BBVA’s Group Executive Chairman was given the Vocento Corporate Leadership Award for his career achievements. Vocento recognized Francisco González as  a “corporate leader with numerous accomplishments who saw the emergence of digitization in our lives as an opportunity, and decided to turn the bank into a digital company.”

Carlos Torres Vila, BBVA’s Chief Executive Officer, this morning said open innovation is one of the key elements of the bank´s transformation to adapt financial services to customers’ new needs. "Keeping up with the rapid pace of change that companies are undergoing, including the financial services sector, the connection with the innovation ecosystem and entrepreneurs is essential," he said.

In April 2010, when smartphone penetration was still very low in Argentina, BBVA Francés launched an innovative communication channel to be closer to its customers. FrancésGo was the first mobile channel in the financial sector. It allowed customers to obtain information about BBVA Francés card promotions by text message (SMS that all types of devices could receive), segmented by area, type and brand. At the time, customers had to send the word “GO” to a four-digit number. And that's how it all started.

ShareAction, one of the most important observers of responsible investing, has published a study on the 15 biggest European banks, analyzing how we manage the risks and opportunities related to climate change. This study follows the guide for investors on discussing climate change with their bank that was published a few months ago.

BBVA has appointed María Abascal as Global Director of Institutional Relations. Abascal brings to the post more than 15 years of experience in the analysis of economic, financial, regulatory and institutional affairs in the public and private sector. Prior to her new appointment, since June 2010 she had been BBVA Research’s Chief Economist for Regulation and Public Policies.

The Banker magazine has selected BBVA Bancomer and Garanti Bank as the best banks in Mexico and Turkey, respectively, as part of its 2017 Bank of the Year awards. The magazine, a member of the Financial Times group, noted the strength of both banks and underscored their commitment to digital transformation.