Bonds
Today
BBVA’s Turkish unit renews its syndicated loan in international markets as part of its international debt program.
12 Nov 2020
Green bonds have been building a solid reputation among investors. Since December 2019 green bonds can be traded openly and transparently online. This is how the Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network (NSBN) – the first electronic marketplace where professional traders can buy and sell sustainable, social and green bonds – works.
30 Sep 2020
If the context in which banks and companies interacted last year was already complicated due to the political and economic uncertainty, combined with the low interest rate scenario, the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic last March further complicated this context by forcing nearly everyone into lockdown. Investment banks were a key component for the survival of large corporations. Jose Ramón Vizmanos, the Head of Global Client Coverage at BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking, explained this to the financial newspaper Cinco Días in an interview this summer.
31 Jul 2020
opinion

Ángel Tejada-
Origination & Sustainable Bond Group
30 Jun 2020
Growing interest in sustainability across all segments of society has led to innovations in sustainable finance offerings, specifically in the world of corporate financing. Issuances of bonds linked to sustainability criteria are among the latest market developments. Analysts at BBVA Global Markets Research explain the basics and share with us their view of the product.
27 May 2020
Bonds
BBVA places €1 billion in the first issue of a social bond COVID-19 from a private financial institution in Europe
BBVA placed a €1 billion inaugural COVID-19 social bond on the market today, making it the first private financial institution in Europe to do so. Demand was close to €5 billion, nearly five times more than the initial offer. The funds will be primarily allocated to mitigating the severe economic and social impact caused directly and indirectly by the COVID-19 pandemic. The interest rate was set at 112 basis points over mid-swap, 33 basis points below the initial target price (145 bps over mid-swap).
19 May 2020
Social bonds, as debt instruments that enable project financing with a positive social impact, have been gaining traction among issuers in recent years. In 2019, these kinds of issuances outpaced previous volume records, and issuance activity of this type will undoubtedly be driven by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This is the view of analysts at BBVA Global Markets Research.
24 Apr 2020
Bonds
MAPFRE, the Autonomous Community of Madrid and BBVA issue Spain's first social bond against the coronavirus
BBVA acted as the sole advisory bank and bookrunner in the issue of the bond, Spain’s first in support of the public health system and to combat the COVID -19 outbreak. The bond, issued by the Community of Madrid, was entirely by Spanish insurer MAPFRE, will be the underlying asset of MAPFRE Compromiso Sanitario, the three-year asset-backed fund announced earlier this week by MAPFRE AM.
05 Feb 2020
The 2019 bond market was marked by record levels of bond issuance, exceeding the 2018 volume issued in Spain by 29 percent. Also noteworthy, the green, social, and sustainability bond issuance activity saw impressive positive performance, with a volume of close to €230 billion worldwide. BBVA stood out as the most active player with a green bond issuance volume of above €3.3 billion.
02 Dec 2019
Financial and commercial services
Garanti BBVA discusses loan restructuring at Turkey’s 2019 Bonds, Loans & Sukuk Conference
Garanti BBVA recently took part in Turkey’s 2019 Bonds, Loans & Sukuk Conference in Istanbul, where participants discussed the latest developments in bonds, syndicated loans and ‘sukuk’ markets. Sukuks are financial certificates, similar to bonds, that comply with Islamic law, or Sharia principles.
14 Oct 2019
Banks and investors as starting to awaken to the benefits that can derive from the use of blockchain technologies in bond issues, including green bonds. BBVA and Spanish insurance company Mapfre partnered early this year to arrange the issue of a pioneering blockchain sustainable bond. The technology allows to cut costs, increase efficiency and ensure full transparency.
24 Sep 2019
Bonds
BBVA issues Generali's inaugural green bond, the first from a European insurance company and the largest in the sector
Generali has just issued, together with BBVA and seven other banks, its first green bond amounting to 750 million euros. This is the first bond from a European insurance company and the largest to date. BBVA acted as deal manager and joint bookrunner.
13 Sep 2019
Garanti BBVA successfully issued the first bond indexed to the Turkish Lira Overnight Reference Rate (TLREF), an interest rate which has served as a new benchmark since its launch in June of this year.
28 Aug 2019
Issuances
BBVA issues $1 billion CoCo bond, with demand exceeding by almost eight times the initial offer
BBVA issued a $1 billion contingent convertible bond (CoCos), with demand exceeding by almost eight times the initial offer ($7.8 billion) and more than 410 orders from investors. High demand for the issuance allowed it to close at a very attractive price, with a coupon of 6.5 percent in dollars (0.50 basis points below the initial price of 7 percent), which is equivalent to a 4-percent coupon in euros.
16 Aug 2019

Ángel Tejada-
Origination & Sustainable Bond Group
11 Jul 2019
BBVA – with Deloitte and PCS acting as independent third parties – has completed the first issuance of securitized bonds in Spain, which will be registered with the ESMA (European Securities and Markets Authority) as Simple, Transparent and Standardized (STS). With this securitization, BBVA takes advantage of European regulation in force since January 1 that will confer preferential capital treatment to financial institutions issuing STS securitizations.
12 Jun 2019
This Wednesday, BBVA successfully completed its second green bond issue in the wholesale debt market – the first one was in May 2018 – for the same amount, €1 billion, and with the same instrument and maturity. The transaction drew a very positive reaction from investors, with book orders exceeding €2.7 billion, a figure similar to the one reached last year. Excess demand made it possible to lower the price to mid-swap plus 103 basis points, from the initial range set at 120-125 basis points. This price entails a new zero new issue premium, just as in its first green bond issue.
05 Jun 2019
This week marks yet another milestone for BBVA in the European green financing arena. ESB, the leading Irish Utility, has chosen BBVA to act as green structuring bank and joint bookrunner in their inaugural EUR 500 million green bond. This is the first ever green bond issued by an Irish corporate and the net proceeds from the transaction will be destined to finance eligible green projects, mainly under the following categories: renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean transportation and green buildings.
28 Mar 2019
Bonds are credit instruments used by companies in need of financing. The company in question issues this debt product in order to obtain liquidity from the financial markets. But how does a bond issue take place? What steps must be followed from the moment the company decides to issue a bond until their subsequent placement and sale on the market?
04 Feb 2019
In 2018, there was declining activity in the bond business due to an increase in market volatility. In Europe, the total volume of issued bonds totalled €1.47 trillion, approximately 10% less than in 2017. Furthermore, 2018 witnessed the consolidation of trends like green bonds – which have been on the market for more than ten years now – and the emergence of products related to new technologies.
17 Aug 2018
Julián Romero is Head of the Sustainable Bond Group in BBVA’s lending department. As Head of this group of experts whose mission is to bring BBVA’s clients opportunities related to sustainable finance in the capital markets, he gives us an analysis of the potential of green bonds in Latin America.
16 Aug 2018
2018 has been a year of consolidation for green, social, and sustainable bonds as sources of financing in capital markets, as their solid growth demonstrates. So far, the global market for these sustainable financial instruments has reached the equivalent of €71 million euros, according to Dealogic. In Spain alone, the volume of green bonds issued in 2018 has already exceeded the amount issued in 2017.
22 Jun 2018
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.
18 Jun 2018
BBVA Group unit Garanti Bank in conjunction with the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) has issued a six-year social bond worth $75 million dollars to help finance women entrepreneurs in Turkey.
13 Apr 2018
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.
26 Feb 2018
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.
02 Feb 2018
Economics, businesses and finance
BBVA Asset Management: applying behavioral economics to portfolio construction
Over the past three years, the asset allocation team of BBVA Asset Management has overhauled its investment process to bring as much objectivity as possible to decision-making when building a portfolio. Based on the principles of behavioral economics, the new process aims to determine how the power of the mind affects financial decisions.
31 Jan 2018
During 2017, their tenth anniversary year, green bonds marked a new record for issuances. The growing awareness of companies and investors about these assets, along with the high level of liquidity in the system, pushed the volume of green issuances in 2017 to $131 billion—a 52% increase over 2016.
10 Jan 2018
Today marks the second anniversary of death of David Bowie, a pop icon who needs no introduction. Hundreds of lines have been written about his life, career and concerts. But what many are not aware of is that Bowie was also a pioneer in the financial world: he was the first artist ever to issue a “celebrity bond.”
04 Jan 2018
Video
Banking
Ignacio Echevarría: "Financial institutions will issue senior non-preferred debt massively in 2018."
Ignacio Echevarría, BBVA’s Head of Wholesale Funding and Capital Management, explained in the El Catalejo (“The Spyglass”) the factors that, in his view, will determine the evolution of capital markets in 2018.
17 Nov 2017
Bonds
BBVA issues dollar-denominated CoCo bonds with the longest maturity and the lowest price for an issuer from southern Europe
Positive market conditions and investor appetite have helped BBVA to get an excellent reception for its sixth issue of CoCos. The Group has issued a $1 billion bond, with the lowest coupon in dollars for an issuer from southern Europe (6.125%), and the longest maturity (perpetual, with a ‘call’ option starting in the tenth year). Registration of a prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has prompted a bigger participation from American, European and Asian investors.
20 Oct 2017
Video
Green finance, whether in bond or loan format, refers to any debt instrument intended to raise financing to fund green and sustainable projects, thus contributing to fight climate change and achieve sustainable growth objectives.
10 Oct 2017
The country risk premium is the return that investors demand from a country to buy its sovereign bonds in comparison with that demanded from other countries. It is calculated as the difference between the interest rate of a country’s bonds compared to bonds issued by a benchmark country, considered “riskless.”
06 Oct 2017
Credit ratings are estimates that gauge the ability of a company, public administration or financial product to meet their financial commitments. In many cases they are taken as key indicators in capital markets when making investment decisions.
In a context in which companies are increasingly aware of the importance of sustainability, green bonds have established themselves as a financing alternative. In 2016, more than $87 billion in green bonds were issued worldwide, more than double the $42 billion in 2015. According to estimates by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, in 2017 the volume of green bonds issued globally could reach $123 billion.
26 Sep 2017
Corporate Responsibility
BBVA will implement the recommendations on financing and climate change promoted by the G20
BBVA has joined a group of 14 banks that have made a commitment to the United Nations Environment Programme – Finance Initiative (UNEP-FI) to implement the recommendations on financing and climate change published by the Financial Stability Board in July in the framework of the G20.
01 Sep 2017
This week marks yet another milestone for BBVA in green financing in Europe. SSE, the largest producer of renewable energy in the UK, chose BBVA to act as green structuring bank and joint bookrunner on its inaugural EUR 600 million green bond. This is the biggest-ever green bond issued by a UK company, and the financing will be destined to the refinancing of onshore wind farms in SSE’s energy generation portfolio.
31 Jul 2017
BBVA has signed a 240 million euro sustainable loan in favor of the Autonomous Community of Madrid, the first loan of this kind granted by the bank to an autonomous region in Spain.
21 Jul 2017
Mario Draghi did not surprise anyone yesterday. As expected, the European Central Bank (ECB) unanimously decided to leave interest rates unchanged. He also did not announce any immediate changes to the asset purchase program. However, he did offer some clues as to the direction the ECB will follow after the summer. As BBVA Research notes in its ECB Watch report, the discussion on gradually tapering QE (Quantitative Easing, the ECB´s asset purchase program) will take place in the fall – most likely in September.
20 Jul 2017
Financial and commercial services
A new agreement from Garanti Bank, which will boost the expansion of “Green Mortgage” loan
Garanti Bank signed an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for 5-year term funding in the amount of Euro 75 million equivalent under the Covered Bond Programme. Thanks to this financing, the first transaction settled with EBRD in TL and covered bond format, Garanti aims to boost the expansion of Green Mortgage loans and to protect the future generations with environmentally-friendly buildings.
06 Jul 2017
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the first green bond, in which BBVA participated. The bonds were issued by the European Investment Bank. Since then, a wide range of financial and non-financial corporate issuers have turned to the markets to issue this type of debt securities, accelerating growth of the market to its current volume of $210 billion. This year, important changes have been made that could increase green issues to $120 billion.
16 Jun 2017
The BBVA Group released today a new presentation for fixed income analysts and investors. The presentation will be updated on a quarterly basis. The document offers detailed information about BBVA Group’s fundamentals and strategy in a number of fields of relevance for the market, with a special focus on credit quality, as well as the BBVA Group’s liquidity and capital adequacy position.
10 Mar 2017
In an environment where companies are becoming increasingly aware about the importance of sustainability, green bonds are taking hold as a funding alternative: In 2016 global green bond issues reached $87 billion, a record level after closing at $42 billion in 2015.
01 Mar 2017
In a year marked by the reactivation of the high-yield bond market, and growing investor interest on ultra-long issue maturities, and despite a string of global macroeconomic developments that had a severe impact on the fixed income market, BBVA performed remarkably well in the bond origination market, even managing to surpass the total volume it placed in the market in 2015.
09 Jan 2017
Last Thursday, BBVA launched its first public debt issue of 2017: A 1 billion euro 5-year senior unsecured bond. The bank completed the transaction with the lowest coupon in history (0.625%) for this type of product, with this maturity, for a Spanish issuer.
15 Nov 2016
Financial markets and monetary economics
BBVA issues mortgage covered bonds at the lowest price of the year
BBVA issued €1 billion of mortgage covered bonds this morning at a very competitive price (midswap+23 basis points). This is the cheapest issue of covered bonds made by a Spanish bank in 2016.