BBVA has fulfilled its commitment to offer a sustainable alternative for its products in Spain – both for individuals and companies. The wide range of sustainable solutions is designed to respond to society’s growing demand and to help customers make the best financial decisions that also help the environment.

Atom bank, has confirmed that its £40m raise will be led by Toscafund Asset Management LLP and BBVA. As the bank heads towards profitability, the £40m raise includes an offer to participate for qualifying shareholders in new ‘A’ class shares in Atom priced at 60 pence.

Garanti BBVA and its subsidiaries have been recognized by Kincentric as the ‘Best Employer 2020’ in Turkey. The bank received three out of four awards, making the bank and its subsidiaries the best place to work.

As part of its ongoing commitment to financial education, BBVA USA hosted its third annual Financial Education Forum, a virtual event designed to provide insight on the state of financial health in the U.S. This year’s event featured a presentation of Financial Health Pulse 2020 U.S. Trends, which provides an ongoing snapshot of the financial lives of people in America.

Artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data are transforming the traditional application of tech in the world of marketing. With these tools, startups and SMEs are able to reach a more specific audience for their products at a lower cost than traditional advertising.

BBVA and Enel have signed a €1.35 billion sustainable linked guarantee facility. This guarantee facility, the largest of its kind signed by Enel Group, is an essential and necessary financial tool for the company’s entire operations: production, transport and distribution of electricity and gas, and public lighting services.

In order to help alleviate the effects of COVID-19 on the most vulnerable, BBVA will make a charitable contribution in Spain in replacement of the traditional gift given to shareholders for the Annual General Meeting. It will be the shareholders who vote on which of four causes they prefer for the donation from this gift: social inclusion, education, health and people with disabilities.

Global Finance has named Garanti BBVA the Best Investment Bank in Turkey for the fourth time in the last five years.

ESG criteria refer to environmental, social and corporate governance factors that are taken into account when investing in a company. Although their origin dates back several decades, they have become a reference for socially responsible investing in recent years.

One year after the outbreak of the health crisis in Spain, we spoke to some of the leaders in the fight against the virus to find out how aid was mobilized. In the case of science, researchers consider this aid “essential for the research of this pandemic.” Three and a half million people have benefited from the global plan that BBVA launched in March 2020, ‘Social Response to COVID-19’. The money has been used to purchase medical equipment, support vulnerable groups and for research on the disease.

Spain has set itself the challenge of becoming an attractive country for emerging companies through the Strategy for Spain as an Entrepreneurial Nation. The purpose of the strategy is to promote and boost their formation and development through four milestones: investment, talent, scalability and public sector support for entrepreneurship.

Garanti BBVA reaffirms its commitment against climate change and announces that it will stop financing coal-related activities.

Contact Center World has given two awards to Garanti BBVA, which came in second place in the categories of best call center and best customer service.

BBVA became carbon neutral in direct CO2 emissions in 2020. The Group managed to meet this goal by offsetting its entire carbon footprint through carbon mitigation projects, which also benefited the local communities where they are developed. The bank offset 120,562 tons of CO2e during the year through seven projects developed in different countries across its footprint. This achievement represents another step towards in its push to align its activity with the Paris Agreement and reduce direct and indirect emissions.

BBVA has invested €91.4 million in financial education programs that have benefited 29.2 million people (almost the equivalent of the population of Peru) since 2008, the year in which it launched its Global Financial Education Plan. On the occasion of the European Money Week and Global Money Week celebrations, BBVA also announced that in 2020 it devoted a total of €2.7 million to fund these initiatives that contribute to promoting financial health among communities.

The Spanish National Police’s Unit of Internal Affairs (UAI, in Spanish) has issued a report on its investigation of the 2.3 million documents (hits) provided by BBVA in the Cenyt case. The report does not provide any information that had not already been made available by BBVA to the Judge and the Public Prosecutor’s Office. This confirms that not only the internal investigation ordered by BBVA was objective, rigorous and thorough, but it also shows the full cooperation with the judicial authorities in clarifying the facts, a priority set by the bank since the onset of the proceedings.

BBVA CEO Onur Genç said today that the sale of the U.S. subsidiary is a historic milestone for the bank, and that value creation will continue to be the guiding force in all decisions related to the use of the excess capital from that transaction. “We have a lot of ammunition, a lot of capital” to create value for shareholders, he added. Regarding Turkey, he said that: “We are prepared to manage the risks in emerging markets.”

BBVA has named Patricia Bueno as new Head of Investor & Shareholder relations, within the area of Finance.

Due to its international presence, BBVA has an exchange rate risk hedging policy which is intended to preserve the Group’s capital ratios and provide stability to its results.

Garanti BBVA’s retail and business clients can now view their account balances and statements with other banks. Garanti BBVA Internet allows self-employed and businesses check their accounts with other banks from a single screen, without any further login requirements.

The agile work methodology, new skills that teams look for or the recent inclusion of diversity as a strategic business priority are some of the ways in which BBVA’s human team has changed over the past few years. Paloma Tejada, head of Talent and Culture, Agile and Communications, at Client Solutions, BBVA, spoke about all of them in a conversation with Matthew Gamser, CEO of the SME Finance Forum.

BBVA’s CFO, Jaime Sáenz de Tejada, shared his optimism with international investors regarding the medium-term growth prospects for lending in Spain and Mexico. In Spain, he noted the impact of the EU recovery fund – Next Generation EU- which will expedite the transformation of the production model. The financial sector will be able to amplify its impact through by offering greater financing. As for Mexico, he underscored the positive effect of the new tax stimulus package in the U.S., which will boost remittances and manufacturing activity, along with the new free trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada.

BBVA today placed a 6-year €1 billion senior preferred debt issue, with maturity in March 2027, and an option for early redemption after five years. Final demand exceeded the initial offer 1.5 times, up to more than €1.5 billion, spread over 125 orders. The interest rate was mid-swap + 52 basis points, below the estimated exit rate of mid-swap + 70-75 basis points.

Garanti BBVA, Ekonomist magazine and the Turkish Association of WomenEntrepreneurs (KAGIDER) completed the 14th edition of their Women Entrepreneurs of  Turkey Contest. The winners in the four categories were announced during the awards ceremony, which took place online on March 5th.

BBVA has called its Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held virtual-only on April 20th, 2021. With the goal of being able to implement a significant potential share buyback, it will be submitted for approval of the AGM the possibility of reducing the bank’s share capital up to 10 percent – the equivalent of approximately 667 million shares. Additionally, BBVA proposes the re-election of seven board members, whose term ends in 2021. It would thus maintain unchanged the composition of the Group’s highest governing body, which currently has two thirds of independent members and an appropriate balance and diversity in several areas: experience, knowledge and expertise, gender and international representation.

BBVA has once again been included in Fortune magazine’s 2021 ranking of the “world’s most admired” companies. It is the only Spanish bank in the megabank category.

In 2015, the European Parliament passed the new digital payment services directive, more commonly known as PSD2. The directive laid the groundwork for the emergence of the open banking concept: a solution to allow contextualized access to banking services, wherever and whenever needed. The regulatory framework set forth by PSD2 has driven a true transformation of the financial sector itself and changed how financial services are viewed.

The initiative Garanti BBVA Partners continues making a difference with its contribution to Turkey’s ecosystem of entrepreneurs. The program supports the efforts of entrepreneurs in the field of sustainable development and new strategies, also in the year 2021.

The BBVA Foundation has awarded the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Economics, Finance and Business Management category to Ben Bernanke, Mark Gertler, Nobuhiro Kiyotaki and John Moore for their fundamental contributions to our understanding of how financial imperfections can amplify macroeconomic fluctuations and generate deep macroeconomic recessions. Their first works focused on a fundamental aspect that had not been addressed until then: the state of companies’ balance sheets and its effect on their borrowing capacity and, therefore, their investment capacity.

Global Finance recognized BBVA as the world’s best investment bank for sustainable finance at the latest edition of its awards ‘Best Investment Bank Awards 2021’. A global recognition that joins the bank’s other awards for the best equity bank in Western Europe and the best investment bank in Argentina, Spain and Turkey.

BBVA and Google Cloud today announced a new strategic partnership to transform the bank’s security strategy by optimizing and improving its security infrastructure. As part of this global agreement, BBVA will collaborate with Google Cloud in the development of groundbreaking new artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models to predict and prevent cyberattacks against its banking infrastructure, providing a more secure experience for the bank and its customers.

Nearly 2.5 million people chose digital channels to become BBVA customers in 2020. The figure represents 33.3 percent of total new customers achieved throughout the Group via individual channels (offices, app, web, ATMs …) and represents a 56 percent jump with respect to new users gained digitally in 2019.

BBVA Chairman Carlos Torres Vila and CEO Onur Genç will not collect their variable remuneration for 2020 as a gesture of responsibility in a year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, as detailed in the annual remuneration report for BBVA directors. The decision is also a sign of their commitment to their customers, shareholders, employees and society as a whole. Additionally, the bank has updated its remuneration policy for the next three years (2021, 2022 and 2023), which will be presented for approval at the Annual General Meeting.

The BBVA Foundation has awarded the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Information and Communication Technologies to John Hennessy and David Patterson, founders of the new scientific area known as computer architecture, that designs the “brains” of computer systems. The awardees were the first to devise a conceptual framework that provides the field with a grounded approach to measuring performance, energy efficiency and the complexity of a computer.

BBVA received the banking industry’s silver award in the yearbook put together by S&P Global, analyst for the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), the ranking in which the Group rose to the position of the second most sustainable bank in the world in 2020.

The BBVA Foundation has recognized the work of Sandra Díaz, Sandra Lavorel, and Mark Westoby with the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Ecology and Conservation Biology category has gone in this thirteenth edition to ecologists. The three researchers linked plant ecosystem function to their physical characteristics, and described how these broad traits relate together at global level.

Acquired by BBVA in 2016, the Finnish neobank Holvi will continue its activity led by one of his co-founders, Tuomas Toivonen.

BBVA plans to invest as much as $150 million in new capital to support Propel, bringing its total commitment to over $400 million, including its previous investment in 2016. The announcement builds on the initial successful relationship established five years ago, which has enabled Propel to partner with leading innovators such as Coinbase, DocuSign, Hippo, Guideline, and Neon.

Garanti BBVA launches ‘Garanti Portföy Temiz Enerji Karma Fon’, an innovative fund that invests in capital market instruments tied to Turkish and international companies in the sector of clean, renewable and alternative energy technologies.

Among the novelties in BBVA´s 2020 results presentation is its objective of repurchasing 10 percent of the shares once the sale of the subsidiary in the United States is completed with the capital generated by this operation. At the press conference, Carlos Torres Vila, BBVA Group´s Executive Chairman, stated that “we are saying loud and clear that we consider BBVA´s share the best investment we can make.” In addition, he reviewed different strategic options that the bank was considering for investing that capital.

Carlos Torres Vila, Group Executive Chairman:

BBVA earned €1.32 billion between October and December, its highest quarterly result over the past two years. In 2020 BBVA helped three million clients affected by the pandemic, with about €63 billion in government-backed credit lines and loan deferrals. The sale of the U.S. subsidiary will provide some €8.5 billion in capital to grow in a profitable way across its footprint and increase shareholder distributions. BBVA will make a gross cash payment of €0.059 per share against 2020 earnings, and expects to resume its shareholder distribution policy in 2021 with a payout of 35-40 percent of profits. Additionally, the bank is targeting a buyback of about 10 percent of the Group’s shares, after the close of the sale of the U.S. franchise. All this subject to market conditions and the required approvals.

Garanti Bankası A.Ş., announced its financial statements on December 31, 2020. Based on the consolidated financials, in 2020, the bank’s net income recorded was TL 6 billion 385 million 163 thousand. Asset size realized at TL 540 billion 912 million 805 thousand and the bank’s contribution to the economy through performing cash and non-cash loans reached TL 415 billion 799 million 688 thousand.

The BBVA Foundation has recognized researchers David Julius and Arden Parapoutian with its the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Biology and Biomedicine for their work to discover the receptors that mediate the touch sensations of temperature and pressure. A groundbreaking study that opened up new therapeutic avenues to reduce acute and chronic pain associated with trauma and a range of diseases.

How do you know if a banking product is sustainable and contributes to the protection of the environment? In 2020, 26 banks including BBVA, tested how the European Union’s taxonomy on sustainable activities could be applied to core banking products. Common criteria for determining which products are sustainable could allow banks to drive sustainable financing for the entire economy.

BBVA commits to reporting ESG metrics, as part of the Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism initiative, adopted by 61 member companies of the Davos World Economic Forum and a group of top executives who are part of its International Business Council (IBC).

The Garanti BBVA Partners initiative, which was launched six years ago, continues its activities this year with a series of meetings with renowned experts. Balvinder Singh, who has extensive experience in directing business, social, cultural, media, and technological projects, was this month’s guest.

BBVA has successfully closed the sale of its 100 percent share capital in BBVA Paraguay to Banco GNB Paraguay, a unit of Grupo Gilinski, after obtaining all required authorizations.

Alicia Pertusa, head of Client Solutions Strategy at BBVA, has been involved in the different ‘blockchain’ research projects and pilots that BBVA has carried out over the past five years. The launch of its first bitcoin transaction and custody service in Switzerland was a landmark achievement for BBVA. The rollout was made possible thanks to the regulatory framework set up by the Helvetian country, which provides a unique opportunity to explore innovation in digital asset management. In this interview, Pertusa explains how this service is just a first step in an area that is going to have a direct impact on how we exchange not only money, but also any valuable asset or piece of information.

BBVA has signed the sale of a portfolio consisting of loans and real estate assets from Unnim for a gross total of approximately €700 million. The goal of the transaction is to reduce the exposure to non-productive assets.

BBVA, which recently launched its line of business ‘Quantitative Investment Strategies’ (QIS) for institutional investors, has augmented its first QIS index family specialized in sustainability, with the incorporation of two pioneering climate indexes of its own creation: ‘Solactive BBVA Climate Action PAB Europe’ and  ‘Solactive BBVA Climate Action CTB Europe’.

BBVA’s CEO was interviewed by a university publication where he did his MBA, Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.). Onur Genç shares his view of leadership and the importance of teamwork. “In my view, there are three main aspects that define good leaders: entrepreneurship, empowerment and accountability,” he says.

By Alexis Barton

As integration planning efforts continued—and almost one month after PNC’s acquisition of BBVA’s U.S. subsidiary was announced— BBVA USA team members across the bank began to be introduced to PNC’s leaders and structure in a series of virtual town halls. The events kicked off the week of Dec. 14 and are scheduled to continue through January.

World Finance magazine has given two awards to Garanti BBVA in the 2020 edition of its Digital Banking Awards. BBVA’s Turkish unit has thus become the Best Digital Bank for the fourth consecutive year and was named as having the Best Mobile Application in the Turkish market.

The emergence of technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and blockchain has exponentially multiplied the volume of data used, putting current computer systems to the test. Despite the fact that the arrival of 5G promises an improvement in these limitations, it is not enough to respond to the performance demands of this latest generation technology. An alternative to this is edge computing.

Yesil Science was created with the objective of developing innovative solutions to healthcare, combining medicine, art, and technology. In addition, it is a company that has participated in the Garanti BBVA Partners program.

BBVA is a global brand. As our tagline says, the bank works to “bring the age of opportunity to everyone.” And in these times, more than ever, a world of opportunities are in the digital world. That is where we navigate trying to tell the best stories of a journey that BBVA.com began five years ago. During the months of March and April 2020, BBVA’s corporate website broke its record for monthly users thanks to a new content section on COVID-19, which signaled the enormous audience interest in information related to the pandemic.

Central bank-backed digital currencies, such as the potential digital euro and digital yuan, may become a reality in the coming years. Unlike cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, these currencies promise less volatility and greater security. In addition, they will have the support of their respective monetary institutions, responsible for ensuring financial stability.

Pressure to get on board with remote working, adapting to the changes in a market revolutionised by the pandemic, and dealing with customers who have new and urgent needs. Startups have faced unprecedented challenges in 2020, but their digital DNA has helped them make fast decisions to handle these tests.

Under the agreement with EBRD, Garanti BBVA will prioritize its investments with high sustainability performance for those who want to improve their performance while financing the investment projects.

BBVA has appointed José Luis Elechiguerra, current Head of Client Solutions in the United States, as Global Head of Engineering & Organization, replacing Ricardo Forcano who, after a successful decade at BBVA, is leaving the bank to start an academic research project.

The Garanti BBVA Partners Acceleration Program is looking for new candidates. This project aims to promote the development of entrepreneurial initiatives and ensure their sustainable growth.

In an interview posted on BBVA’s corporate website, Carlos Torres Vila takes stock of 2020 and offers his vision for next year. The Chairman assures that, despite its complexity, “it has been a year of relevant strategic achievements” and “we face 2021 with an unparalleled position of strength to invest in growth and to increase shareholder distributions.” In this sense, and after the recent sale of the franchise in the U.S. and the ECB decision on dividend payments, BBVA considers “a sizeable share buyback¹ as a very interesting option.”

In an interview posted on BBVA’s corporate website, Carlos Torres Vila takes stock of 2020 and offers his vision for next year. The Chairman assures that, despite its complexity, “it has been a year of relevant strategic achievements” and “we face 2021 with an unparalleled position of strength to invest in growth and to increase shareholder distributions”.

The pandemic and the subsequent health protection measures have forced the bank to adapt the actions planned for its employees this Christmas. The traditional Christmas festivities have been replaced by global digital celebrations and a donation to three NGOs that provide support to the sectors of society that have suffered the most during the crisis.

Garanti BBVA offers its clients an advanced long-term currency transaction service through its Forward product, available on its website’s business section.

The NOS group and BBVA formalized the first sustainable financing agreement for a company in Portugal´s telecommunications sector. The €100-million line of commercial paper -with maturity in June 2026- will cover the company’s global financing needs.

Garanti BBVA has been included in the CDP’s Global ‘A List’ thanks to its successful work raising awareness and managing environmental risks.

BBVA and Anthemis are participating in the second $3.4 million funding round that Cledara recently held. The startup now has 150 clients thanks to its innovative SaaS (Software as a Service) solution to centralize payment systems in a single platform.

Once the pertinent regulatory authorizations have been obtained, BBVA Allianz Seguros – Allianz and BBVA’s new bancassurance joint venture that was announced in April this year – will begin to operate in Spain. BBVA Seguros has contributed around 1.18 million insurance policies to the new company, representing approximately €300 million in premiums issued by the end of 2019. The new company combines BBVA’s distribution capacity in physical and digital channels with Allianz’s innovative knowledge to develop simple, digital non-life insurance.

Users without a bank or credit card can easily receive a new password by logging on to Garanti BBVA Mobile with their new ID.

The tokenisation of assets via blockchain could facilitate new financing pathways, guarantee secure investments and programme digital money so that it can only be used for certain purposes, although the associated regulations have not yet materialised.

Contact Center World, one of the most prestigious call center associations in the world, presented Garanti BBVA first prize in the categories for the best call center and best customer service in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

BBVA has begun to roll out the trials of what will become its first commercial service for the trading and custody of digital assets. The new service, which is to be offered through BBVA Switzerland, will make it possible to manage bitcoin transactions and have deposits in this cryptocurrency.

On Thursday, BBVA Chairman Carlos Torres Vila attended the meeting of the Carolina Foundation Board of Trustees, which was presided by King Felipe VI, at the Royal Palace in El Pardo. The Carolina Foundation, of which BBVA has been a trustee since its inception, celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2020.

BBVA and Xiaomi have signed a strategic agreement so that the technology company’s smartphones launched in the Spanish market have the financial institution’s mobile banking application pre-installed exclusively. This is Xiaomi’s first alliance in Europe with a bank.

As part of its commitment to sustainability, BBVA has become the first institution in Argentina to launch recycled plastic cards, 85.5 percent made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride), produced from recycled plastic.

BBVA’s Turkish unit renews its syndicated loan in international markets as part of its international debt program.

Movistar Money will offer consumer loans to Telefónica customers in Colombia, both individuals and companies. The deal could expand to other countries in South America where both companies have a presence.  The company plans to begin operations in the second quarter of 2021 following a successful commercial pilot carried out by BBVA and Telefónica several months ago.

Between October 2019 and June 2020 women lost jobs at a greater rate than men, while the employment recovery rate in the third quarter of 2020 was slightly higher for men, widening the gender gap. These are some of the key takeaways of BBVA Research’s ‘Gender diversity and training’ paper. According to the report, published on the occasion of BBVA’s diversity workshop (Diversity Days), training is one of the essential factors to reversing this situation and boosting women’s participation in the digital economy, a sector that’s recovering at a faster pace.

On December 18, 2020, Turkey will start the use of FAST instant payments systems. In this line, Garanti BBVA is committed to these solutions and will roll out its easy linking services that will enable instant transfers anytime without the need for IBAN.

Following the relevant event released on November 16, 2020, BBVA announces on another relevant event filed with Spanish regulator CNMV that the conversations in relation to a potential merger transaction with Banco de Sabadell have come to an end without any agreement.

Garanti BBVA maintains its presence on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) for the sixth consecutive year. BBVA’s Turkish franchise was included in this index for the first time in 2015 and since then has effectively integrated sustainability into all of its activities and business strategies.

BBVA has launched a service in Spain that allows customers to instantaneously and securely pay for lottery tickets and bets and collect winnings using their mobile phone. By going to the bank’s app, customers can use Bizum to generate a QR code that allows them to pay or collect money at 11,000 Loterías y Apuestas del Estado retailers. This is the first time that people have been able to pay in physical stores using Bizum and a QR code.

‘Opportunity’ is a new tool that provides employees with the instruments to independently design their training, development and ultimately, their career within the company. Based on advanced analytics, big data and visualization tools, it advises employees on the skills they must acquire to aspire to positions of interest and allows them to create alerts about tailored job opportunities.

The most popular and innovative credit card in Turkey, Garanti BBVA’s Bonus, has launched the service ‘Bonus Check-up’. This service informs customers of their finances and offers guidance when their credit card applications are denied.

BBVA has developed Global Commercial Cards, a solution which allows companies to have greater control of employees’ use of commercial cards simplifying the processes of expense submission and approval.

The mass closure of schools, colleges and universities in the 2019-2020 academic year proved that not all schools, teachers, students and families were ready to teach and learn online. One in ten households with school-age children have no Internet access, according to the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Spain’s national statistical institute. Due to the pandemic, technological resources and training in using them effectively is more important than ever. The risk surrounding the digital divide is serious.

Access to technology and financial education improvement for the entire population, especially the most vulnerable, is essential to achieving an inclusive recovery. These have been the main conclusions from the latest edition of EduFin Talks, a space for reflection and debate on financial education’s challenges organized by the BBVA Center for Financial Education and Capability in a 100 percent digital format.

The sale of the U.S. subsidiary is “an extraordinary agreement” for everyone, as it “creates enormous value for shareholders and gives us a wide range of strategic options,” BBVA CEO Onur Genç said during his presentation this Wednesday at the 27th Financial Sector Meeting organized by Deloitte, Spanish daily ABC and Sociedad de Tasación. In this regard, he noted that “we will only participate in operations that create value for shareholders.” “We aren’t in a rush,” he added.

According to a report by Smartme Analytics, BBVA’s app has the largest share of users at 22.6%. BBVA’s country manager for Spain, Peio Belausteguigoitia, stressed that “investment in technology in recent years enabled a rapid reaction to the crisis.” Peio made these comments at the 27th Meeting of the Financial Sector, with the theme ‘Building the Future’, hosted by Deloitte and ABC (a leading Spanish newspaper), while speaking about the role of the financial sector in the crisis and its future challenges.

News of the sale of the US subsidiary to PNC strongly boosted BBVA’s stock market performance. The market warmly received the deal with a rise in the stock price of 15.3% at close on November 16, the third highest in the bank’s stock market history and a new record in outperformance by the European banking sector: the Dow Jones index for US banks scored just 3.3% in the session, 12 percentage points behind.

BBVA has agreed to sell to PNC its subsidiary in the U.S. for $11.6 billion (€9.7 billion¹) in cash, an amount that represents 19.7 times the unit’s 2019 earnings², and that is almost 50% of BBVA’s current market capitalization, creating significant value for shareholders. The transaction will have a positive impact on BBVA’s fully loaded CET1 ratio of c.300 basis points, or €8.5 billion of CET1 generation.

BBVA has ranked first among European banks in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), the market’s leading benchmark index, which measures the economic, environmental and social performance of the world’s largest companies by market cap. The BBVA Group also took third place in the world ranking. The announcement was made on Friday, at the closing of the stock market in New York.

Onur Genç participated in ‘The Global Boardroom: Shaping the recovery’ forum organized by the Financial Times, where he shared his vision of the pandemic’s effect on the banking sector. The BBVA CEO pointed out that this crisis has accelerated certain dynamics, such as the digitization of banks’ business models, although this trend “was already in place.” For example, he explained that customer interactions in the bank’s app have multiplied by fivefold in the last year.

This award recognizes BBVA Next Technologies’ commitment using technology to face COVID-19 crisis.

The European Banking Federation recently organized a conference on innovation and cybersecurity where the role of banks in the digital economy and platform economy was discussed, among other topics. According to BBVA, the key to ensuring that financial services benefit from this economy is the creation of a framework for the different types of participating companies to compete fairly.

The Navarra-based company Veridas has experienced solid growth since its creation in 2017 and has established itself as a global leader in the field of biometrics and digital identity verification. Its two founding partners, BBVA and Das-Nano, have carried out a financing round of four million euros in the company that will serve to continue expanding their business in new markets.

Green bonds have been building a solid reputation among investors. Since December 2019 green bonds can be traded openly and transparently online. This is how the Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network (NSBN) – the first electronic marketplace where professional traders can buy and sell sustainable, social and green bonds – works.

BBVA has joined the (Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network (NSBN). It is the only Spanish bank on the platform, which consists of the various sustainable debt issuers in the world and is a clear reference point for socially responsible investors. The giant screens on the Nasdaq tower in New York City’s Times Square displayed BBVA’s logo to welcome the bank to this market.

For yet another year, BBVA renewed its commitment to diversity and inclusion and is named one of the Top 30 Spanish companies with the best practices in the field. It was reported in the 2021 VariableD Report from Intrama’s ECDI Network, comprised of companies committed to diversity and inclusion. The organization presented its conclusions at the 2020 FactorW Diversity Summit which is the largest national congress on this matter.

Nearly half of Spanish millennials (the generation born between 1978 and 1999) think that when they retire there will be no social security pension waiting for them, according to the BBVA pension institute’s ninth annual survey. This helps to explain why three quarters (76%) of millennials believe the pension system needs a rethink. Only one in six respondents had started saving for retirement. Of those few, most use individual pension plans.

New challenges and opportunities in financial education and inclusion will be the main topic of the third edition of EduFin Talks. The BBVA’s Center for Financial Education and Capability presents the new edition of EduFin Talks, a space to reflect on and discuss the challenges of financial education. This year it will be held fully online.

BBVA has announced its progress in its climate change strategy with the publication of its sustainability policy and its first report on the risks and opportunities associated with climate change according to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) standard. This report entails the incorporation of climate risks in the management of all of BBVA’s businesses and the entity’s commitment to accompany its clients in the journey toward a more sustainable future.

Out of all of BBVA’s customers in Spain, 67% are digital and 61% use their cell phones to engage with the bank. This means that the vast majority of BBVA customers in the country opt for the website or the app to connect with the entity. The pandemic has driven the digitization of customers who, until now, were not familiar with the use of these channels. All this, together with the fact that BBVA’s app is the most used in Spain among all banking applications according to a report by Smartme Analytics, places BBVA as a leader in digital banking in Spain, with a market share of 22.2%.

BBVA expands its market activity with ‘Quantitative Investment Strategies’ (QIS), a business which focuses on the design, manufacturing and distribution of investment strategies that materialize in self-created indices intended for end investors. The organization will debut this new line of business with the launch of its first index ‘Solactive BBVA ixESG Global Leaders Index’.

It’s a challenge to find out what society thinks about a company or brand, especially when you have 40 million followers spread across 10 countries and 190 social media profiles, like BBVA. Even so, the winners of the BBVA Hackathon 2020 accomplished it in only three days, developing a tool to measure users’ feelings about the bank on social media, using machine learning techniques.

Smart transactions allow Garanti BBVA customers and clients to streamline their daily banking activities and keep their personal finances under control using the bank’s mobile app.

The Glasgow Climate Change Conference, which was planned for November, will have to wait until 2021 due to the pandemic. The global problems that existed prior to the arrival of COVID-19, which are still affecting the planet and will have an impact in the future, have not disappeared. The climate crisis cannot wait and remains a central topic on the agenda of all main actors – from governments and non-profits to the private sector. The upcoming preparatory meetings in London and Paris are proof that the organization is continuing its roadmap to remind us of just how much the planet has at risk.

BBVA strengthens its solutions for small and medium sized enterprises across its footprint, thanks to a strategy that prioritizes the relationship model, product distribution and the use of technology as a competitive advantage. BBVA was recently recognized as the best global bank for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) at the 2020 SME Finance Forum Awards.

BBVA, in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Bloomberg, has developed a new cloud-based technology for the equity markets area of its Corporate & Investment Banking unit. The bank has created ‘BBVA C-fit’, a platform built around AWS and Bloomberg technologies, to provide its equity trading team with one of the most cutting edge platforms available in the financial markets sector.

In the last twenty years, Garanti BBVA has distributed more than 135,000 million free airline miles for Miles&Smiles credit cards holders, which is enough to travel the world a million times.

The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation has awarded BBVA the Special Mention in Design, in the Company category, of the Spanish Innovation and Design Awards 2020. The jury has chosen BBVA for “its ability to build solid bridges between traditional business areas and the world of strategic design.”

BBVA´s CEO presented this year´s third quarter results on Friday, October 30. At the press conference, Onur Genç affirmed that BBVA’s leadership in transformation has a “true competitive advantage” and reiterated the institution´s focus on organic growth. In the first nine months of 2020, “we have attracted 350,000 clients in Spain”, something that is especially relevant in the current context marked by the COVID-19 crisis. “We have shown that we can grow using digital channels in Spain,” he said.

The BBVA Group’s results have been improving throughout 2020. The bank earned €1.14 billion in the third quarter (-6.8 percent in current euros, +4.1 percent at constant rates). This result is 79.5 percent higher than this year’s second quarter results in current euros (+83.4 percent at constant rates).  In addition, the strength of recurring revenues and cost containment efforts helped to boost operating income compared to the third quarter of 2019. “Net attributable profit grew significantly in the third quarter compared to previous quarters. This positive performance was the result of our resilient recurrent income, coupled with our focus on cost control and a better evolution of impairments, thanks to the significant provisioning effort in the first half of the year,” said BBVA CEO Onur Genç.

BBVA earned €1.14 billion in the third quarter of 2020. It is the best quarterly result of the year and far exceeds the figure for 2Q20 (+79.5 percent in current euros, +83.4 percent at constant rates). Compared to the same period a year earlier, the 3Q20 result is 6.8 percent lower (+4.1 percent at constant rates). The strength of recurring revenues and cost containment efforts drove quarterly operating income to grow 13.5 percent yoy at constant exchange rates. In a challenging context marked by the pandemic, BBVA has shown a solid capacity to generate capital, with risk indicators having a positive performance. BBVA’s quarterly results also beat market expectations by 48 percent, as analysts’ consensus expected a result of €773 million.

Onur Genç, BBVA CEO:

With data as of September 2020, BBVA has 35.6 million digital customers, double the number four years ago, and 32.8 million mobile customers, three times more.

BBVA’s chairman participated this Tuesday in the first edition of the Expansión International Economic Forum, organized by the financial newspaper Expansión and the international forum, the European House-Ambrosetti, in Alcalá de Henares, Madrid.  “Public-private collaboration can leverage private initiatives to make investment decisions and generate prosperity,” said Carlos Torres Vila. In this regard, he feels that “the work of the public sector is to attract private investment with appropriate incentive schemes that manage to multiply European funds,” and in this process, “banks can play a key role” to channel the funds, analyze the projects being financed and strengthen their effect on the economy with their financing.

Biometric advances are already being used in a multitude of financial sector processes. Artificial intelligence can analyse speech and facial characteristics to create a digital identity that allows for a much more secure online setting, where there’s a proliferation of apps from customised services to health care.

Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş., recently reported its financial results as of September 30, 2020. Based on the consolidated financials, the bank’s net income in the first nine months of the year was 5.24 billion Turkish lira. Assets totaled 525.91 billion Turkish lira, and the bank’s contribution to the economy through cash and non-cash loans was 400.38 billion Turkish lira. Deposits continued to be the main source of funding, as 66 percent of assets were funded via deposits.

Sponsored by Garanti BBVA, the Turkish technology company Kodluyoruz has developed Alchemist, a series of 15 podcasts on technology and artificial intelligence.

Over the course of the last decade, a number of global financial banks – including BBVA- have aligned with the recommendations on non-financial reporting and disclosures issued by different international organizations. Including, the Financial Stability Board and its recommendations through the Climate-Related Financial Disclosures Working Group (TCFD), the UN Environment Programme – Financie Initiative (UNEP FI), or the different national legislations . These suggestions are intended to help companies raise awareness about their environmental commitment by including and disclosing information on climate related risks and opportunities.

Both organizations have announced a global collaboration agreement to promote equality among girls and young people with a focus on female role-models. “We are convinced that we can curb the impact of gender stereotypes in a simple and effective way, by teaching girls about successful women that can help them become aware of all the opportunities within their reach”, said BBVA global head of Talent and Culture Carlos Casas.

The World Health Organization promotes Breast Cancer Day every October 19 to  raise awareness about the commitment of society as a whole to the fight against the most common form of cancer in women. For yet another year, BBVA is organizing a fundraising campaign via Bizum, the leading instant payments solution in Spain, to encourage customer donations in support of the Spanish Association Against Cancer. As an additional gesture of solidarity, this morning, the bank lit up its headquarter buildings in Madrid, La Vela, in pink.

The judge underlines that BBVA has contributed all relevant results for the preliminary investigation, accepts the bank’s offer to make documents available and dismisses all requests from other parties.

BBVA chairman gave the opening presentation at the national meeting of regional bank directors in Mexico today. This year, the meeting took place virtually, where the chairman reaffirmed the group’s commitment to the country. “Mexico will continue to play a fundamental role in our bank’s results thanks to our leading position and the strength of our business model in the country,” he said.

Garanti BBVA Leasing has consistently offered the best financial solutions. It is now moving to strengthen its solar energy service offering by signing a partnership agreement with Başarı Enerji, one of the leading companies in the sector.

Onur Genç participated this Monday in the 11th Financial Meeting, organized by KPMG and financial newspaper Expansión. In this forum, the BBVA CEO said that “our expectation is that the supervisor’s dividend restrictions will be lifted in 2021”.

This Friday, BBVA chairman Carlos Torres Vila participated in the Institute of International Finance’s (IIF) annual meeting, in which he underscored banks’ role in channeling investments from the Next Generation EU recovery plan. “Banks can play a key role in channeling and multiplying European public funds,” he noted.  “What is really important to ensure the most effective use of European funds is to increase the multiplier effect through the private sector, including the banks.” He also indicated that emerging markets could be the most interesting for sustainable investments. “What we need are mechanisms in carbon markets to channel the funds to these countries so that the impact over time is mitigated while promoting the development of poor societies,” he said.

The Women Entrepreneurs Meeting, organized by Garanti BBVA in collaboration with KAGİDER, the Turkish Women Entrepreneurs Association, has been held virtually for the first time. The event which brought together thousands of female entrepreneurs, was attended by Turkey’s Trade Minister, Ruhsar Pekcan, who came to show her support for one of the most important groups within the Turkish economy.

The teams will have 40 uninterrupted hours to solve one of the 12 programming challenges posed by BBVA.

BBVA remains committed to this global network, participating in a new pilot project with which it has managed to integrate payments from the SWIFT gpi network with the U.K.’s national instant payment system. Progress that makes it possible to break away from the time zone restrictions in the process, going one step further in the exploration of this kind of payment.

BBVA has launched Aqua, a new line of pioneering credit cards in Spain which feature a dynamic CVV code and do not contain card numbers (PAN) or expiration dates printed on them. This reinforces security both for its digital and physical versions since not having this data prevents possible fraudulent use of them. In addition, BBVA´s app has renewed the entire payment experience to make it easier for the customer to manage their expenses and order the services it offers based on their use. The bank is already working to launch this mobile experience in other countries.

BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) has decided to boost its equities capability for corporate clients, issuers and institutional clients along two vectors: on one hand, developing its equity investment products factory and digital platforms for product distribution; and, on the other, expanding its ECM (Equity Capital Markets) execution capabilities through a strategic alliance with Oddo BHF, one of Europe’s leading equity research and distribution entities.

BBVA Asset Management has announced the 27 winning projects of the second round of awards granted by the BBVA Sustainable Future SRI fund. In total, the fund manager will donate more than one million euros to NGOs throughout Spain.

BBVA is partnering with technology companies to be closer to its clients, who are starting to turn to third party digital vendors to cover their financial needs. “We see these partnerships as a way of growing our customer base,” stated Carlos Torres Vila, Group Executive Chairman of BBVA, speaking at a virtual panel discussion with Marcelo Claure, CEO of Softbank, that took place on the last day of South Summit.