BBVA USA is taking its small business-focused initiative to the Rocky Mountains, announcing today the beginning of its Entrepreneurial Opportunity Contest in the Denver area.

• Contest: The initiative with The Business Journals was first held in four markets in the first part of the year.
• Criteria: Businesses with innovative services, products, or business model submit their entry for a chance to be selected as finalists and pitch to a panel of judges.
• Prize: The winning business will be awarded $10,000 and an opportunity to compete for $50,000 at the final event in Phoenix against previous winners in other markets.

Just months after announcing its plan to realign its global brand, BBVA USA introduced a newly updated Premium Checking account, intended to deliver on the bank’s commitment to provide global products and services, an improved user experience, and solutions that help customers make better financial decisions.

• Newly updated account reflects updated brand strategy: BBVA’s global focus on transparency and simplicity are reflected in the product’s new features and benefits
• A simpler, more transparent product: The new Premium Checking account is streamlined with simpler qualifying criteria and expanded benefits
• Lower monthly fees, more easily avoided: BBVA’s relationship program and private bank were also notable reasons for the bank’s designation.

BBVA Group executive chairman Carlos Torres Vila defended the role of education in general and financial education in particular to fight poverty and enhance people’s well-being. “Education in general is the best driver to end inequality and promote a sustainable development. It’s the simplest way to bring the age of opportunity to everyone - especially those who are most vulnerable,” he said on the second day of the BBVA EduFin Summit 2019 being held in Madrid.

BBVA – with Deloitte and PCS acting as independent third parties – has completed the first issuance of securitized bonds in Spain, which will be registered with the ESMA (European Securities and Markets Authority) as Simple, Transparent and Standardized (STS).  With this securitization, BBVA takes advantage of European regulation in force since January 1 that will confer preferential capital treatment to financial institutions issuing STS securitizations.

Credit rating agency Fitch has upgraded BBVA's senior preferred debt long-term rating by one notch to A from A-. Fitch has also affirmed the Group’s long-term Issuer Default Rating at A- with a negative outlook, thanks to the strength of the bank in Spain and the resilience of its Mexican franchise.

BBVA is Spain’s most transparent financial institution, according to 'Contribution and Transparency 2018', a report published by Fundación Compromiso y Transparencia (Commitment and Transparency Foundation). In the benchmark report, which lists all IBEX 35 companies according to their fiscal transparency practices, BBVA takes the fourth spot.

At the 2018 EMEA Finance Awards, Garanti BBVA collected a total of 17 awards in 13 different categories for eight projects. EMEA Finance is one of the leading financial publications for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and held its awards ceremony in London on June 12th and 13th.

BBVA has closed the transfer of most of the credits rights that comprise the Anfora portfolio. The transaction was announced in December 2018.

Continuous innovation and the gradual decline of the use of cash are giving way to a new digital monetary system. According to José Manuel González-Páramo, executive director and head of global economics and public affairs at BBVA, central banks must define the new role they will play coming out of this transformation.

The Legal 500, a leading international legal publication, has named the industrial and intellectual property team of BBVA's corporate legal services as one of the 100 most relevant legal advisories in Spain and Portugal.  The study lists BBVA under the finance category, along with companies from other sectors such as the utility, hospitality, healthcare and IT industries.