BBVA is the Spanish company with the most CFA-accredited professionals
BBVA is the Spanish company with the largest number of employees with the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) accreditation granted by the CFA Institute, the global association of investment professionals. More than 170 of the Group's employees in Europe, Mexico and other geographies hold this U.S. based accreditation. In addition, more than 50 BBVA professionals hold the Certificate in ESG Investing accreditation, also from the CFA Institute, which focuses on sustainable investment.
BBVA leads the ranking in Spain of companies with the most CFA-accredited employees. In addition, the ratio of women with professional certifications is higher than the industry average. In Spain, 33% of the CFA Charterholders working at BBVA are women, compared to 18% in the financial sector as a whole.
The CFA Institute is a global association of investment professionals, which is present in Spain through CFA Society Spain. CFA has launched a CFA Ambassadors Program in Spain, which promotes quality training and best practices, strengthens relations with Spanish financial institutions and enhances the presence of CFA professionals in the sector. BBVA, the Spanish company with the largest number of CFA-certified employees, has joined the project.
Among other initiatives, CFA Society Spain has appointed two ambassadors at BBVA: Eduardo García Hidalgo, CFA, Global Chief Investment Officer at BBVA Asset Management, and Inma Ansoleaga Imaz, CFA, Sustainability Manager at BBVA Asset Management. Both will be in charge of bringing together the community of CFA investment professionals with the candidates for CFA certification employed at BBVA, so that both sides can get to know each other and interact in the various networking and training events, or even through study groups among professionals who are getting ready to take any of the three levels of CFA exams.
A CFA is considered one of the most prestigious certificates in the financial services industry. There are more than 190,000 CFA charterholders around the world. Starting in 2024, changes will be made to the curriculum to include practical digital modules in areas such as programming, data science and artificial intelligence.
For units like BBVA Asset Management and Corporate Investment Banking, it is a priority to promote these certifications, highly prestigious in the industry, which accredit the qualification of the bank's specialists in the world of investment and financial markets.