Virtual wallets have led the way to a revolution in how we pay. Their convenience and speed are key characteristics in their fight against credit cards.

If a person’s tweets reflect their interests, there can be little doubt as to what makes Martin Ravallion tick. His account directs followers to articles on the exodus of Syria’s refugees; the importance of the world’s poorest having access to information; campaigns to tackle child malnutrition. Ravallion, an economist, is aware that his vision of economic science “is not shared by the majority.” And he quotes historian Max Hartwell: “Economics is, in essence, the study of poverty.”

The digital transformation ripples across all areas of the financial system. In the investment portfolio management segment, algorithm based platforms are starting to challenge more traditional advisers. Are they an opportunity or a risk for the ecosystem?

José Manuel González-Páramo read his admission speech at the Royal Academy for Moral and Political Sciences. The new member devoted his speech to the reinvention of banks, driven by five vectors of change that start with the letter R: Recession, Return, Regulation, Reputation, and above all, the digital Revolution. He also discussed the different scenarios for the future.

Structured products started getting special attention a few years ago, but remain the least known among the range of financial products that institutions offer.

BBVA’s Head of Global Supervisors Relations, Eduardo Avila, took part in a Conference organized by the Spanish Association of Accounting and Business Administration (AECA), in a panel that discussed the financial risks generated by the new Basel III Framework and its implications for financial institutions and businesses.