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.”

As flagged in the announcement of its strategy for climate change and sustainable development in its contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, BBVA has unveiled its framework for the issue of SDG-linked sustainable bonds.

On April 2 on the occasion of the World Autism Awareness Day, BBVA light up its emblematic La Vela (Sail) tower at its headquarters in Madrid as part of its contribution to the international awareness campaign ‘Light It Up Blue’ #LIUB, sponsored by  Autism Speaks.

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.

Garanti Bank is recognized internationally with its practices in gender equality and once again included in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index. Through its numerous practices and initiatives for ensuring gender equality within its human resources as well as its activities directed to customers and the community, Garanti is the only company to be included in the index from Turkey.

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.