popular U.S. | Term Extension | Mortgages
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 1,853
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.14%
Popular U.S. | Term Extension | Commercial | CRE owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Term Extension | Commercial | Commercial and industrial
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Term Extension | Consumer | Personal loans
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 54
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.02%
Popular U.S. | Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 328
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Mortgages
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 328
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.03%
Popular U.S. | Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Commercial | CRE owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Personal loans
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Combination - Term Extension and Interest Rate Reduction | Consumer | Auto Loan
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 14,608
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.15%
Popular U.S. | Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Commercial | CRE non-owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%
Popular U.S. | Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Commercial | CRE owner occupied
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 13,744
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.90%
Popular U.S. | Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Commercial | Commercial and industrial
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 864
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.04%
Popular U.S. | Other-Than-Insignificant Payment Delays | Consumer | Other
Financing Receivable
Amortized Cost Basis	$ 0
% of total class of Financing Receivables	0.00%