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.

In response to the growing demand for passive investment instruments, BBVA Asset Management is encouraging institutional investors to use its range of passively managed index funds, called Bindex. This product line facilitates efficient portfolio creation thanks to the simple nature and low cost of the instruments.

BBVA acted as a sustainable agent, together with Santander, in ACCIONA’s first sustainable syndicated loan of €675 million. In this type of financing, the interest rate is adjusted based on the company’s performance in sustainability parameters.

The deal, structured as per the German debt instrument, is worth €220 million, which will be allocated to sustainable projects. Blockchain technology was used to manage the negotiation of the deal, and both BBVA and Madrid’s regional government used their own nodes to establish a network between the two parties.

In line with its digital transformation strategy, BBVA has launched a new form of corporate loan, the digital facility (D-Loan), and signed the first ever financing of this kind with Olam International, a leading food and agri-business company headquartered and listed in Singapore. As provider of this innovative solution, BBVA acted as digital advisor and coordinator under the new USD 350 million revolving credit facility. BBVA was also the facility agent for the other 6 banks that participate in the financing.

Digital loans (or D-loans) are a type of corporate bank financing (which could also come in the form of credit facilities) for which the price is linked to the company’s degree of digitization. The digital maturity level is determined annually by specialized independent consulting firms after a thorough analysis. If the company improves its level of digitization, the conditions of the bank financing also improve. By doing so, the company aligns its financial instruments with its corporate strategy, and has a financial incentive to improve its degree of digitization and accelerate its digital transformation over time.

Mario Draghi reiterated this week that the ECB could tentatively delay the planned rate hike until next year. At a conference in Frankfurt, Draghi responded to banks’ concerns by saying negative rates could impact bank profitability, although it “is not an inevitable consequence.” Given these statements, we asked Olga Gouveia, Lead Economist for Financial Systems at BBVA Research, what is the impact of the decision to keep negative interest rates. In her opinion, it is reasonable the precautionary tone of the ECB, provided that there is a planned hike on the horizon.

SSE PLC, a leading developer, operator and owner of renewable energy assets across the UK and Ireland, has once again partnered with BBVA as sole sustainability coordinator under its new ‘revolving credit facility’ (or RCF). In 2017, SSE and BBVA worked together in the arrangement of the company’s inaugural green bond issue.

Iberdrola has successfully signed, with BBVA acting as lead arranger and sustainable agent, a new €1.5 billion multi-currency syndicated credit facility linked to sustainability criteria. This is the first transaction aligned with the ‘just transition’ concept, introduced in the Paris Agreement.