• Transformation: BBVA continued to make progress in its transformation, with a clear impact on growth of its customer base, productivity, efficiency and customer experience. Digital unit sales now account for 57 percent of the total and over half of the customers use digital channels to interact with the bank

• Efficiency: Positive top-line trends in the P&L account, together with an ongoing focus on cost reduction, led to double-digit growth in operating income compared to the first quarter 2018 in constant euros, and an improvement in the efficiency ratio, which dropped 118 basis points since December, to 48.1 percent

• Risk management: The NPL ratio remained at 3.9 percent, while the coverage ratio improved to 74 percent. The cost of risk stood at 1.06 percent

• Capital adequacy: The fully-loaded CET1 capital ratio closed the quarter at 11.35 percent, inching closer to the target of 11.5 to 12 percent, fully absorbing IFRS 16 impact
Profitability: BBVA continued to be a leader in profitability, with ROE standing at 9.9 percent, and ROTE at 11.9 percent, well above the average of its European peers

• Value creation for the shareholder: The tangible book value plus dividends per share rose 11 percent from a year earlier

• Board of Directors: At its meeting today, the Board also approved a series of agreements related to appointments and its committees

BBVA acted as advisor and lead coordinator in the first-ever sustainable bond issued by Government of Navarre. For the first time in its history, Navarra will finance projects with a positive environmental or societal impact through capital markets.

Carlos Torres Vila studied at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which is where he gave his first interview since becoming BBVA’s Executive Chairman. He was in Boston to present OpenMind’s new book, ‘Towards a New Enlightenment? A Transcendent Decade’ and sat down with the Spanish newspaper, ‘El Mundo,’ to discuss the explosion of technology in the banking industry. He believes data is fundamental: “It is crucial that the data revolution is universal. The most vulnerable in society cannot be left behind.”

Art as an investment is gaining momentum as a way to help diversify wealthy customers’ portfolios. BBVA’s global private banking unit, Global Wealth, has an agreement with the consulting firm The Fine Art Group to offer its customers comprehensive art advisory services. The goal is for high net-worth customers to understand and manage art as an investment.

Garanti Bank customers can now personalize their health insurance coverage on the Garanti Cep app. Customers can select the level of health coverage they prefer, adding or removing services as needed.

BBVA is debuting its recently announced framework for sustainable transactional products linked to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Italy with an operation formalized with Iren, one of the leading multi-service companies in the country.

BBVA names David Puente as global head of Client Solutions, replacing Derek White. Ricardo Martín Manjón will become the new global head of Data.

Current progress in finalizing the Banking Union has been insufficient. There are still a number of elements to be settled, fundamentally resolution, insolvency, and the deposit guarantee scheme. “It will not be easy to reach an agreement on the most important aspects prior to the European elections for parliament, but it is critical to do so as soon as possible to avoid jeopardizing member countries’ commitment to the Banking Union,” maintains José Manuel González-Páramo, BBVA executive board member.

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.