BBVA has once again made history, completing Portugal’s first sustainable commercial paper program with one of its strategic clients in the country, The Navigator. BBVA was the agent bank and bookrunner for the €65 million operation, advising the client throughout the entire process, and the sole source of financing for the operation.

In 2018, a significant series of external factors caused investors to lose confidence, which resulted in increased volatility in the markets. Still, for the investment team at BBVA Asset Management, the current “positive economic cycle” has not yet reached its end: the world is not on the edge of another global economic crisis.

The Spanish syndicated loan market has continued the upward trend of recent years, thanks to the excellent cash position in practically all sectors. In 2018, new technologies like blockchain greatly improved the efficiency of digitization processes, and green loans gained a foothold in the market.

The  definition of “green loans” has been further refined with the most recent revision of the Green Loan Principles. Revolving credit facilities, which have popularly been recognized as sustainable loans, can also be considered green if they qualify with at least one eligible category over the course of the their life.

Going public is an option that many businesses start considering after reaching a certain stage in their development, whether to access funding from capital markets and drive their growth strategy, or to offer the opportunity to its private shareholders to obtain liquidity, crystalize the value of their shares and diversify their asset portfolio. But, what factors determine the success of an IPO?

AENA and a group of banks led by BBVA have closed an €800 million ESG-linked revolving credit facility (an “ESG-linked RCF”). With this sustainable credit facility – intended to fund general corporate needs – AENA becomes the world’s first airport operator to resort to this type of funding arrangement. BBVA led the transaction as lead arranger and sustainable facility agent.

BBVA Continental signed a bilateral green loan with the company Ferreycorp. It is a three year loan in the amount of $70 million – the first corporate loan of its kind in Peru and in South America.

BBVA has closed a new deal in Italy with the gas utility SNAM, thus reaffirming its position as a leading structuring bank of sustainable solutions in the European loan market. The transaction is a €3.2 billion revolving credit facility (RCF), the third sustainable loan in Italy led by BBVA as sustainability coordinator.

BBVA and Red Electrica Corporation have become the first businesses in the world to deliver a syndicated loan using blockchain. The €150m deal, granted by BBVA, BNP Paribas and MUFG, was reached in record speed using BBVA’s proprietary platform- which is powered by distributed ledger technology.

Last February, BBVA released its strategy to fight climate change and promote sustainable development, Pledge 2025. However, the bank’s commitment to green and social finance is not new. In fact, it is one of the most renowned institutions for its sustainable product capabilities.

BBVA Trader, a platform developed by BBVA entirely conceived for and devoted to trading, allows users to invest in different instruments, including warrants, one of the most popular. Warrants are publicly traded derivatives that leverage an investment on an underlying asset. BBVA Trader allows applying different investment strategies based on its users’ goals, be it just investing, obtaining liquidity, securing capital or hedging risks.

The digital revolution is making itself felt in the area of international payments in response to the demands and needs of customers. As a key player in the transformation of the financial sector, BBVA has played an active role in bringing all of the advantages provided SWIFT gpi to its clients. It is the first bank in Spain to offer this service.

Anne-Joëlle Viguier-Galley is BBVA Compass’ Chief of Equity and Alternative Investments for the bank’s Global Wealth team. She also doubles as the Chief Investment Strategist for BBVA Wealth Solutions, Inc., the bank’s investment adviser affiliate.

From its early days, the fate of Wall Street has been marked by the ups and downs of North American history. It has seen a fair share of upheaval, such as the devastating market crash of October 29, 1929, which led to the Great Depression, or the collapse of Lehman Brothers, ten years ago. But, what are the origins of this financial center? And how did it grow to become the powerhouse that it is today?

Last year, a product that had been practically unheard of took the world of corporate financing by storm: green loans. These are loans aimed at advancing environmental sustainability and until quite recently came under the umbrella of Green Bond Principles. As of a few months ago they now have their own guidelines known as Green Loan Principles.

BBVA has reaffirmed its leadership in sustainable financing with the execution and structuring of the first revolving credit facility (RCF) for the power utility A2A in Italy. The bank acted as an advisor, sustainable coordinator and documentation agent, heading a finance deal valued at €400 million euros.

Companies, just as individuals, have financial needs related to the management of liquidity and working capital in the short term. The term ‘Working capital’ makes reference to those solutions, which include ‘factoring’, ‘confirming’, bilateral loan, commercial discount, guarantees, ‘leasing’ and ‘renting’.

The BBVA Trader platform makes various tools and specialized content available to those customers who want to learn about the world of trading in more detail. Using leverage to trade stocks is a type of transaction that is supported by the BBVA Trader platform, which also provides the relevant must-know information for anyone embarking on this approach to trading.

Merger and Acquisition activity (M&A) has taken on significant relevance in the current economic and financial climate in Spain. In other markets, like in the United States, where there are numerous financial entities that give their customers guidance on such matters, the role of the financial advisor already forms part of the business ecosystem.

In a scenario of political and economic uncertainties and amid external shocks mainly caused by U.S. protectionism and China, the recovery of the Latin American economy continues apace, with growth expected to gradually accelerate and reach a forecast 2.1 percent in 2019 (Source: BBVA Research).

Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) replicate the movement of a financial asset or basket of financial assets such as indexes, commodities or currencies. An ETP is an “investment vehicle” that combines the advantages of shares, in that they are traded in the continuous markets of exchanges with an investment in a group of financial assets. This characteristic has made ETPs a very popular alternative investment.

The BBVA Trader platform offers users specialized content that affords them full market analysis for their trading operations. An example of one of the concepts dealt with in the platform is leverage.

True to its commitment to innovation, BBVA announced the signing of a €35 million flexible term loan with spanish-based multinational Cosentino. This is the first time this format has been offered in the Spanish market, and was conceived by BBVA to meet the financing needs of its customers.

Having successfully carried out the first pilots in the world of a loan and a corporate credit facility using blockchain, BBVA has signed a new loan with ACS using this technology. The deal shows that BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking is continuing to focus on an innovative financing model for its corporate clients.

Fund managers are easing their way into the digital world but will have to up the ante as customer experience and customized offers become a must for their survival.

On February 28, BBVA unveiled its climate change and sustainable development strategy ‘Pledge 2025’. A cornerstone of this pledge is the sector norms which enable the bank to address specific matters of sustainability with particular environmental and social impact (mining, energy, infrastructure and agribusiness) and provide clear guidance on the procedures to follow in the management of clients and transactions in these sectors. These rules embody the Commitment to Human Rights that BBVA took on board in 2008 and which has recently been updated.

AVANGRID has entered into a $2.5 billion syndicated sustainability-linked credit facility, the biggest green loan in the U.S. to date. In doing so, Iberdrola’s U.S. subsidiary follows its parent company’s lead and demonstrates its commitment to combating climate change. BBVA has acted as sustainable agent and ‘joint lead arranger’ for the deal.

The trade media Structured Retail Products (SRP) has recognized BBVA in six of eight categories for which the bank was nominated. In its 2018 awards publication, the organization underscores BBVA’s capabilities as a global structured products house for foreign exchange and interest rates. BBVA was singled out in the distributor category, winning best distributor performance in Peru and Mexico, best distributor in Peru, and was one of the finalists for best distributor in Mexico.

What does it mean when we say a bank is the ‘bookrunner’ for a deal? Or if a financial institution has acted as the ‘lead manager’ or ‘lead arranger’? These are just some or the roles that banks can play in bond issuances and loan transactions.

Alexis Thompson, Head of Global Securities Services at BBVA, explains what the securities services business within the investment banking sector consists of, what clients expect and what tasks it carries out.

BBVA has reaffirmed its leading position in sustainable finance by closing the first green loan deal with a company in the Spanish distribution sector, the Valencian cooperative Consum. The €5-million operation proves that this type of financing is not limited to major multinationals present in the capital market. Smaller enterprises also have access to it.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA), BBVA took part in a conference on capital markets. What will they be like in the future? According to José Manuel González-Páramo, they will be “digital and sustainable”. Digital on the strength of innovation by technologies such as blockchain, automated advice and trading algorithms; and sustainable because they will help attract “green” finance.

Artificial intelligence is here to stay. In recent years it has opened the way to different areas of our lives, reaching what were previously unknown territories. This is not a single technology, but rather a set of construction blocks that act as catalysts for major advances, which is why BBVA is committed to an innovative approach based on data science and artificial intelligence to boost its capital markets business.

Today technology is taking giant steps forward and has become a fundamental part of our daily lives. Non-stop and increasingly powerful innovations provide us a huge array of new opportunities that are only a click away. One example is artificial intelligence, a domain that has extended into the financial field, becoming an agent of change, capable of revolutionizing a large part of the world’s financial markets.

Drawing on its skills, knowledge and experience as one of the most active banks in the sustainable finance sector, BBVA has been selected by Hera to help in the structuring and execution of the first RFC (revolving credit facility) loan in Italy. This is the first sustainable operation of these characteristics in the country. BBVA has acted as the sustainable agent, leading the operation valued at €200 million.

The ‘BBVA Latin America Conference’, held on May 2 and 3 in New York, is a yearly event hosted by BBVA that brings together public and private Latin American debt issuers and North American investors. In this year’s edition of the conference —the eighth— BBVA CEO Carlos Torres Vila, and BBVA Global head of Customer Solutions Derek White were some of the prominent figures who took the floor to share their insights into pivotal issues such as investments in Latin America, sustainable finance and banking innovation.

BBVA has signed a financing contract with Forestalia, Mirova, GE and ENGIE to develop the first 300 megawatts (MW) of wind power free of subsidies and incentives in Spain. The 9 wind farm complex, dubbed the Goya Project, will be built in the province of Zaragoza. The 300 MW were awarded in the first renewable energy auction in Spain, held in January 2016, in which Forestalia was the largest bidder. This is also the first green loan to be granted in Spain under the “Green Loan Principles” in which BBVA has coordinated the issue, with Altermia providing Second Party Opinion.

BBVA has signed a $400-million-dollar green loan with Iberdrola, the first green corporate loan to be formalized in Latin America. This reasserts BBVA’s commitment to sustainable financing by supporting the development and implementation of financial products in the green format.

Bonds and loans are financing instruments used at one moment or other by companies during the course of their existence. These are two conceptually different credit products that are sometimes confused. It is important to differentiate between both means of financing and understand their characteristics in order to know their true essence.

The way large corporations and institutional entities manage their finances has changed dramatically over the last decade and transaction banking has played a very important role in this transformation, as a result of both the boost given to the activity and the improvement of the relationship model with customers. The transformation was also affected by the recent financial crisis and has been enabled, to a large extent, by the use of new technologies.

Renovalia is the first company to secure a ‘green project finance’ loan to fund the development of a renewable energy project in Spain. BBVA acted as ‘green loan coordinator’ of this €74 million facility, which will allow the company to fund Project Wind, which envisages the construction of two wind farms, one in Lleida and one in Barcelona, with 70 MW of combined installed capacity.

What is transaction banking? It is the side of banking that addresses the operational needs and day-to-day transactions of business, corporate and institutional customers. It also provides cash management services where the short-term management of a company’s liquidity is a key, using instruments and services designed for the management of incoming and outgoing cash flows, international commerce, and asset management.

Getting into certain professional fields can be a difficult task. There are no exact formulas or specific studies that open the door to certain jobs. A clear example of this is financial product trader. This is an attractive career for many because of the chance it offers – not always feasible – of earning a lot of money in a short period of time. But this entails big unknowns, among which is the key question: How do I become a good trader?

A private company goes public when it lists its stock for the very first time in a stock exchange, where it can be bought and sold by the general public. This type of transaction is known as an Initial Public Offering, or IPO.

Yet another year, BBVA was named best investment banking in Spain and Mexico by U.S. publication Global Finance Magazine. Also, for the first time, BBVA secured a spot in the ‘Best investment bank’ and ‘Best bank for new financial technology’ categories in Latin America, thanks to its technological efforts and significant advances in digital transformation.

BBVA today announced its strategy around climate change and sustainable development, Pledge 2025. The strategy will help the bank meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and is in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Pledge 2025 will help the bank align its activity to a 2ºC Scenario and strike a balance between sustainable energy and fossil fuel investments and is based on three lines of action: financing, management and engagement.

BBVA has marked a new milestone in the sustainable finance business with the closing of the first global transaction in the insurance sector. MAPFRE has transformed its syndicated credit facility for 1 billion euros into sustainable finance with the cooperation of BBVA, which acted as Sustainable Agent in the transaction.

BBVA has teamed up with several global banks to become a member of the Standard Repackaging Documentation platform (SRD). This initiative is a response to investors’ demands for standardization of repackaging transactions. BBVA is the only Spanish bank involved.

The headlines about the U.S. dollar this year have underscored how complicated it is to predict the movement of any one currency in a global economy. They’ve gone from grim (“Dollar set for worst January in 30 years”) to triumphant (“Dollar claws back”) to deflated (“Dollar’s rebound fizzles”) in a matter of weeks.

Unique Experiences is a special program of BBVA in Switzerland, by which clients can access a wide range of experiences and services carefully selected to help them enjoy life and their patrimony. The program encompasses a range of areas such as lifestyle, health, education, innovation, culture and entertainment. It also seeks to bring clients closer to Switzerland, a country whose living standards have put it in the top positions in the rankings of quality of life around the world.