BBVA, the Best Bank in the World for Customer Experience and Diversity and Inclusion and the 2026 Euromoney Awards for Excellence

One of BBVA’s strategic priorities is to listen, understand and anticipate its customers’ needs. “We have always put customers at the heart of our strategy, but the time has come to definitively raise our sights to another level and go from thinking of customers to thinking like customers,” said Carlos Roldán, who is responsible for driving this strategy across the BBVA Group.

To achieve this, the bank recently launched several initiatives, such as an emotional intelligence model to detect how a customer is feeling at any given moment regarding their relationship with the bank, and to take action to address any friction in real-time. In addition, it has established minimum service levels across all channels to ensure excellent customer service and resolve incidents quickly and efficiently, and has improved the availability of its digital channels in line with global quality standards.

The bank has also carried out a plan to mitigate negative experiences and in just one year has reduced those that affect customer perception the most by double digits. “We are realistic. We know we will never completely eliminate them because in banking there will always be instances such as preventive card blocking for security, declined card payments or missing documents to grant a loan. The radical change lies in how we respond. We are transforming these moments of uncertainty into experiences in which the customer feels supported, informed and with options to resolve the situation,” Roldán explained.

The magazine also selected BBVA as the World’s Best Bank for Diversity and Inclusion. The bank works to ensure a diverse work environment, which can contribute to a better understanding of the needs of a diverse group of customers and offer more comprehensive service. “At BBVA, we are committed to creating a corporate culture where everyone can grow and use their talent with equal opportunities. Diversity and inclusion are part of the way we work because they help us build teams that are more representative of society and better respond to our customers’ needs,” said Carlos Pérez Beruete, Head of Culture and Engagement at BBVA.

“Diversity also represents a competitive advantage for a global organization like BBVA. Having teams with diverse experiences and perspectives allows us to better understand our customers, drive innovation and make more well-rounded decisions,” he added. In recent years, the bank has developed various initiatives designed to create a more inclusive culture, promote the visibility of role models, offer employees training, partner with specialized organizations and introduce protocols that help ensure a safe and respectful work environment for everyone.

Regional and country awards

Euromoney selected BBVA as the best bank of the year in three of its main markets: Türkiye, Peru and Argentina.

In Peru, it also won the award for the best bank for SMEs, while in Argentina it was selected as the best bank for corporate responsibility. In Türkiye, it was recognized as the best bank for consumer finance, corporate responsibility and diversity and inclusion. In Spain, BBVA won the award for the best investment bank in debt capital markets and securities services.

By region, the magazine named BBVA the best bank in Europe and Latin America for diversity and inclusion, the best bank in Latin America for customer experience and the best bank in Central and Eastern Europe for consumer finance and diversity and inclusion.

For Jorge Sáenz-Azcúnaga, Global Head of Country Monitoring at BBVA, these recognitions “reflect the commitment of our teams and the strength of a model that combines local knowledge with the capabilities of a global group. They also encourage us to continue driving innovation and delivering the best experience for our customers and employees and in every market where we operate.”