The data generated by the endless amount of operations we engage in every day: transactions, medical inquiries, online publications… have paved the way for the ascent of the data analyst profile. A professional whose work is shrouded in myth and mystery.

So many things have happened that it seemed like an eternity when we got back on the road for the great summer that was approaching. Unfortunately, my health started playing dirty tricks on me again and I couldn't compete in Montreal. Actually, I was eager to play because the previous week we had trained very hard, both physically and on the court, in Los Angeles and I was ready. But I couldn't, I just couldn't.

Have you ever stopped to think about all the data you generate throughout the day? It was the possibility of actually making use of all this data through numerous apps, records and data bases that gave rise to Big Data.

Retirement remains an area that Spain needs to improve on. In Spain, only two out of every ten residents are saving for their retirement. In this context, it is necessary to raise awareness about planning your financial future. To this end, the BBVA Pensions Institute has carried out several initiatives in collaboration with the European Financial Planning Association (EFPA).

General financial literacy has always been the Achilles heel of Spaniards. It had to be the economic crisis that, precisely, exposed the population’s huge gaps in basic financial understanding.

According to BBVA Research’s latest report, Latin America’s slowdown process, which started in 2012, will bottom out this year, with a decline in activity of -0.9%, before giving way to positive GDP growth rates in 2017 of 1.8%. This increase in activity will be driven by growth in both public and private investment, especially in Argentina, Peru and Colombia, as well as stronger activity in the foreign sector, which will benefit from recent sharp currency depreciations and the gradual recovery in commodity prices.

The United Nations Economic and Social Council, ECOSOC, has recently awarded consultative status to the BBVA Microfinance Foundation (BBVAMF), in recognition of the Foundation's work in its sphere of action: microfinance for development.

The recent report, The Business of Financial Inclusion: Insights from Banks in Emerging Markets represents a new endeavor for the Institute of International Finance (IIF). It is based on the insights of 24 executives in charge of financial inclusion, a topic of growing interest.