Communications

BBVA announces that the takeover bid for Banco Sabadell will not proceed as the minimum acceptance level set by the bank has not been met. Looking ahead, BBVA’s Strategic Plan and its corresponding ambitious financial goals will consolidate the Group at the forefront of European banking in terms of both growth and profitability. As part of the Strategic Plan, BBVA is to immediately resume shareholder remuneration: On October 31, it will start executing the pending share buyback of around €1 billion; on November 7, it will pay the highest interim dividend ever (€0.32 per share) for a total of €1.8 billion; and, as soon as it receives the authorization from the European Central Bank (ECB), it will launch a significant additional¹ share buyback program.

In an increasingly digital world, data centers have become critical infrastructure underpinning technological and economic progress. Their rapid growth, however, brings with it unavoidable challenges in terms of sustainability and efficiency. In this context, BBVA CIB positions itself as a strategic partner for companies, supporting them in their transition towards more responsible and resilient models capable of adapting to a constantly evolving environment.

The three leading rating agencies have upgraded BBVA’s rating over the past three weeks. On Tuesday, Fitch upgraded the long-term senior preferred debt one notch, from A- to A. It also upgraded BBVA’s long-term issuer rating, from BBB+ to A-, with a stable outlook, among other improvements. This latest move joins the recent upgrades by S&P and Moody’s.

BBVA CEO Onur Genç said on Tuesday that the acceptance period for the takeover bid for Banco Sabadell is progressing well ahead of expectations. Genç participated in the 16th Financial Meeting organized by KPMG and business daily Expansión in Madrid, where he emphasized the positive response from shareholders, both institutional and retail, who are backing the transaction. He reiterated his belief that BBVA will comfortably exceed the 50 percent acceptance threshold thanks to the financial appeal and strategic rationale of the offer. He also stressed that “waiting for a hypothetical second bid makes no sense, as it would be highly unlikely and would offer no advantages in terms of price, timing or taxation. Shareholders who do not tender their shares will be left out and will not benefit from the price being offered,” he said.

It will soon be enough to spot a shirt we like and just ask a voice-enabled AI device to send it home in our size and in a different color, bypassing the entire traditional online shopping process. Artificial intelligence is set to transform shopping into a conversational experience, explained Carmela Gómez, Global Head of Open Banking at BBVA, at the Sibos financial event. AI will also enable companies to anticipate cash needs, open up new financial opportunities for vulnerable communities, and make access to credit easier for gig economy workers.

AI-generated cover image

Following the recent upgrade of BBVA’s rating by S&P, another leading ratings agency, Moody’s, has raised BBVA’s rating from A3 to A2, one notch above that of Spain, with a stable outlook. The main reason behind this upgrade is the favorable performance of BBVA’s fundamentals.

From January to August 2025, BBVA reached €3.1 billion in agrifood business, a 69 percent increase over the same period in 2024. Of this amount, €2.09 billion corresponded to sustainable business, with 82 percent YoY growth. BBVA announced these figures at Fruit Attraction, one of the world’s top fruit and vegetable trade fairs, held this week in Madrid.

SWIFT, the global financial messaging network connecting more than 11,500 institutions in 200 countries, is set to develop a shared blockchain platform that will function as a common digital ledger for banks around the world. This infrastructure will enable seamless, real-time international payments and transfers and transactions with stablecoins and digital assets. BBVA has joined a consortium of more than 30 partner banks now starting work on a prototype.

With South America undergoing a transformation that demands decisive investments in infrastructure, energy, agriculture, technology and mining, BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) is committed to being the strategic partner of corporations and institutions. Its offering combines innovative and sustainable financial solutions with close, hands‑on support. This is underscored by Verónica Incera, Head of CIB for South America and Argentina, who highlights the bank’s commitment to supporting its clients’ internationalisation with high‑value advice and a clear focus on their specific needs.

BBVA, in a further show of its commitment to offering innovative payment solutions, has launched a new virtual card product in Mexico alongside Mastercard (NYSE: MA) and Sabre Direct Pay, Sabre Corporation’s (NASDAQ: SABR) virtual payment solution. This innovative offering in Mexico enables travel agencies to issue secure virtual card numbers (VCNs) for each payment. This improves control, integrates with backend reconciliation tools, and significantly reduces manual work and errors.

BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila assured in an interview with Spanish news agency EFE that the offer for Banco Sabadell is an “exceptional opportunity that shareholders should not miss.” In his remarks, he reaffirmed his confidence in the success of the transaction and recalled that the term to tender the shares ends on October 10. “We are going to surpass 50 percent. We are absolutely certain of it because it’s an exceptional offer. It was from the start, and with the improved offer, even more so,” he said. Regarding a possible second takeover bid, he affirmed: “There’s no reason to wait because that hypothetical, uncertain second takeover bid offers no appeal compared to the offer that is already on the table—not in terms of price, not in terms of timing, and not in terms of tax treatment.” Furthermore, “BBVA would never proceed with that second bid unless the price remained the same.”

Clean technologies, also known as 'cleantech', are technologies that contribute to sustainability and environmental protection. This includes innovative solutions for  both climate change adaptation and mitigation, ranging from emission reduction to biodiversity protection and water treatment.

The BBVA Board of Directors has agreed to improve the offer to Banco Sabadell shareholders by 10 percent¹. In addition, the consideration will now be entirely in shares, so shareholders with capital gains would not be subject to taxation in Spain, if acceptance exceeds 50 percent of Banco Sabadell’s voting rights, as the transaction would qualify as tax neutral in that case. The Board of Directors has also agreed to waive both the possibility of making further improvements to the consideration and of extending the acceptance period.

BBVA has launched a new service that enables financial institutions outside Europe to send payments to Spain in just seconds, at any time of day and on any day of the year. The service significantly enhances efficiency for sending banks while allowing recipients to access funds instantly, helping corporates optimize treasury management and offering retail customers a seamless experience.

In its announcement on Monday of the annual review of the composition of its indices, Stoxx has added BBVA to Stoxx Europe 50, the stock market index that measures the performance of the 50 super-sector leaders in Europe. The index serves financial institutions as the underlying for a wide range of investment products: exchange-traded funds (ETFs), futures and options, and structured products worldwide.

BBVA and SAP Spain have forged a strategic alliance whereby the bank will integrate the SAP Multibank Connectivity solution to enhance its corporate banking service offering and attract new business clients. The solution will enable BBVA to transform and optimize how financial transactions are carried out for corporate and business banking clients, making the whole process more efficient and agile.

BBVA has taken a significant step forward in its data-driven transformation strategy with the successful implementation of ADA, its global data platform, in Mexico and Colombia. This strategic advance seeks to improve and accelerate the bank's ability to offer personalized and relevant products and services to its customers. The cloud-based data platform, built on Amazon Web Services (AWS) technologies, enables the centralized consolidation of analytical processes, ensures real-time access to data, and scales the use of artificial intelligence.

The bank published its latest ‘Green and Social Bond Report’ on fund allocation and the impact of its sustainable issuances through December 2024. BBVA allocated a total of €5.83 billion to environmental, social and governance (ESG) bonds through green initiatives, and €1 billion to projects with a social focus. This year, the amount of resources allocated to activities aligned with environmental criteria rose by 20 percent over the previous year.

On Tuesday, 8 July, BBVA placed €1 billion in senior non-preferred (SNP) debt, with a five-year term maturing in 2030. Final demand amounted to €2.9 billion, before ultimately closing at €2.6 billion. The final price was set at mid-swap plus 85 basis points, significantly below the initial guidance of mid-swap plus 110 basis points, making it the lowest spread for an SNP achieved by a southern European financial institution in the past three years.

In 2024, BBVA channeled €27 billion to boost the sustainable business and fund development projects in its emerging markets (Mexico, South America and Turkey), which represents a 60 percent increase over 2023. Meanwhile, the BBVA Microfinance Foundation allocated €1.5 billion in lending to vulnerable entrepreneurs in 2024.

BBVA is taking a strategic step in its digital transformation by expanding its long-standing collaboration with Google Cloud through the deployment of Google Workspace with Gemini, as part of the global bank’s comprehensive AI adoption strategy.

BBVA's Investor Relations and senior management team have been honored with a set of prestigious awards from the investment community, underscoring their unwavering commitment to transparent and effective communication with institutional investors.

Following the assessment of the condition imposed by the Spanish Council of Ministers on June 24, 2025, BBVA is to move forward with the acquisition of Banco Sabadell as “the project creates significant value for the shareholders of both entities and represents a unique opportunity to build one the most competitive and innovative banks in Europe. Together we will be a stronger institution, with greater scale and the capacity to increase lending to households and business by €5 billion annually, thereby supporting the economic growth of our country,” BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila said.

This week, BBVA completed two significant risk transfers (SRTs) with a combined value of €3.5 billion.  BBVA also reached an agreement to sell a €314 million portfolio of restructured mortgages. These transactions allow the Group to unblock regulatory capital, as part of its strategy to optimize capital allocation.

Today in Frankfurt, BBVA officially launched its new digital bank in Germany. It combines cutting-edge technology, through one of the top financial apps in the world, with a compelling value proposition: an interest-bearing checking account paying three percent for the first 12 months, and a debit card with a three percent cashback on purchases - both paid monthly and completely free of charges, with no fees. “We’re bringing something new to Germany. A banking experience that combines the simplicity and convenience of a fee-free account, typical of digital actors, with the full range of products, reliability, and trust of a universal bank,” said BBVA CEO Onur Genç.

The Frontiers of Knowledge Awards ceremony paid tribute to 20 leading figures in science and culture, recognized for their decisive contributions to the advancement of knowledge. Carlos Torres Vila, President of the BBVA Foundation, emphasized in his speech that we are living in complex times, marked by enormous challenges, but we also possess “extraordinary tools to confront them: science, technology and culture.”

The agreement contributes to the development of climate technologies, or cleantech, in a first-of-a-kind project to support European energy resilience, helping stabilize the power grid and promoting decarbonization in the energy industry.

BBVA Global Head of Sustainability and Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) Javier Rodríguez Soler affirmed that “BBVA is the 4th largest bank financing data centers in the U.S.,” based on data from January 1 through May 29, 2025*. During an event organized by the Spain–U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Houston, Rodríguez Soler said that “the U.S. will continue to be a strategic growth market for BBVA.”

Photo credit: Spain–U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Kay Firth-Butterfield, CEO of Good Tech Advisory and former Head of Artificial Intelligence at the World Economic Forum, reflected at BBVA’s FinAI Summit on the challenges of responsible artificial intelligence and on the kind of relationship society wants to forge with this technology: AI is not our best buddy or our partner, she stated, even though 20 percent of men in the United States have used it at some point “as a romantic partner, the person they talk to, the person they love. Is that the future we want with this technology?”.

Garanti BBVA has contributed over $440 million in support to the Turkish economy by renewing its existing syndicated loan.

The first edition of Global Finance AI in Finance Awards named BBVA the best bank in Spain for its artificial intelligence strategy, both within the organization and in its financial solutions for individuals. The publication also recognized one of BBVA’s revenue forecasting tools as the top AI risk management solution in Mexico and Latin America.

Image generated with Artificial Intelligence (Midjourney)

BBVA’s smart  ‘discrete mode’ in its app detects when more than one pair of eyes is looking at the screen and hides sensitive information. Therefore, you can do your banking and view and manage your cards anywhere, while keeping your financial data private, making it illegible to onlookers and possible cybercriminals. Below we tell you how to activate this feature.

The BBVA Group has accomplished its 2025 Community Investment Objective a year ahead of schedule, aimed at fostering the development of the societies in which it operates. Between 2021 and 2024, the financial institution channeled €594 million into social endeavors, reaching out to nearly 106 million people

Jaime Sáenz de Tejada, Global Head of Commercial & Institutional Client Solutions, stated that “one in four companies in Spain chose BBVA in 2024, a figure that is even more impressive in Catalonia, where one in three companies chose BBVA.”

The cross-border business is emerging as a key driver for companies seeking global expansion beyond their domestic markets. Within this evolving landscape, BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) provides expert advice, tailored financial solutions, and an extensive global network that connects major financial hubs with emerging markets. Through an innovative approach and comprehensive risk management, the bank supports its clients’ international growth.

By getting involved, BBVA will help identify barriers, share best practices, and co-create financial instruments that accelerate improvements in energy efficiency and the decarbonization of the European building stock and industry.

Front cover photo: © European Union, 2025. Source: EC – Audiovisual Service.(CC BY 4.0)

In the first quarter of 2025, BBVA channeled approximately €29 billion into sustainable business initiatives, marking a 55 percent increase on the same period in 2024. This figure is part of the bank’s new target of channeling €700 billion into the sustainable business between 2025 and 2029, more than  double its previous target and also raising the bar, given the shorter timeframe involved (five years versus eight).

Luisa Gómez Bravo and Onur Genç took part in a recent episode of the Chief Future Officer Show, aired by Bloomberg Television and focusing on the role played by chief financial officers in companies. In the episode, BBVA’s Global Head of Finance cited the bank’s growth plans, especially its impending combination with Banco Sabadell in Spain, as well as its entry into Italy and Germany with a digital banking model: “It’s about delivering amazing profitability and returning that to shareholders, while continuing to invest.”

The collaboration among banks, investors, innovators, and the public sector will be, as Santiago Muguruza, global head of BBVA Spark, stated, "decisive for scaling up technological projects essential for the energy transition."  During his speech at the Energy Tech Summit 2025 held in Bilbao, he further emphasized that this type of cooperation "is key to closing the innovation gap in Europe."

The BBVA Group paid a record-breaking €8.46 billion in own taxes in 2024 in the countries where it operates, 10 percent more than the previous year, according to the Total Tax Contribution Report. In addition to this figure, BBVA collected €8.98 billion in taxes from third parties for a total of €17.44 billion–the Group’s highest tax contribution thus far. This means that for every €100 of income generated by BBVA in 2024, the bank contributed €49 to public coffers in taxes¹.

¹Ratio between BBVA’s financial contribution to public coffers in 2024 (€17.44 billion) and the bank’s gross margin for the year (€35.48 billion). BBVA’s tax contribution includes both its own taxes (corporate tax, VAT and specific levies on the financial sector, among others), as well as taxes collected by the BBVA Group on behalf of third parties, which are paid as a result of its presence and activity with employees, customers and suppliers in over 25 countries.

Guardrails are mechanisms to guide the responsible development of AI so that it does not become a technological, social, or security threat. Classical and generative AI require different types of guardrails, as the latter’s ability to engage directly with end users has introduced a whole new set of challenges for developers—such as the mass production of fake news or the creation of new methods for perpetrating cybercrime.

On Thursday, April 10, BBVA will pay a supplementary dividend of €0.41 per share. Added to the interim dividend paid in October, the total payout for 2024 rises to €0.70 per share, the bank’s highest since 2007. BBVA has also announced a €993 million share buyback.  Through dividends and the buyback, the bank will return a combined €5.03 billion to shareholders this year, half of its 2024 profit.

BBVA and Técnicas Reunidas have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim of promoting the development of initiatives and projects linked to the energy transition and the decarbonization of the economy.

BBVA CEO Onur Genç emphasized on Thursday that the transaction with Banco Sabadell is focused on growth, bringing together the strengths of both institutions. “This is about preserving and expanding the excellent work Sabadell has done, and growing together in high-value segments, such as companies,” he explained. At an investor event organized by Bank of America, Genç underscored the attractiveness of the offer for Sabadell shareholders, not only due to the premium offered, but because of the value that will be created through synergies. As a result, they will be able to increase earnings per share compared to the standalone scenario. “BBVA is offering Sabadell shareholders the opportunity to become part of a stronger, more profitable, and more efficient bank,” he said.

For the third year running, BBVA has been busy promoting training in sustainability for 466 of its SME suppliers in 13 countries where it operates, showing an 11 percent improvement on the 2024 figure (418 companies). In total, 593 people will take part in the Sustainable Suppliers Training Program of the UN Global Compact (up 7 percent on the 552 in 2024).

BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) has expanded its pioneering ESG-linked credit risk sharing transaction from €2 billion to €6 billion, further amplifying its commitment to sustainable finance. In addition to long-standing partner PGGM, the upsized transaction also brings in Alecta, the Swedish occupational pension fund, as a second investor. This strategic expansion reflects growing investor appetite for ESG-integrated financial solutions and BBVA’s leadership in structuring innovative SRT transactions.

BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila stated today that “our country is uniquely positioned to play a more relevant role in Europe.” To do so, he believes Spain needs larger banks that are capable of financing the investments needed in areas such as the energy transition, digitization, new technologies, and European autonomy. During his speech at the ‘Wake Up, Spain’ event, Carlos Torres Vila emphasized that growing across all business segments is one of BBVA’s six strategic priorities and will be a key driver of value and growth for the bank over the next five years. “Far from losing anything, Banco Sabadell’s business clients will gain BBVA as their best ally for growth,” he stressed.

The financial institution is developing an internal manual to give visibility to the reality of the people on the autism spectrum in the workplace and society. The goal is to make all professionals at the bank aware of this neurodivergence and promote a working environment that facilitates the integration of this group, makes the most of their strengths and understands the barriers they face.

BBVA has adopted a data and AI governance strategy that lets it widen the use of artificial intelligence safely and responsibly.  The bank follows industry best practices and international regulations, keeps an inventory of its AI systems, and monitors them regularly to assess their accuracy, spot errors and ensure they remain current.

For the fifth consecutive year, the bank will donate €300,000 to social organisations operating in the social and environmental spheres at its Annual General Meeting. The winning entities for 2025 are the Asociación Madrileña Para Ayuda del Recluso Abandonado, the Asindown Foundation, the Francisco Luzón Foundation, and the Scout Griebal Foundation.