BBVA has marked a new milestone in the sustainable finance business with the closing of the first global transaction in the insurance sector. MAPFRE has transformed its syndicated credit facility for 1 billion euros into sustainable finance with the cooperation of BBVA, which acted as Sustainable Agent in the transaction.

A report by Standard and Poor’s Global (S&P) analyzes the potential impact on the financial sector of the entry of tech giants such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. Although no immediate changes to bank ratings is foreseen, the report points out that in the long term these companies are well placed to get a position  in segments of the chain such as payment systems.

The headlines about the U.S. dollar this year have underscored how complicated it is to predict the movement of any one currency in a global economy. They’ve gone from grim (“Dollar set for worst January in 30 years”) to triumphant (“Dollar claws back”) to deflated (“Dollar’s rebound fizzles”) in a matter of weeks.

Unique Experiences is a special program of BBVA in Switzerland, by which clients can access a wide range of experiences and services carefully selected to help them enjoy life and their patrimony. The program encompasses a range of areas such as lifestyle, health, education, innovation, culture and entertainment. It also seeks to bring clients closer to Switzerland, a country whose living standards have put it in the top positions in the rankings of quality of life around the world.

On January 31st, the European Banking Authority (EBA) announced the formal launch of this year’s EU-wide stress test exercise of the euro area. It also unveiled the macroeconomic scenarios under which the exercise will be carried out. The  adverse scenario implies a deviation of EU GDP from its baseline level by 8.3% in 2020, resulting in the most severe scenario to date. The EBA expects to publish the results of the exercise by 2 November 2018

Since it was launched in 2016, the FCA’s regulatory sandbox has supported 60 firms to test their innovation with real customers in the live market under controlled conditions. Now, it is assessing different options to scale up the model at global level to solve the challenges of operating internationally in the fintech market.

The global economy has changed significantly over the past few years, impacting decisively on the style and manner in which investors manage their wealth.

The Winter Olympics have been in full swing for over a week while athletes have been racking up the medals in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Alfonso Gómez joined the BBVA Group in 1994 and was appointed to head the Swiss branch in 2014. Born in Segovia, Spain, he has had an extensive career, holding positions on several continents. Since his arrival at Switzerland, he has been working to develop the best customer experience, based on a high-value offering and next-generation digital tools.

Many people around the world choose to place part of their savings in investments outside their home country, in order to diversify their holdings. That’s why they put part of their capital in international financial centers. Switzerland is one of them.