Ignacio Echevarría, BBVA’s Head of Wholesale Funding and Capital Management, explained in the El Catalejo (“The Spyglass”) the factors that, in his view, will determine the evolution of capital markets in 2018.

As of today, EU banks are required to comply with the new relevant regulatory framework on markets and financial institutions, based on the second Markets in Financial Instruments Directive, (MiFID II), and its corresponding regulation, MiFIR.

In the last couple of years the Latin American currency trading, FX, market has been in turmoil; after the devaluation of major Latam currencies in 2016, trading volumes have decreased and many of the global banks that used to lead the FX market in the region have left, allowing strong regional players, including BBVA, to step in and increase their market share.

BBVA has acted as a Green Agent for a green credit in the amount of 800 million euros for Red Eléctrica España S.A. (“REE”). This is the first syndicated green revolving credit facility in Spain, and also the first of its kind in the electric utilities sector.

BBVA in Switzerland has just become the first private financial institution in the country to offer its clients the digital signature service, which facilitates the management and signing of documents and provides an improved user experience.

What is the future of fintech? A group of experts recently met in the European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum (EPFSF) to discuss the European Fintech Action Plan. The meeting brought together about 60 representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission, consumer groups and the financial industry. BBVA was represented by Alvaro Martín, Head Economist for Digital Regulation at BBVA Research.

The debate revolved around the following questions: