In BBVA USA’s announcement regarding the opening of 15 new branches across Texas, the bank showed its commitment to weaving its groundbreaking digital capabilities into traditional face-to-face interactions, a concept that continues to be relevant in today’s banking industry.

In January, more than 250 leaders from across BBVA USA gathered in Houston to hear from management about the bank’s new 5-year strategic plan. Anybody in attendance will tell you it was a great meeting that generated palpable excitement about the bank’s future in the U.S.

In its latest edition of ‘Spain Outlook‘ – presented today by Jorge Sicilia, Director of BBVA Research Chief Economist of BBVA Group, and Rafael Doménech, Head of Economic Analysis of BBVA – BBVA’s research service estimates that the containment measures implemented to curb contagion rates and reign in the Covid-19 pandemic will cause Spain’s GDP to decline 8 percent year-on-year (compared to its previous 1.6 percent growth forecast). The decline may drive to an unemployment rate above 20 percent this year. In 2021, as a result of the expected global recovery and the policies promoted by both European institutions and the government of Spain, Spain’s GDP growth rate could reach 5.7 percent year-on-year.