When BBVA Compass rolled out the BBVA Compass RealTime ARP™ product, which recently won an award recognizing its innovation, the bank aimed at revolutionizing a process that is critical to the success of any commercial operation.

Peio Belausteguigoitia (Bilbao, 1973) is BBVA Spain’s Head of Business Development. He was previously responsible for Spain’s northern territory, and prior to that ran the eastern territory and was regional director for the northeast.

The unit that he runs is key to the bank’s transformation in Spain. In the year and a half that he has held this position, BBVA has ramped up the number of digital deliveries for private customers – providing them tools to help make better financial decisions – and boosted sales and the number of online customers.

And now, BBVA has created the digital transformation factory for businesses. With a multidisciplinary team of 250 professionals, it facilitates the delivery of digital solutions to customers in more flexible timeframes. The bank recently launched Avalbox, which radically digitizes the guarantor request process; and One View, which helps businesses make more efficient decisions and optimize their cashflow.

The barriers keeping SMEs away from funding were one of the pivotal topics of the SME Finance Forum, held this week in Madrid. José Manuel González-Páramo analyzed how to improve access to financing for many micro, small and medium sized enterprises, as well as the regulatory framework for both banking and alternative funding sources,  “We need to eliminate barriers for SMEs’ to widen their funding sources,” he underscored.

EBITDA, or Earnings Before Interests, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization, is an accounting measure that shows the gross income before financial expenses are deducted, and which allows financial analysts to assess the behavior and financial standing of companies.

The latest developments in the world of fintech show promise in certain areas, and concerns in others, according to reports coming out of top credible outlets.

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.

BBVA Compass assembled a worldly-wise panel in Houston last week to help its Global Markets clients, all of whom maintain assets outside the U.S., sort through the barrage of global economic news to better understand the risks.

Exercising more and eating healthy foods top the list of New Year’s resolutions seemingly every year. While those are great and common goals across the U.S., some of those fall by the wayside as the calendar months turn.

Traditionally, it has been held that the value of a company equaled its net worth, that is, those elements that constitute the company’s own funds. However, this item (which is defined as the difference between assets and liabilities) doesn’t take into account an intangible asset that is inherent to a company and which can generate future profits: goodwill.

Dr. David Ferguson moved to San Antonio, Texas a little less than a decade ago to find a warm place to plant his roots with his family. Little did he know that his business would heat up shortly thereafter.

Big data is much more than a trend that´s being studied in the innovation departments of cutting-edge companies. Some multinationals have already changed forever, thanks to the strategic use of data.

Consumers might see their products at grocery stores across Texas, on airplanes, or at their factory nestled in Houston’s historic East End, an up-and-coming community undergoing a rebirth. Pita Pal Foods, LP is much more than a company producing a suite of Mediterranean products and gourmet foods:  it’s a symbol of how far East End has come.

BBVA Compass has closed a $5 million equity investment in Pathway Lending, becoming the largest investor in Alabama’s effort to build up small businesses in the state’s Appalachian region. Pathway Lending, a Community Development Financial Institution certified by the U.S. Department of Treasury, will operate the state’s new loan fund for small businesses in the 37 counties of Appalachian Alabama.

The best way to specialize in the broad world of finance is by earning one of the degrees that we discuss below. Each one focuses on a specific field of finance and adds the kind of gloss that can make a job candidate’s resumé stand out from the crowd.

The EBA recently completed its latest monitoring exercise to assess EU Banks’ capital, leverage, and liquidity ratios assuming full implementation of the CRD IV-CRR/Basel III framework.  Overall, the results show that, between June and December of 2016, there was an improvement in both CET1 capital and liquidity ratios.

As Houston, surrounding areas and the state of Texas turn their efforts to the rebuilding phase in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, so do small businesses to ensure their operations continue to serve clients and communities.

Entrepreneurs seeking to launch or expand their enterprise may experience big success for their small business when it’s built with a set of prime financial tools. According to BBVA Compass Director of Small Business Product Solutions Lance Gibson, while needs differ from business to business, there are some financial tools that are essential when it comes to starting or growing a small business.

“You can’t choose something if you are not aware that it exists.” With this simple and resounding phrase, Angela Paloma Martín, a political advisor and expert on women’s leadership and gender communication, referred to the lack of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) jobs during the presentation of the study Wanted: Female engineers, physicists and technologists. Why are not there more STEM women?

Small Places LLC was announced as the winner of the second installment of “The Pitch” from BBVA Compass and the Houston Dynamo on June 13, awarding the organization the grand prize of $10,000, and business consulting from BBVA Compass and Dynamo executives.

The Phoenix Mercury and BBVA Compass have officially announced Backpacks 4 Kids AZ, Inc. as the winner of the second annual “Bright Futures Women in Business” promotion, an initiative designed to support women-owned businesses and create opportunity for a brighter future throughout the Valley.

A bevy of recent awards and recognitions for BBVA Compass has shined the spotlight on the bank’s Corporate, Commercial and Small Business operations, highlighting the bank’s elite solutions for its wide range of clients.

Small Places LLC has won the second installment of “The Pitch” from BBVA Compass and the Houston Dynamo, the club and the bank announced today.

On May 1, BBVA Compass, through its Bright Futures initiative, and the Houston Dynamo kicked off Small Business Month by launching the second installment of “The Pitch.”  Small businesses and start-ups were encouraged to submit a business plan describing why they have a bright future in their industry.

BBVA Compass Fort Worth CEO Brian Happel was once quoted in the New York Times discussing his hope to earn an early roster spot on a professional football team in 1982.

The Phoenix Mercury and BBVA Compass have teamed up for the second annual “Bright Futures Women in Business” promotion, an initiative designed to support women-owned businesses and create opportunity for a brighter future throughout the Valley.

BBVA Compass has once again partnered with the Houston Dynamo to host the second-annual “The Pitch” small business competition, as part of National Small Business Month.

BBVA Compass was recognized by the Small Business Administration with two awards recently, highlighting more achievements for the bank in its commitment to entrepreneurship.

The European Commission’s Fintech Task Force held its first conference in Brussels. BBVA was the only incumbent bank invited to the meeting where the Group’s contribution to promoting digital financial services was recognized.

On Wednesday, former black hat hacker turned security consultant Kevin Mitnick headlined BBVA Compass’ Bright Perspectives event held in Jacksonville, leading the minds of Northeast Florida clients on dynamic business technology topics such as cybersecurity.

BBVA Momentum is not your typical business funding program, because it places a special emphasis on strategic mentoring, training and support. However, businesses enroll in the program for a number of reasons, including the possibility of being awarded a cash prize that will allow them increase their impact. For this reason, the new edition will continue providing access to investment, but with a different approach.

BBVA Compass, through its Bright Futures platform, and the Houston Rockets have partnered to launch the Bright Advantage contest for local small businesses.

It is the concept in vogue among startups. All of them are trying, with greater or less success, to get money from investors, and a funding round is precisely one of the ways to do this.

46 years ago, in 1971, a group of business leaders reunited under the patronage of the European Comission and some industrial associations. The economist Klaus Schwab chaired the first meeting, with 440 attendants from more than 30 countries in Davos, Switzerland. In this reunion, the European Economic Forum was founded as a non-profit organization with its headquarters in Geneva.

Ever since then, thousands of political and business leaders, artists and enterpreneurs have met in the anual Davos-Kloster meeting. The following 15 milestones are only some of the main events that have marked the history of the World Economic Forum.

When the U.K. voted to leave the EU vote on June 24th, a series of unknowns started to emerge that have Europe in suspense to this day. Among the many questions to be resolved, the referendum has called into question London’s status as the financial center of Europe.

After a yearlong pause, the Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously to raise interest rates 25bp to 0.5-0.75%. Based on the Summary of Economic Projections (SEP) and Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen’s press conference, it seems the recent market exuberance has not diverted the Fed from its current strategy for a gradual increases. The press conference reinforced the idea that the committee may be somewhat tolerant in the short-run, but that it would like to see fiscal policy directed at boosting productivity rather than stimulating the economy.

Both the European Union and the Spanish government have rolled out funding programs for startups. Here is a brief guide that will keep you from missing out on any good opportunities.

Banks play a critical role as providers of funds to the real economy. In this regard, the active management of the balance sheet has become more and more important, and is now a strategic area for financial institutions. Some of its key goals are guaranteeing liquidity, strengthening solvency and reducing exposure to credit risk.

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.

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms, also referred to as alternative lending, came into being a decade ago in order to make traditional financial industry services more available to the ordinary citizen.

Since then, the sector has entered a phase of permanent transformation, and the initial idea to “steal” lending business from banks has given way to another concept: partnerships. The sector has now partnered with banks to reach persons with few possibilities to obtain loans due to lack of a credit history or other limitations.

The creation of a digital single market across Europe is an exciting prospect for both consumers and businesses. According to the European Commission, it could add €415 billion annually to our economy and bring jobs and better services to the EU. In my role as BBVA’s Chief Development Officer and Head of New Digital Businesses, I passionately believe that the financial services element is fundamental to this vision – and that regulation has an essential role in making it happen.

Óscar Cabrera has worked for the BBVA Group since 1998 and for the past eight years has been the head of BBVA Colombia. Madrileño by birth and Colombian by adoption, he feels that finally achieving peace is one of the country’s greatest challenges.

Turkey, where Europe meets Asia, offers access to the Black Sea, Central Asia and the Middle East. This is how it has become a key strategic hub for multinationals.

Business angels –investment angels– generally invest between 25,000 and 500,000 dollars in new startups, often with the intention of getting them to a scenario where they can attract venture capital funds.

Spanish and Mexican businessmen certify that companies from either country are very likely to succeed if they decide to unite efforts and work together.

We are moving closer to the 2016 EU-wide stress testing process, an assessment that seeks to test the resilience of financial institutions under extreme situations. Can banks cope with a new economic crisis? Stress tests provide the answer. Here are the keys to understand what they will be like.

BBVA has exited the list of Global Systemically Important Banks, G-SIBs, published today by the Financial Stability Board (FSB). BBVA is predominantly a retail bank, with operations in over 30 countries and with a sound and straightforward business model. The decision is coherent with the nature of BBVA’s business model.

Two London-based fintech start-ups – Everledger, which uses the Blockchain to record ownership of valuables, and Origin Markets, a platform which directly connects corporate bond issuers with institutional investors – have won the 2015 BBVA Open Talent Europe final. OpenTalent, now in its 7th year, seeks to support the fintech ecosystem by finding and supporting the best start-ups across the world, and is part of BBVA’s work to transform its business using digital technology.