BBVA Compass Bancshares, Inc., a Sunbelt-based bank holding company (BBVA Compass), reported today net income of $209 million for the first quarter of 2018 compared to $52 million in the fourth quarter of 2017 ($173 million(1) adjusted for the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) and $121 million earned during the first quarter of 2017. Earnings in the quarter represented a 20 percent increase from adjusted earnings(1) in the fourth quarter and a 73 percent increase from year ago levels. Return on average assets and return on tangible equity(2) for the first quarter of 2018 were 0.96 percent and 10.51 percent, respectively.

These are the ratios that show up the financial position of a bank. This is a disclosure of BBVA’s ratios calculated as of March 2018.

BBVA posted a net attributable profit of €1.34 billion between January and March 2018, up 11.8 percent compared to the same period of 2017 (+22.3 percent in constant terms) and the highest quarterly result in the past three years. During Q1-18, BBVA Group’s net attributable profit grew across all regions year-on-year. A solid performance of recurring revenues, moderation in operating expenses and the drop in impairment losses on financial assets and provisions were the main drivers supporting this growth.

BBVA kicked off 2018 with a strong performance. First-quarter earnings confirm the positive trends seen in the previous quarters. “We had a very solid start of the year, with solid and recurring results. The significant progress in the transformation highlights the success of our strategy,” said BBVA CEO Carlos Torres Vila.

These are the keys to BBVA’s results in the first quarter of this year:

• Transformation: Digital sales grew in all regions and accounted for 37 percent of total in Q1-18. Clients banking through digital channels rose 25 percent yoy, while those using mobile devices grew 43 percent. Such exponential growth contributed to the strength of recurring revenues, and the efficiency ratio reached its best reading since June 2012
• Income: Driven by strong recurring revenues and cost containment efforts, the operating income grew 5.1 percent yoy in constant terms
• Risks: Risk indicators continued to perform positively. At the end of March, the NPL ratio stood at 4.4 percent, with coverage of 73 percent
• Capital: BBVA’s pro forma fully-loaded CET1 ratio -including the already announced agreements of BBVA Chile and Cerberus, which are to be concluded later this year- stood at 11.47 percent at the end of March

Carlos Torres Vila (born in Salamanca, 24 February 1966) is the CEO of BBVA. Carlos Torres Vila joined BBVA in 2008 as head of Strategy and Corporate Development and a member of its Executive Committee. In 2014 he became head of Digital Banking until May 2015 when he was appointed as Group’s CEO.

Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş., announced its financial statements dated March 31, 2018. Based on the consolidated financials, in the 3 months period of 2018, Garanti’s asset size reached TL 359 billion 882 million, its contribution to the economy through loans and non-cash lending reached to TL 298 billion 250 million 713 thousand. The Bank delivered an ROAE (Return on Average Equity) of 18.3% and ROAA (Return on Average Assets) of 2.2%.

BBVA has signed a financing contract with Forestalia, Mirova, GE and ENGIE to develop the first 300 megawatts (MW) of wind power free of subsidies and incentives in Spain. The 9 wind farm complex, dubbed the Goya Project, will be built in the province of Zaragoza. The 300 MW were awarded in the first renewable energy auction in Spain, held in January 2016, in which Forestalia was the largest bidder. This is also the first green loan to be granted in Spain under the "Green Loan Principles" in which BBVA has coordinated the issue, with Altermia providing Second Party Opinion.

José Manuel González-Páramo is Ph.D., M.Phil. and M.A. in Economics from Columbia University. He also holds a Ph.D. from Universidad Complutense.