Treasury plays an essential role in a company as it oversees cash management in both the short and long term. Accordingly, when companies expand into international markets, whether through organic or inorganic growth, at some point they have to decide whether to operate with decentralized treasuries, in each of the different countries, or whether to take advantage of the benefits offered by the centralization and digitization of regional centers.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and BBVA have further strengthened their relationship and signed an agreement to support large Spanish companies and mid-caps affected by the economic crisis caused by the pandemic. To this end, the EIB will grant a guarantee of up to €400 million to BBVA, enabling the Spanish bank to mobilise more than €1.015 billion in the real economy via loans.

After announcing their strategic partnership last October, BBVA and ODDO BHF, a leading trading platform in Europe, are making progress in their partnership in the equity brokerage services business in Spain and Portugal. The Franco-German group recently opened its new branch at BBVA’s headquarters in Madrid with an equity research team in charge of covering Spanish and Portuguese stocks, as well as a sales team to meet the needs of institutional investors in these countries. BBVA thus underpins its Equity Capital Markets (ECM) capabilities and the added value it delivers to corporate clients.

'The Banker' magazine has published its list of the 1,000 best banks worldwide in its 2021 edition, and has placed BBVA at number 35. The magazine uses its own methodology in which it analyzes more than 30 indicators for each bank, grouped into eight categories: growth, operational efficiency, return on risk, solvency, profitability, asset quality and leverage.

BBVA's Investor Relations team received two awards from IR Magazine in the ´Crisis Management´ and ´Best Use of Multimedia for IR´ categories. This is considered one of the most reputable accolades in the investor relations industry in Europe.

Carlos Torres Vila today opened the 38th APIE Seminar in Santander together with Nadia Calviño, Second Vice-President of the Government and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation. During his speech, the BBVA Chairman highlighted that, after a weak and uncertain start in 2021, the outlook for growth is now very positive. "We all expect a strong rebound in the economy in the second half of the year," he said. In his opinion, the economic recovery and the arrival of European funds put Spain in an excellent position to face the challenges of the productive model transformation. "We must take advantage of this new period of growth to transform our economy and that means preparing ourselves for a world that is undergoing radical change, preparing ourselves to face the challenges associated with that change, and to capitalize on the unparalleled opportunities that are opening up on the horizon," he stated.

BBVA was named Most Innovative Financial Institution Borrower in this year’s edition of the Bond Awards, promoted by Global Capital magazine to recognize key achievements across all the main segments of the international bond markets. The world’s first green CoCo and the first COVID-19 social bond by a private European financial institution were the two landmark transactions that showcased BBVA’s capability to surprise the market.

In 2007 BBVA set off on its transformation journey with the aim of servicing customers through digital channels, making DIY capabilities the cornerstone of our strategy. As a result we achieved exponential trends in sales through digital channels, while customer experience was improved. Now, the bank is immersed in a new stage, focusing on growing our customer base, leveraging on our digital channels and those of third parties. Moreover, it already faces the next challenge: provide proactive and personalized advice to our clients, supported by technology and data.

BBVA and the majority of the labor union representatives (CC.OO., ACB and UGT) have reached an agreement on the adjustment plan in Spain, which involves redundancies of part of the workforce (a total of 2,935 people, about 10 percent of employees of the Group in Spain) through layoffs and voluntary terminations, and an outplacement program for 100 percent of the affected employees through Randstad. The agreement also includes the closing of 480 branches. The process has been characterized by a constructive dialogue between the parties to reach the best agreement for everyone.

BBVA is embarking on a new phase in the US following the sale of BBVA USA to PNC. The bank, which has been present in the United States for more than 45 years through its New York branch, is working on a long-term growth plan focused on the wholesale banking business. Víctor Martínez, recently appointed Head of BBVA CIB in the United States, will be heading the business in the country.