BBVA’s Chair stated this Friday that Europe remains one of the world’s largest economies, with significant strengths, but needs to increase investment in order to compete globally. During the annual conference of the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), the Spanish Federation of Savings Banks (CECA) and the Credit Cooperative Association (Unacc), Carlos Torres Vila noted that the EU does not have a savings problem, but rather a challenge in channeling those savings into productive projects. To achieve this, it is necessary to simplify regulation and complete financial integration. He also highlighted the role of artificial intelligence (AI) as a driver of Europe’s competitiveness. The true competitive advantage, he explained, will come from the ability of European companies to incorporate AI at scale and translate it into productivity, innovation and growth.
The new accounting regulation IFRS 9 aims to buttress financial stability against future crises. It obliges financial institutions to more faithfully reflect credit risk and calculate provisions for insolvencies following an expected loss model (versus the previous “incurred loss” model). For a majority of financial institutions, this has resulted in an increase in provisions and the subsequent impact on capital.
Mª Ángeles Peláez, Head of Group Financial Accounting at BBVA, underscored the importance of the role of the expert accountant in correctly interpreting the wording of regulations in an environment of constant regulatory change. This was one of the subjects debated at the workshop on Standardization and Accounting Law organized by the Spanish Association of Accounting and Business Administration (AECA) at BBVA’s headquarters in Madrid.
Judit Polgár is a retired Hungarian chess player. She is considered the best female chess player in history. In 1991 she won the International Grand Master title at the age of 15 years and four months, thus becoming the youngest person to obtain that title at the time and breaking the record previously held by former World Champion Bobby Fischer.
Mindfulness is not a passing trend. Its impact and potential go beyond a mere meditation and stress management technique, as it also encompasses a key managerial skill. Mindfulness is something that is being harnessed for both personal and professional reasons on an individual level, but also from the perspective of organizations. This is the case at BBVA, where mindfulness is producing positive results in employee productivity, well-being and leadership, while also supporting the bank’s corporate culture.
Alison Gopnik is an American Professor of Psychology and Affiliate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley.
Writer Emily Esfahani Smith draws on psychology, philosophy and literature to write about the human experience—why we are the way we are and how we can find grace and meaning in a world that is full of suffering.
BBVA Germany is launching its first credit card for customers in Germany in partnership with Mastercard. This new card is free for active users and offers an initial six-month fee-free trial period for new cardholders to experience its benefits without a fee, while delivering state-of-the-art security features and no foreign exchange fees (FX) worldwide. The launch highlights what sets BBVA apart from other digital banks: leveraging the scale and expertise of the BBVA Group, one of the largest banking groups in the world.
Fair-trade coffee, quality guarantee, ecological tomatoes… consumers read the labels on the things they eat. But is there any way of checking that what they say is correct? In order to do so, you would need a register of the processes to which the product has been submitted, something blockchain can do.
Sustainable Development is essential to achieving more peaceful and just societies and the United Nations counts on the private sector to help in this effort. The BBVA Microfinance Foundation (BBVAMF) has contributed its experience in the finance sector to the report entitled “Business and SDG 16: contributing to peaceful, just and inclusive societies,” drawn up by the Sustainable Development Goals Fund and the University of Pennsylvania.
A new ad campaign by BBVA USA is sweeping through select markets within the bank’s footprint, in both digital and traditional broadcast channels.
Twelve years after its last euro-denominated issuance, Brazil returned this year to the European market with a €5 billion sovereign transaction in which BBVA participated as bookrunner. Beyond the financing itself, the transaction represented a test for Brazilian sovereign credit: measuring the depth of investor demand, rebuilding euro benchmarks and executing with precision in an especially volatile environment.
The energy transition, digitalisation, sector consolidation and the rollout of new infrastructure are reshaping investment decisions in Europe. In Spain, BBVA CIB has delivered two consecutive years of double-digit growth and has supported transactions and investments of close to €20 billion. José Ramón Vizmanos, Head of BBVA CIB in Spain, explains why this new phase requires more capital, greater financial sophistication and a long-term strategic vision.
With South America undergoing a transformation that demands decisive investments in infrastructure, energy, agriculture, technology and mining, BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) is committed to being the strategic partner of corporations and institutions. Its offering combines innovative and sustainable financial solutions with close, hands‑on support. This is underscored by Verónica Incera, Head of CIB for South America and Argentina, who highlights the bank’s commitment to supporting its clients’ internationalisation with high‑value advice and a clear focus on their specific needs.
Garanti BBVA Leasing has consistently offered the best financial solutions. It is now moving to strengthen its solar energy service offering by signing a partnership agreement with Başarı Enerji, one of the leading companies in the sector.
Garanti BBVA Leasing continues to build on its support for renewable energy development. Most recently, the bank has signed a partnership agreement with Elin Enerji, one of Turkey's most important energy companies
For yet another year, the bank stood out among comparable European peers for its unique combination of growth of its lending portfolio (14 percent yoy in constant euros), and profitability, with ROTE of 19.7 percent. In 2024 the Group added 11.4 million new customers and channeled €99 billion in sustainable business, reaching the €300-billion¹ goal one year ahead of schedule. Between January and December, BBVA posted a net attributable profit of €10.1 billion, up 25 percent. Earnings per share² saw a higher increase, 28 percent, on the back of a share buyback. Against 2024 earnings, BBVA will pay a cash dividend of €0.70 per share³, 27 percent more than in 2023, and will execute a new share buyback program for €993 million⁴. In total, BBVA will distribute €5.03 billion to its shareholders.
¹Accumulated since 2018.
²Earnings per Share (EPS) figures considering end of period number of shares.
³Of this amount, €0.29 per share were paid in October as interim dividend of 2024. The additional payout of €0.41 per share is subject to the approval by the bank’s governing bodies.
⁴Subject to approval from the bank’s governing bodies and from corresponding regulators.
Among the novelties in BBVA´s 2020 results presentation is its objective of repurchasing 10 percent of the shares once the sale of the subsidiary in the United States is completed with the capital generated by this operation. At the press conference, Carlos Torres Vila, BBVA Group´s Executive Chairman, stated that "we are saying loud and clear that we consider BBVA´s share the best investment we can make." In addition, he reviewed different strategic options that the bank was considering for investing that capital.
Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş., recently reported its financial results as of September 30, 2020. Based on the consolidated financials, the bank’s net income in the first nine months of the year was 5.24 billion Turkish lira. Assets totaled 525.91 billion Turkish lira, and the bank’s contribution to the economy through cash and non-cash loans was 400.38 billion Turkish lira. Deposits continued to be the main source of funding, as 66 percent of assets were funded via deposits.
At BBVA Summit 2025: Futura, Hugo Nájera, Head of Retail Banking at BBVA Mexico, presented the new digital era of the BBVA Mx app. He explained that hyper-personalization is now at the core of its transformation, allowing the app to adapt to each customer’s needs and preferences through a single, unified channel.
Garanti BBVA Digital Asset’s crypto app, ‘Garanti BBVA Crypto’ was recently presented the award for ‘Pioneers of Digital Finance’ by KPMG Turkey and the Financial Innovation and Technology Association (FINTR).
BBVA’s emblematic headquarters building in Madrid will be lit with a black ribbon for the 10 day mourning period decreed by the Spanish government, which began yesterday. The bank, which has devoted its efforts to help combat the health emergency, is therefore joining the tribute to the victims of the disease.
BBVA’s Chair stated this Friday that Europe remains one of the world’s largest economies, with significant strengths, but needs to increase investment in order to compete globally. During the annual conference of the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), the Spanish Federation of Savings Banks (CECA) and the Credit Cooperative Association (Unacc), Carlos Torres Vila noted that the EU does not have a savings problem, but rather a challenge in channeling those savings into productive projects. To achieve this, it is necessary to simplify regulation and complete financial integration. He also highlighted the role of artificial intelligence (AI) as a driver of Europe’s competitiveness. The true competitive advantage, he explained, will come from the ability of European companies to incorporate AI at scale and translate it into productivity, innovation and growth.
One of the main issues currently under discussion in European financial regulation is whether competitiveness objectives should be part of the purview of European regulatory and supervisory agencies, alongside their primary mandate of safeguarding financial stability. The debate has gained momentum following the UK reform introduced in 2023, which included objectives of this kind, and in tandem with the regulatory simplification efforts being championed by the European Commission. Notably, Brussels recently launched a consultation on the competitiveness of the financial industry and is expected to publish a report in the coming weeks. It is important to clarify that both the UK reform and the proposals currently on the table in the EU refer to competitiveness in a dual sense: that of the financial sector itself and that of the broader economy it helps to finance.
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Santiago Fernández de Lis(Head of Regulation)
Tessa Hulls is an artist, writer, and author of the graphic novel Feeding Ghosts, a work awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Her work explores memory, identity, and the traces of intergenerational trauma through the story of her own family.
"One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" was Neil Armstrong's famous phrase when he first stepped on the surface of the Moon. The phrase served to crown one of the greatest feats carried out by the human species whose 50th anniversary is celebrated this year.
Space Apps Challenge is an annual global contest where scientists and innovators from across the world compete to solve challenges facing the aerospace industry proposed by NASA. In 2016, I was one of the scientists that won this prize thanks to an algorithm capable of detecting and classifying Near Earth Objects, or NEOs. Today, I work as a data scientist at BBVA, where I develop fraud detection models. This is my story.
Javier Rodríguez Soler, Global Head of Sustainability and Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB), has been named to American Banker’s inaugural “50 Most Innovative People in Finance” list. The recognition highlights his leadership in accelerating BBVA’s transformation through the integration of artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and sustainability across the bank’s global operations. American Banker also recognized BBVA’s deployment of generative AI tools and continued investment in digital banking and sustainable finance solutions.
The financial institution has been recognized in the first edition of the EPBN-WISE LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Awards as one of the European companies most firmly committed to LGBTIQ+ inclusion in the workplace. The award recognizes organizations that have implemented concrete measures to create safe, diverse, and inclusive working environments.
The financial institution is ranked as the best bank to work for in Spain according to LinkedIn and holds second place in the overall ranking of companies with more than 5,000 employees. BBVA reinforces its positioning as one of the best places to build a professional career, in an environment defined by innovation, continuous learning and real impact.
This week, BBVA completed two significant risk transfers (SRTs) with a combined value of €3.5 billion. BBVA also reached an agreement to sell a €314 million portfolio of restructured mortgages. These transactions allow the Group to unblock regulatory capital, as part of its strategy to optimize capital allocation.
Garanti BBVA unveils its new bank account aggregation service for businesses, SMEs and self-employed
Garanti BBVA’s retail and business clients can now view their account balances and statements with other banks. Garanti BBVA Internet allows self-employed and businesses check their accounts with other banks from a single screen, without any further login requirements.
True to its commitment to deliver the best services to its customers, BBVA has become the first financial institution in Spain to roll out a seamless 100% online account switching process that allows customers to bring their bank accounts from other banks to BBVA. In most cases the process can be completed without any additional paperwork. The ‘Cambio de banco (Switch Banks)' digital tool automates all the steps involved in the account switching process, including the updating of all direct debit, credit, and billing arrangements and shutting down the old account, in a seamless process that saves users the need to visit any branches of the BBVA or their former bank’s networks.
Garanti BBVA Payment Systems (GÖSAŞ) recently released the report ‘2025 Card Payments in Türkiye.’ The study, which analyzes trends in card spending, bank and credit card ownership and e-commerce growth, revealed rising credit and debit card spending volumes, increased contactless use, and a growing preference for upfront transactions. The study was based on data from the Interbank Card Center (BKM).
Garanti has introduced three new inflation-indexed products that will peg the Turkish lira to inflation thereby helping its customers achieve their savings goals while also making a positive contribution to the national savings rate.
Over the years, my life has gotten increasingly digital, without me even realizing it. Take for instance, payments. Typically, I pull out a debit or credit card to pay for store purchases. Online bill pay works for the monthly bills. And for splitting dinner bills, classroom payments, sports fees and babysitters, P2P does just fine.
Between 2011 and 2014, 700 million people opened a bank account. In the same period, the number of people outside the banking system fell by 20%, or 2 billion adults. In 2014, 62% of adults held an account, well above the 54% registered in 2011.
BBVA’s Turkish franchise has unveiled ‘My Banker,’ a new program aimed at delivering tailored financial services and lifestyle benefits to its affluent customer segment.
BBVA has submitted to the Spanish National Markets and Competition authority (CNMC) a series of unprecedented measures to guarantee financial inclusion, lending to SMEs and competitiveness, especially in Catalonia and the Valencian Community, in order to facilitate a prompt authorization for the combination with Banco Sabadell. The specific measures being presented include: BBVA will not close offices where there is no other branch nearby and will maintain the commercial terms for individuals and SMEs in those postal codes in which there are fewer than four financial institutions¹. In addition, the bank is committed to maintaining, for 18 months, the working capital lines for all SMEs, and the current total credit volume for those that work exclusively with the two banks². These remedies largely mitigate the risks identified by the CNMC, which are mostly focused on certain territories. The bank will continue to collaborate closely with the authority to finalize the remedies agreement and the authorization of the transaction as soon as possible.
¹For the purpose of competition, BBVA and Banco Sabadell are considered as a single entity.
²Except in case of financial deterioration.
BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila said that the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) represents a major opportunity for Europe during his participation this Tuesday at the 7th Expansión International Forum. In his view, AI will profoundly transform the banking sector and BBVA aims to lead that change. “Over the past 20 years, the bank has maintained this innovative and transformative drive. And we are going to do it again with the wave that is coming, which is deeper and faster,” he stressed. BBVA is already evolving toward a truly AI-driven bank through the creation, deployment and management of AI agents across the organization. “The potential of the technology is to transform everything we do at BBVA,” he said.
Garanti BBVA's principle is to offer a long-lasting and sustainable contribution to society. In this sense, the bank celebrates one of the longest and most successful sponsorships in Turkish sports history after twenty years of supporting the country's basketball.
BBVA USA and the Houston Rockets teamed up to send “care packages” to small businesses in the Houston area impacted by the pandemic over the past year.
Travelling is one of the greatest pleasures in life. Visiting new cities, learning about new cultures and other languages is a dream for many. But travelling across the globe is not as easy as it seems. Fortunately, paintings have the power of taking us to other places and eras. BBVA Collection has set out to bring all corners of the world together, so that we can have them at hand’s reach.
BBVA Mexico and Liga BBVA MX have just announced the signing of a three-year sponsorship agreement for the BBVA MX, BBVA MX Expansion and BBVA MX Women’s soccer leagues. The aim is to continue growing Mexican soccer, including players and teams alike, by promoting key virtues such as hard work, teamwork, tenacity, self-improvement and fair play, while also transmitting these values to fans.
In a year brimming with stellar sporting events, BBVA’s ambassadors and sponsored teams excelled. The Rio Games, the Copa America Centenario, the NBA, tennis and soccer tournaments are just some of the stages in which they proved their worth.
Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscientist and philosopher specialising in the brain hemispheres and their influence on the human body, well-being, and social and cultural change.
The 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, has issued a stark warning regarding "invisible barriers" and discriminatory laws that could delay economic gender equality for nearly 300 years. Performance data from the Microfinance Foundation (BBVAMF) which participated in the summit as a leading institution in financial inclusion, debunks long-standing prejudices regarding financial risk: among the entrepreneurs it serves, women represent 70% of those who successfully transition out of poverty, with their businesses growing at the same rate as those led by men.
Three micro-entrepreneurs running small cocoa farming businesses were the stars of ‘Seeds for a sustainable future’, an event organized by the BBVA Microfinance Foundation under the presidency of Queen Letizia of Spain. The Queen, who underlined the Foundation’s invaluable work in supporting the progress of millions of people, was accompanied by BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila and by renowned pastry chef Jordi Roca.
The Blue Breath project was launched in 2021 by Garanti BBVA in collaboration with DenizTemiz Derneği/TURMEPA to protect Turkish marine ecosystems. Over the past four years, Blue Breath has worked with a variety of stakeholders to carry out clean-up projects, training sessions, and other environmental protection initiatives.
Garanti BBVA employees mark 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye with a photographic exhibit
Garanti BBVA employees have commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye with an exhibit titled ‘One Hundred Years Ago, One Hundred Years Later: Mustafa Kemal Pasha's Path to the Republic in Photographs.’
Garanti BBVA participated alongside other leading Turkish organizations in the recent Internal Communication Summit organized by HR Magazine. BBVA Garanti director of Talent & Culture Sibel Inal Kaya shared her expertise and insight into best practices, outlining the key elements for effective internal communication management.
In the last six years, BBVA’s original team of less than ten designers has bloomed into a community of more than 500. This year the bank earned a special mention at the Spanish National Design Awards. In the meantime, design became a strategic driver of its transformation process, allowing customers to play a leading role by determining the design of its products. BBVA is facing the future trying to scale up its products by globally with efficiency, integrating data into design and exploring new user experience features, such as voice-enabled navigation.
BBVA Switzerland, together with the Group's Behavioral Economics team, has launched ‘Investing in the Mirror,’ an innovative interactive experience that invites us to reflect on the role of emotions, biases, and beliefs in our investment decisions. It's a different look at the relationship with money that combines technological innovation and behavioral psychology.
BBVA has relied on behavioral economics techniques to encourage employee participation in cybercrime training. The messages conveyed through the use of these techniques have effectively doubled interest in the course and, in some cases, increased course attendance by up to 70%. The initiative, which has been recognized by the Global Association of Applied Behavioural Scientists, will succeed in making the bank’s regular cybersecurity messages to its customers more effective.
Garanti BBVA has been recognized in two categories at the Environmental Finance Sustainable Debt Awards 2026 for Türkiye’s first biodiversity-themed bond issuance. The bond channels funding toward the protection of marine and freshwater ecosystems and introduces an innovative financing model in the sustainable debt markets.
BBVA USA said that Ignacio J. Carnicero is its new Chief Risk Officer, responsible for the bank’s enterprise risk management program, in news that was first announced to employees in early October 2019.
BBVA Compass today named José Luis Elechiguerra as its Head of Business Development, where he will oversee the BBVA Group’s U.S. efforts around the ongoing digital transformation of its products and services.
American oncologist Carl June and French geneticist Michel Sadelain have been awarded the Frontiers of Knowledge Award for revolutionizing cancer treatment through immunotherapy based on so-called CAR-T cells. Their work has paved the way for therapies therapies for patients with various types of blood cancer, including leukemia, which have already benefited “tens of thousands of individuals, including many children,” according to the award committee’s citation.
The jury of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine has selected Katalin Karikó, Robert Langer and Drew Weissman for their contributions to messenger RNA therapeutics and the technology that enables our own cells to produce proteins for the prevention and treatment of disease. The first clinical application of their work was the development of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.
Nothing escapes from the whirlwind of digitization, not even a sector as traditional as the winemaking industry. The number of startups dedicated to improving the way this centuries-old alcoholic beverage is produced, marketed and enjoyed keeps growing. In this article we take a look at some of the most-talked about companies.
Javier Rodríguez Soler, Global Head of Sustainability and Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB), has been named to American Banker’s inaugural “50 Most Innovative People in Finance” list. The recognition highlights his leadership in accelerating BBVA’s transformation through the integration of artificial intelligence, advanced analytics and sustainability across the bank’s global operations. American Banker also recognized BBVA’s deployment of generative AI tools and continued investment in digital banking and sustainable finance solutions.
Advances in artificial intelligence and mobile technology have led many banks to consider using virtual assistants to provide their customers with personal and portable financial managers. In this article, BBVA design manager, Julián García Ruiz, describes the challenge BBVA undertook and the path that led to the creation of the bank’s virtual assistant, Blue.
3,000 onsite and online participants, 23 countries, and the determination to change the reality that surrounds us; those were the credentials of the second edition of Blue BBVA Challenge, which focused on finding solutions for tomorrow’s cities.
Hello everyone!
Our presence in Chile dates back to 1998, when then-still BBV became the largest shareholder in BHIF (Banco Hipotecario Internacional Financiero, or International Financial Mortgage Bank). Eighteen years later, we have grown from a small bank with a business largely focused on the mortgage lending market, into a diversified institution offering universal banking services and products, which has proven its ability to grow in one of Latin America’s most demanding, innovative and competitive environments.
BBVA’s Board of Directors is to propose to the Annual General Meeting the appointment of Jordi Montalbo Todolí as an independent board member. His academic background and professional credentials bring extensive knowledge of the financial sector, together with solid expertise in risk management and auditing.
BBVA’s Board of Directors is to propose the appointment of two new members, Cristina de Parias, (as external board member) and Enrique Casanueva (as independent). They both have extensive experience and expertise in banking, having held top positions in financial institutions in key markets for BBVA. Furthermore, the female representation at the Group's Board will now increase from six to seven women, of a total of 15 members (47 percent), while the number of independent members will remain a majority, at 67 percent.
Twelve years after its last euro-denominated issuance, Brazil returned this year to the European market with a €5 billion sovereign transaction in which BBVA participated as bookrunner. Beyond the financing itself, the transaction represented a test for Brazilian sovereign credit: measuring the depth of investor demand, rebuilding euro benchmarks and executing with precision in an especially volatile environment.
Kathy Fennell works at BBVA US and wants you to know one thing: She’s passionate about volunteering, and she thinks you should be, too. “Volunteering is so rewarding,” says Fennell, a Relationship Support Specialist for the Commercial and Real Estate Group in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Almost two months after BBVA relaunched and evolved its brand and logo, and initial results show the bank’s customers are delighted with the results.
Building on its current “Your Bank for…” marketing campaign, BBVA has produced two new animated videos in response to the pandemic-related challenges small businesses are currently facing.
After receiving the authorization of Spain’s National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC in Spanish), BBVA finalized the purchase of Tree Inversiones Inmobiliarias SOCIMI from Merlin Properties. The company has 662 offices rented to BBVA.
Reducing the impact of its business on the environment is one of the strategic goals of BBVA in the fight against climate change and in driving sustainable development. To meet this challenge, BBVA has 15 buildings that have received the renowned LEED Gold and Platinum certificates as sustainable and efficient constructions that respect the environment.
BBVA held an event for investors and analysts this Tuesday to provide further insight into the priorities of its 2025–2029 Strategic Plan. Following the presentation of its financial targets through 2028 in July, the bank is now offering more detail on the levers that will enable it to achieve them. In this session, BBVA focused on companies as a key growth segment and on Mexico, one of its main markets. BBVA’s country manager in Mexico, Eduardo Osuna, noted that the bank expects to consolidate its leadership and accelerate growth in the country through 2029. He also anticipated that technological transformation and artificial intelligence will be decisive in delivering a better customer experience.
With South America undergoing a transformation that demands decisive investments in infrastructure, energy, agriculture, technology and mining, BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) is committed to being the strategic partner of corporations and institutions. Its offering combines innovative and sustainable financial solutions with close, hands‑on support. This is underscored by Verónica Incera, Head of CIB for South America and Argentina, who highlights the bank’s commitment to supporting its clients’ internationalisation with high‑value advice and a clear focus on their specific needs.
Asia has become the epicentre of global business dynamism. Today, 44% of the companies listed on the Fortune 500 originate from Asia, a significant increase from 31% in 2010. This shift marks the rise of a new generation of multinationals that are driving the transformation of the global economy. PepFerrís, Head of BBVA CIB in Asia, shares the key pillars behind the bank’s strategic commitment to this region.
The trade finance or foreign trade activity accompanies people and businesses in their activity importing/exporting goods and services, mitigating the risks that exist in international commercial relations and simplifying the settlement of operations. The same commercial transaction can require different solutions over time, depending on the moment at which it takes place and the role of the parties involved (importer or exporter).
The commodities boom has reached its end, impacting strongly on Latin American economies. Fiscal balances have been affected by lower currency revenue, currencies have devalued significantly, with the subsequent fall in the value of exports, and the exchange rate effect has led to a rise in inflation. It has also had a negative impact on GDP growth that could become more pronounced if prices fall further in 2016.
BBVA USA, in its mission to bring the age of opportunity to everyone, provided significant funding to three nonprofits in Jacksonville who are focused on growth and development of small business and entrepreneurship.
Before making an investment or buying a savings product (e.g. investment fund or pension plan), we first need to determine our risk profile.
Garanti BBVA Payment Systems (GÖSAŞ) recently released the report ‘2025 Card Payments in Türkiye.’ The study, which analyzes trends in card spending, bank and credit card ownership and e-commerce growth, revealed rising credit and debit card spending volumes, increased contactless use, and a growing preference for upfront transactions. The study was based on data from the Interbank Card Center (BKM).
Cash or card? The numbers opting for the latter continue to grow, especially among young people – the millennial generation – and in large cities like Madrid and Barcelona. Additionally, with ever-present POS’s and more and more retailers who accept them, card payments are increasingly frequent, even for low value transactions. These are some of the conclusions reached by BBVA Data & Analytics and reported by BBVA Research in a study about spending habits in Spain: The use of cash is on the decline and digital payments are increasingly popular.
BBVA Switzerland, together with the Group's Behavioral Economics team, has launched ‘Investing in the Mirror,’ an innovative interactive experience that invites us to reflect on the role of emotions, biases, and beliefs in our investment decisions. It's a different look at the relationship with money that combines technological innovation and behavioral psychology.
Promising yourself to save and end up throwing in the towel is a common thing so a little nudge from time to time is no bad thing. According to the report ‘Nudges for Financial Health: Global Evidence for Improved Product Design’ of Innovations For Poverty Action (IPA), the commitment mechanisms that financial institutions put in place to help their customers are an effective solution for achieving savings once and for all and improving financial health.
Achieving the goals we set at the start of the year is often challenging—not necessarily due to a lack of willpower, but because of the absence of a clear method. If improving financial health is the objective, certain key principles can help us live comfortably now while planning for future well-being.
Darren Easton, Senior Director at the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI), is one of newest members of the Center for Financial Education and Capability’s Advisor Council. Excited about this new role, Easton will bring his valuable knowledge in financial health, finance and communications to the Center.
With an end-to-end vision firmly focused on prevention and customer protection, BBVA launches a new unit to further strengthen the bank’s financial crime prevention structure. Technology, advanced analytical models and artificial intelligence will be decisive in ensuring the proactive protection of customers, the bank itself and society, and are what underpin this cutting-edge unit within the Spanish banking industry.
Garanti BBVA is a firm believer that financial health is a prerequisite for a better life. As such, monitoring the financial health of its customers has become a priority social responsibility for the bank.
According to BBVA Research’s latest Spain Outlook report, 2017 will cap off Spain’s three-year run of GDP growth at rates above three percent. Recovery will continue in 2018, but at a slower pace, in an environment marked by rising uncertainties. The report was presented today by Jorge Sicilia, Chief Economist of BBVA Group and Head of BBVA Research, Rafael Doménech, Head of Macroeconomic Analysis of BBVA Research and Miguel Cardoso, Chief Economist Spain and Portugal. Considering this scenario, BBVA Research has downgraded its GDP growth forecasts for 2017 and 2018 to 3.1 and 2.5%, from 3.3% and 2.8% in July.
In 2007, one of the biggest financial crisis in modern history started, one that has brought drastic changes to the world’s economy.
The bursting of the financial bubble caused by subprime mortgages triggered a deep economic recession, especially in countries such as Spain. The crisis also resulted in record-high unemployment rates that still affect large segments of the population. This is how the crisis that started a decade ago has evolved and affected people and the economy.
BBVA firmly believes in the role of hydrogen in the energy transition and the business opportunity it represents. To this end, it considers advice and financing essential for rolling out projects based on this clean technology. “We see a real appetite from the financial sector to invest in hydrogen assets,” said Dorian de Kermadec, Managing Director Low Carbon Advisory at BBVA, in an interview with bbva.com.
“Green hydrogen is a great opportunity to enhance the competitiveness of Spanish companies,” stated the Global Head of Sustainability Strategy, Industries and Cross-Border Business & CIB at BBVA, Roberto Albaladejo. Speaking at an event on green hydrogen held at Ciudad BBVA in conjunction with Hy24, Albaladejo added that Spain “is in an ideal position, with abundant renewable energy, robust industrial clusters and a clear public commitment” to scale up clean technologies like hydrogen.
BBVA has been awarded the Inhouse Team of the Year in the Banks & Financial Institutions category at the 2024 Iberian Lawyer Gold Awards, in recognition of the work of its legal team and their ability to address challenges within the financial sector.
Smart contracts have been an impossible dream since the 1990s, but now blockchain technology has breathed new life into this concept aimed at automating contractual relations between people or machines without the involvement of a trusted intermediary.
It’s been around for just two or three generations, but plastic has become a pervasive part, not only of our lives but, as researcher Andrés Cózar confirmed in a study sponsored by BBVA Foundation, of our oceans, too. This includes, paradoxically, the one that washes the shores of one of the least populated places on earth: the Arctic Ocean.
There are over 200 coral species in the Mediterranean. They are not as spectacular and have not suffered in 2016 as much as the Australia’s battered Great Coral Reef, but they are essential to nurture marine life. Some live at depths of hundreds of meters and are seriously damaged. An research team funded by the BBVA Foundation studies how to heal them.
The BBVA Group ended the first quarter of 2026 with 5.4 percent growth in financing for companies (a segment that also includes the public sector) compared to December, surpassing €280 billion. This increase, above the 4.0 percent growth of the total loan portfolio¹, reflects the momentum in the segment and reinforces companies as one of the bank’s strategic priorities.
From January to August 2025, BBVA reached €3.1 billion in agrifood business, a 69 percent increase over the same period in 2024. Of this amount, €2.09 billion corresponded to sustainable business, with 82 percent YoY growth. BBVA announced these figures at Fruit Attraction, one of the world’s top fruit and vegetable trade fairs, held this week in Madrid.
Despite sharing the same surname, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion are not the same thing. So, what do they have in common? And more to the point, how do they differ?
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Amaya López-Durán Viani(Responsable del observatorio del sector industrial en el área de Sostenibilidad de BBVA)
This past 23 June, the Cabinet approved a new category of debt for issuance by all financial entities: senior non-preferred debt, which has the ability to absorb losses.
The agreement with ALD, a subsidiary of Société Générale and leader in the European vehicle leasing market, includes the sale of BBVA Autorenting, S.A.
Metrovacesa will make its debut on the Spanish stock exchanges on February 6, with a price of €16.5 per share. As part of the IPO process, the majority shareholders – Santander and BBVA – have sold 25.8% of Metrovacesa’s capital. BBVA placed a total of 11,619,724 shares, which represent 26.9% of its stake in the property company (7.7% of the share capital). The transaction is part of BBVA’s strategy of divestment in real estate holdings.
BBVA’s has issued perpetual debt eventually convertible into shares at the cheapest price of all operations launched by Spanish issuers for this type of product. The issuing of €500 million of contingent convertible bonds, or 'CoCos' (also known as AT1) took place at a very attractive price, with a coupon of 5.875%.
The World Insurance Report 2016, from the insurance firm Capgemini in partnership with the European Financial Marketing Association (EFMA), found that Spain's generation Y (young people between 15 and 35 years of age) are among those most disenchanted with the services provided by conventional insurance firms.
Rising life expectancy, longevity, is a relatively recent phenomenon dating from the 19th century. Until then, for nearly 60,000 years, the life expectancy of humanity remained relatively constant. There is some evidence that increased life expectancy is a permanent phenomenon, with the implications that this might have not only for pension systems, but also for the organization of societies themselves.
In an opinion piece published in Spanish newspaper El Confidencial, Eva Rubio, Head of Global Transaction Banking at BBVA CIB, explores how working capital management has evolved from a financial efficiency tool into a key strategic lever to strengthen resilience, liquidity and corporate competitiveness amid growing geopolitical uncertainty and the ongoing transformation of global supply chains.
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Eva Rubio(Head of Global Transaction Banking at BBVA CIB)
BBVA CIB helps its clients finance their production stock or inventory as it moves across the globe, connecting manufacturing centres in Asia, industrial hubs in Europe and North America, and commodity markets in Latin America. In doing so, it demonstrates how financial innovation can unlock liquidity, strengthen supply chains and support the continued growth of international trade.
BBVA Compass has agreed to a multiyear agreement with the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company AEG to create opportunities for customers across the country, including events, concerts and brand activations at some of AEG’s key venues. The deal names BBVA Compass the exclusive banking partner across Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre, Ogden Theatre (both in Denver, Colorado), and Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie (Texas).
Actors Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks recently hosted The Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles' (SCLA) 27th Annual Simply Shakespeare benefit on Sept. 18, where BBVA Compass gave its inaugural Bright Futures Award to an army veteran who is bringing opportunities to those in need.
As part of its efforts to further increase financing for renewable energy projects, Garanti BBVA recently announced an agreement to provide €36.1 million in financing to Galatya Energy Production Inc. for the Işıklar Wind Power Plant.
Wind has garnered a reputation for being not only an environmentally-friendly, but also a wallet-friendly alternative to produce electricity at a utility-scale level. This is in sharp contrast to the U.S. debut of large wind farms in 1980, which were primarily in response to environmental concerns and emissions reductions standards. Moreover, estimates on the cost of producing electricity with wind energy have been trending downward, making wind energy competitive with conventional energy sources, even after taking into account both government incentives and the historically low prices of natural gas and coal.