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.

Between 2016 and 2022, BBVA will reach a milestone of supporting almost half a million young people gain access to the job market, primarily though its worldwide entrepreneur programs. The bank, together with 20 other large global companies at the World Economic Forum in Davos, launched Global Alliance for YOUth, an initiative representing a collective effort to provide young people with the knowledge and skills they need for the jobs that society calls for. To this end, the project aims to help six million young people improve their skills so they can take part in the new working environments.

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

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.

BBVA joined ING, BNP Paribas, Société Générale and Standard Chartered in a joint commitment to adapt their lending portfolio to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.  In an open letter to the global leaders and heads of state currently meeting at the 24th session of Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24) in Katowice (Poland), these banks committed to finance and design financial services that are needed to support clients as they transition to a low carbon economy.

As of this morning, Anna Escobedo Cabral has become the chairwoman of the BBVA Microfinance Foundation (BBVAMF) Board of Trustees, after succeeding Claudio Gonzalez-Vega, who headed up the foundation’s governance body since 2015. As the granddaughter of Mexican immigrants, humble origins led the new Board of Trustees’ chair to combine her studies with work and to become the first in her family to graduate from both high school and college.

The Principles for Responsible Banking were announced in Paris on November 26. BBVA is one of the founding banks involved in this initiative, which forms a part of the United Nations Environmental Programme.

The UN Climate Change Conference, held at the UN’s annual Conference of the Parties (COP), are international meetings that aim to negotiate and and agree the activities that need to be addressed by global climate policy. On the heels of the announcement in Paris of its participation in the UN’s Principles for Responsible Banking, BBVA also joins this global initiative for a sustainable future.

The Principles for Responsible Banking were presented in Paris on November 26. These principles are the result of a joint initiative comprising 28 financial institutions and the United Nations that aims to take on the climate change and sustainability challenges facing society today.

BBVA joined in launching the Principles for Responsible Banking at the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) global roundtable in Paris. “With these Principles for Responsible Banking, we are redefining banking’s role in society in order to generate a positive impact on people’s lives,” BBVA’s CEO Carlos Torres Vila stated.

Her Majesty Queen Letizia and BBVA’s Group Executive Chairman Francisco González presented the 10th edition of the Integra Awards at BBVA City (Madrid) this morning. These awards recognizes the accomplishments of organizations that develop workplace integration initiatives for people with disabilities and launch employment generating programs. The five organizations that received this year’s awards are the Juan XXIII Roncalli Foundation, Ilunion Responsible Tourism, the National Confederation of Deaf People, Amimet, and the Mental Health Federation of Castile and León.

BBVA joined forces with 27 other banks and the United Nations to create the Principles for Responsible Banking. This landmark initiative seeks to address the sustainability challenges facing the global finance industry, and transform the sector into a driver of a sustainable future.

BBVA hosted the forum “Energy Transition Opportunities for the Spanish and European economies.” During the event José Manuel González-Páramo, stressed that “At BBVA we highly appreciate the proposed measures, not only the draft legislation on climate change, but those measures that have been taken by other countries (France, Poland, and Ireland) that give sustainable financing a boost by issuing green bonds.”

BBVA backs the European network of Financial Centers for Sustainability, which was presented at the Climate Innovation Summit 2018. The annual summit is organized by Climate-KIC and was held in Dublin this year. “At BBVA, we value the creation of this network of centers representing Europe’s most influential cities. The initiative, which has its origins in the United Nations Environment Programme, represents an additional pillar encouraging all key players to get involved in building a more robust and resilient financial system.” asserts Antoni Ballabriga, BBVA’s Global Head of Responsible Business.

BBVA was recognized as a global leader for its corporate responsibility and social investment programs in the latest report of Giving in Numbers, published by The CEO Force for Good. The report is based on the largest survey in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR), gathering data from 252 of the world’s largest companies. The report placed BBVA in the top 25% of the most socially committed companies.

More than 7,000 BBVA employees worldwide took part in some 325 acts of solidarity as part of the Global Volunteers’ Week celebrated in over 15 countries.

BBVA is listed in this year’s edition of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), the market’s benchmark index, which tracks the stock performance of about 3,400 listed companies in terms of environmental, social and corporate governance matters.

Socially responsible investment funds (SRIF) are collective investment instruments that choose the assets that make up their portfolio based on environmental, social and governance criteria (ESG). These eligibility criteria contribute to making better-informed investment decisions, taking into account not only financial criteria, but also less tangible parameters.

BBVA has joined RE100, a collaborative, global initiative uniting the world’s most influential businesses committed to sourcing 100% of their power consumption from renewable sources before 2050. In doing so, businesses convey a powerful message to policymakers and investors: We need to expedite the transition towards a zero-emissions economy.

BBVA is one of 26 international banks that will work jointly on the development of Banking Principles that will align the banking industry’s business model to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. The United Nations is driving the initiative. BBVA’s Group Executive Chairman stressed that “these banking principles will define the standards and accountability model for the future of banking.”

Taking action against climate change and promoting sustainable development is not a fight to save the planet; it’s a fight for the human race. Olivier Guersent, Director-General at the European Commission asserted himself emphatically at the “Financing Sustainable Growth” conference held on March 22nd in Brussels with influential figures such as Emmanuel Macron, Michael Bloomberg, and Jean-Claude Juncker.

If the transition to sustainable finance is to be possible, society needs a committed business community that is aware of the environmental challenges, knows how to take advantage of the opportunities provided by green financial solutions and participates actively in the debate.  This was one of the main conclusions to emerge from the recent breakfast meeting “Sustainable Finance: solutions for a green economy”, organized by Grupo Español para el Crecimiento Verde (the Spanish Green Growth Group) and BBVA, which took place in the Bank’s headquarters.

Fair-trade coffee, quality guarantee, ecological tomatoes… consumers read the labels on the things they eat. But is there any way of checking that what they say is correct? In order to do so, you would need a register of the processes to which the product has been submitted, something blockchain can do.

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 Compass and Opportunity Finance Network are putting out the call to dedicated leaders at community development financial institutions and inviting them to apply to the Opportunity Fellows Program, their joint initiative to boost the CDFI industry’s leadership ranks and spur greater access to capital in under-resourced communities.

BBVA Compass’ focus on digital transformation doesn’t mean the importance of branches is fading. Quite the contrary.

ShareAction, one of the most important observers of responsible investing, has published a study on the 15 biggest European banks, analyzing how we manage the risks and opportunities related to climate change. This study follows the guide for investors on discussing climate change with their bank that was published a few months ago.

The TCR principles are the foundation of the roadmap BBVA wants to follow to achieve its goal of becoming the leading bank in transparency, clarity and responsibility. Still, there’s a long road ahead, one that requires work on two essential levels: traditional and digital banking.

BBVA Compass and the Houston Dynamo wrapped up their joint campaign to raise money for Hurricane Harvey relief efforts with a series of community events that ended when the Dynamo took the pitch at BBVA Compass Stadium for the Ninth Annual BBVA Compass Dynamo Charities Cup.

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.

Mobile banking has come a long way since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, its utility in crisis situations has undoubtedly been proven.

At BBVA Compass, the bank’s award winning mobile app was initially used during Hurricane Harvey as one of the channels providing customers with branch availability information. But, with roads flooded, and ability to access branches limited, customers turned to the app to make transactions, like mobile deposits. Some even began running up against their mobile deposit limits.

BBVA Compass, whose holding company is headquartered in Houston and which has a significant presence in the city, announced today that its foundation will donate $250,000 to the American Red Cross and the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund to aid disaster recovery efforts in Texas. The bank also plans to raise, online and at its branches, up to $250,000 in employee and customer contributions to the two organizations for a total contribution of up to $500,000.

Due to the ever-growing demand for green products and services, eco-friendly companies are starting to pursue business opportunities in the Spanish economic landscape. These companies are committed to the generation of sustainable wealth and respect for the environment.

Euromoney has chosen BBVA as the best bank for transaction business and Corporate Social Responsibility in Latin America in the 2017 edition of its Awards for Excellence.  The prestigious international magazine has also recognized BBVA Bancomer as the best bank in Mexico.  In a ceremony held last night in London, Euromoney recognized the institution’s work in Latin America and Mexico, which have been key markets for the group for decades.