BBVA’s Group executive chairman announced today that the bank’s goal is for all products to offer a sustainable option – both for large corporations and institutions, and SMEs and individual customers. The bank plans to reach this goal throughout 2020 for its main products sold in Spain.

Climate change is forcing countries and the private sector to gaze into the future from a different point of view, one in which technology opens new paths to contribute to the development of societies. This is the scenario based on which the UN has defined its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 9:  Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. BBVA has committed to – and is already – contributing to the achievement of this goal.

BBVA Momentum, BBVA’s social entrepreneurship support program, announced the final list of companies that will participate in the 2019 program. The enthusiasm and ambition to surpass previous years’ numbers prevailed during the selection phase, as the final participant numbers attest.

In collaboration with Impact Hub Istanbul, the 10 social entrepreneurs will participate in online and classroom-based learning that will contribute to their business growth plans, and strategic mentoring-support and networking activities that include other entrepreneurs, customers and investors.

Roughly half the world’s population still lives on only the equivalent of two U.S. dollars per day, whereas worldwide unemployment stands at 5.7 percent.  This might seem like a low percentage, but in many parts of the world, merely having a job does not translate into being able to escape poverty. The eradication of poverty depends on all parts of society having access to stable employment and decent wages. This is the objective of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 8: “Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all,”  a goal BBVA works toward each day, not only internally in its relationship with its employees, but also with a business model that more broadly contributes to its fulfillment.

According to BBVA, knowledge, education, and culture are fundamental drivers for the creation and development of opportunities for individuals. In 2018 alone, the bank invested €75.5 million in these areas, helping 3.8 million people.

BBVA Momentum, BBVA’s program to support social entrepreneurship, is celebrating record high participation rates. The number of entrepreneurs applying from Colombia, the U.S., Mexico and Turkey surpassed all expectations.

More than 265 million children are not enrolled in school;  22 percent are of elementary school age. Despite global advances made across a number of fields efforts addressing education need to be redoubled to ensure that no one is left behind. United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 is summarized under the heading: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” BBVA is contributing to this SDG with important international social education programs.

The Edufin Summit, the preeminent summit on financial education and skills, returns for another year, bringing together the world’s leading experts in the field. This year Madrid has been chosen to host the global meeting, organized by the BBVA Center for Education and Financial Capabilities to be held on July 11 and 12.

Garanti Bank presented its initiatives to combat climate change at the 10th Energy Efficiency Forum and Fair. The bank has increased both its portfolio of sustainable loan options and its financing of innovative projects aimed at supporting green and renewable investments.

Entrepreneurship held an important place in BBVA’s 2016-2018 Community Investment Plan. The Group’s programs especially target entrepreneurs who are in vulnerable circumstances and those whose projects will have a positive impact on society or the environment.

The green bond BBVA issued in May 2018 has helped reduce CO2 emissions by 274,609 tons since its launch in May 2018, with another 106,529 tons estimated for 2019. It also generated 558 GWh/year of renewable energy. The bank has allocated one billion euros obtained from wholesale markets to finance renewable energy and sustainable transportation projects, according to the first bond monitoring report the BBVA Group recently published.

BBVA signed the so-called New Deal for Europe based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a letter CSR Europe presented today in Brussels. The letter aims to alert and involve companies, politicians and civil society about the need to join forces for a sustainable future. The heads of 100 large corporations subscribed to this declaration in the lead up to the European elections. BBVA is the only Spanish bank to join this initiative.

Darren Easton, Senior Director at the Center for Financial Services Innovation (CFSI), is one of newest members of the Center for Financial Education and Capability’s Advisor Council. Excited about this new role, Easton will bring his valuable knowledge in financial health, finance and communications to the Center.

April 25 was the submission deadline for BBVA EduFin 2019’s call for research proposals. This year, a total of 38 applications have been received, more than doubling last year’s 17 submissions. This increase in submissions showcases the appeal of this initiative among the research community, and underscores BBVA’s commitment to financial education.

There is no doubt that big data is transforming the financial industry, helping it overcome the challenges of today’s society. Nonetheless, given the fact that one of its fundamental objectives is to obtain data — albeit to improve customer satisfaction —  it still causes some people to have misgivings because it is perceived as an intrusion of their privacy.

2018 was another year of commitment to financial education at BBVA. Over the year, the bank supported a variety of different programs and initiatives to help people get the financial skills and abilities they need to make informed decisions.

In general, businesses use the customer data they access for internal purposes, creating value-added services. Yet, there is greater potential for society as a whole beyond corporate “closed doors.” Public-private sector collaboration using data sources for external initiatives can produce significant benefits. For example, a door could be open that would facilitate the use of data to help fulfill the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

BBVA has invested more than €300 million over the past three years as part of its Community Investment Plan, supporting a total of 24 million people. In 2018 alone, BBVA allocated more than €104 million to social programs that reached eight million people around the world

BBVA Momentum 2019 is the first social entrepreneurship program run by a financial institution in Turkey. Those interested in participating can apply from April 8th through May 6th.

The Juncker Plan, which was launched in 2004, has helped reduce the investment gap caused by the economic and financial crisis. Looking forward to the next decade, Europe should focus on a two-pronged strategy: implementing a greener sustainable investment model and backing key digital capabilities. According to BBVA’s executive board member, José Manuel González-Páramo, Europe must develop a forward-looking sustainable finance model.

Ebru Dildar Edin, Garanti Bank’s Executive Vice President of CIB, was recently re-elected President of Turkey’s Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD). The general assembly of the organization voted in favor of Edin continuing in her role as BCSD President – a position she accepted one year ago. BCSD Turkey is a key member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development network and has spearheaded sustainability initiatives in Turkey’s public and private sectors for the past 15 years.

BBVA secured €11.8 billion in sustainable financing in 2018, the first year of Pledge 2025, the bank’s initiative to combat climate change. This figure includes transactions in green financing (69 percent of the total), sustainable infrastructure and agribusiness (13 percent), and social entrepreneurism and financial inclusion (18 percent).

BBVA secured €11.8 billion in sustainable financing in 2018, the first year of Pledge 2025, the bank’s initiative to combat climate change. This figure includes transactions in green financing (69 percent of the total), sustainable infrastructure and agribusiness (13 percent), and social entrepreneurism and financial inclusion (18 percent).

On March 27 at the CDP Climate Change Conference, CDP, the world’s largest environmental reporting platform announced the 2018 results for Turkey’s Climate Change and Water programs. Garanti Bank sponsored the conference where, as in previous years, it assumed its place among other Turkish CDP leaders receiving their awards.

On Saturday, March 30th, the world came together to celebrate Earth Hour, an initiative promoted by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). Entire cities went dark for an hour to raise awareness and urge people to join the global movement in support of the environment and the protection of the planet. BBVA’s HQ in Spain – Ciudad BBVA – as well as other corporate buildings and headquarters in other countries, including Mexico, the U.S., Colombia, Peru, Uruguay or Argentina, also showcased their commitment to sustainability and the fight against climate change.

During March, millions of children and young people will learn how to manage their finances so they can take their economic well-being into their own hands and tap into better opportunities. How does it work? Through initiatives – activities and teaching materials – that have been kicked off for another year by campaigns promoted by Global Money Week (March 25-31) and European Money Week (March 25-29).

In February 2019, BBVA Compass announced that the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta rated it “Outstanding” for CRA performance for its most recent examination period. This three-part series will take a detailed look at the key efforts behind that rating in lending, investment and community giving.

BBVA Group paid €4.5 billion in worldwide tax on its own business activities in 2018, 10 percent more than in 2017. According to BBVA’s Total Tax Contribution Report, its total contribution (which is the total of the bank’s taxes and those made on behalf of third parties) rose to €9.8 billion. Since 2011 BBVA, in accordance with its commitment to transparency with customers, shareholders, employees, and society as a whole, has voluntarily released its tax information.

Access to the arts can play a major role in a city’s quality of life, its tourism efforts and its overall cultural and economic health. Because most organizations that offer that access — through art museums, symphony orchestras, ballet companies and others — are typically non-profit, they must rely heavily on the support and collaboration of patrons and corporate donors who share their vision.

In 2016 Garanti Bank teamed up with Bahçeşehir University to launch ‘Code the Future with Garanti’, an educational program designed to make a positive impact on local communities by preparing children for the digital age. Entering its fourth year, the program will hold a series of workshops in seven cities across Turkey. Its first stop: Istanbul.

Rut Pelaiza has spent her entire life as an example: for her parents, for her daughters, and since five years ago, for the thousands of women in the Palabra de Mujer [Woman’s Word] program run by the Peruvian institution of the BBVA Microfinance Foundation. She recalls that she always wanted to be independent and with pride, shares how she managed to achieve this goal when she grew up.

In 2019, the Business 20 (B20) – considered to be the private sector’s voice of the G20 – is seeking to showcase innovative projects that contribute to the fulfillment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To this end, business members of this advisory body to the G20 have submitted proposals for projects that make a significant social impact. BBVA is the only Spanish bank whose five project submissions are among those selected.

Three startups represented Turkey in Madrid on February 25th – 27th at the final event of the 2018 BBVA Momentum Social Entrepreneurship Support Program – the first social entrepreneurship program designed by a Turkish financial institution.

Beatriz Morilla, Head of CSR at the Spanish Banking Association (AEB), sees financial education as a fundamental tool to “fight poverty, reduce inequalities, promote gender equality and achieve greater health and well-being.” From this global perspective, the AEB is working on the rollout of nationwide impactful actions and on securing support from the financial sector.

The town of Villamayor de Gallegó in the outskirts of Zaragoza will host the wind farm that Enel Green Power Spain will build as part of an agreement with BBVA. The 10 wind turbines in the farm will provide 30% of the energy BBVA consumes in Spain.

BBVA Compass today announced the official opening of applications for BBVA Momentum 2019, a small business program for social entrepreneurs designed to help them achieve scale, enhance operations and multiply the social and economic impact of their business.

Lacey Perry is the Branch Retail Executive for the BBVA Compass Shoreline Branch in Corpus Christi, Texas. Owing to its downtown business center location, of the three branches in the city, the Shoreline branch is the one with the least consumer foot traffic. Yet Perry is still the highest performer across all 644 branches in the bank’s retail network.

Over 1,800 participants from the banking industry, governmental authorities, and civil society gathered in Brussels on February 5-6, to take part in what has become the leading forum discussing the future of the European Union’s industry. EU Industry Days 2019, organized by the European Commission, devoted a substantial share of time to social investment and sustainable financing, something that has become an obligation for financial institutions today, according to Antoni Ballabriga, Global Head of Responsible Business, BBVA, who participated in one of the panels.

The European Commission has warmly received the Principles for Responsible Banking. The vice president of the European Commission applauded this UN-sponsored initiative, which BBVA has actively championed since its inception. “It is truly encouraging to witness this initiative. Now is the time to implement them and truly scale up in sustainable finance. We need European banks to lead the way,” explained Valdis Dombrovskis, vice president of the European Commission, at a European Banking Federation forum held on February 5 in Brussels.

The Corporate Network for Diversity and LGBTI inclusion (REDI) is the first corporate association in Spain created to promote an inclusive and respectful environment in organizations, where talent is valued regardless of gender expression or sexual orientation. BBVA is joining the REDI to demonstrate its commitment to diversity.

BBVA Compass Sales and Service Advisor Rebecca Alexis has “nothing but veterans” in her family. It’s one of the biggest reasons she allocates so much of her professional and personal time helping them with her financial expertise.

Banks play a fundamental role in the planet’s sustainability due to their ability to finance sustainable activities and manage risks. This was the main topic discussed at a panel in Davos, Switzerland in which José Manuel González-Páramo participated. BBVA’s Executive Board Member and Head of Global Economics and Public Affairs encouraged all banks to join the Principles for Responsible Banking to press for this change. In his opinion, these principles give banks the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to society.

BBVA is one of the 230 companies selected for the 2019 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), one of the world’s most relevant indexes on this matter, which distinguishes companies committed to transparency in gender reporting and advancing women’s equality.   Garanti Bank, the Group’s subsidiary in Turkey, has also been selected for the index.

The 9th Edition of Spain Investors Day united 43 listed companies and major investors in a forum that discussed socially responsible investment for the first time. BBVA participated in the round table discussion on the topic.

What do you get when you cross a group of agile-trained bankers with a community food bank project? A record-breaking day.

Rolando Arellano Cueva is a renowned market expert specialising in developing countries, and is a member of the Advisory Board of the BBVA Centro para la Educación y Capacidades Financieras [Centre for Financial Resources and Education]. Throughout his lengthy career he has studied people’s natural tendency to constantly acquire goods, the consumer markets of Latin America, and the role that financial entities play in assisting with savings.

The Turkish Women Entrepreneurs Competition recently celebrated its 12th edition. During the ceremony, the first and only one of its kind, the names of the winners of the four award categories – Turkish Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, Turkish Woman Entrepreneur Who Made a Difference in Her Region, Most Promising Turkish Woman Entrepreneur and Turkish Woman Social Entrepreneur of the Year – were announced.

Promising yourself to save and end up throwing in the towel is a common thing so a little nudge from time to time is no bad thing. According to the report ‘Nudges for Financial Health: Global Evidence for Improved Product Design’ of Innovations For Poverty Action (IPA), the commitment mechanisms that financial institutions put in place to help their customers are an effective solution for achieving savings once and for all and improving financial health.