BBVA continues taking security measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Spain. Starting this Tuesday, the bank is operating its branches with 20 percent of its workforce, guaranteeing service in all municipalities where it has a presence.  This measures aims to protect the health of customers and employees, following the recommendations of healthcare authorities.

BBVA shareholders have backed the Group’s corporate management in 2019 with 99.4 percent of the votes at the Annual General Meeting, held on Friday in Bilbao. Quorum has been the highest in the bank’s history: 66.83 percent.

BBVA shareholders meet today in Bilbao (northern Spain), where the bank will hold its Annual General Meeting. Starting at noon, Group executive chairman Carlos Torres Vila and CEO Onur Genç will present the bank’s shareholders with the most significant 2019 accomplishments and the outlook for 2020.

In light of the situation resulting from the coronavirus, BBVA recommends not attending the Annual General Meeting in person whenever possible. The AGM is to be held on March 13th, 2020, at the Euskalduna Conference Center in Bilbao. Additionally, in order to allow shareholders to exercise the remote vote, BBVA has extended the deadline to do so until Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 08:00 pm.

Commercial banking veteran Orlando Castañeda has been named BBVA USA McAllen City President, where he will lead all Commercial operations in the market.

In an interview published by the Spanish newspaper ABC, BBVA’s Group executive chairman took stock of recent years and anticipated the bank’s focus looking ahead with new strategic priorities. Carlos Torres Vila underscored that the bank has reached “the [capital] levels where we want to be.” Now that this has been accomplished, in the medium to long term “there is an opportunity to increase BBVA shareholder returns through dividends or share buybacks,” he said.