“The effects of the pandemic are devastating. Along with the irreparable loss of human life, both the virus and social confinement are contributing to a severe economic dilemma that cuts across society, including such susceptible segments like SMEs and the self-employed. At BBVA, we want to be as close to our customers as possible. Mitigating the socioeconomic impact of the coronavirus pandemic is crucial,” explained Lidia del Pozo, Director of Community Investment Programs at BBVA. During a webinar entitled ‘Responsible Banking during the COVID-19 Crisis,’ organized by the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), representatives from financial institutions from around the world shared their strategies for addressing the pandemic and its impact on society.

The European Commission has published its taxonomy for sustainable finance, a classification instrument to help financial players and companies determine which activities qualify as sustainable. Investments in projects and activities that pursue the European Union’s environmental goals contribute to the transition towards a low carbon economy.

BBVA Foundation recognizes the Estonian composer with the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Category of Music and Opera for cultivating an original language, which has led to the creation of a unique sound world. In its citation, the jury underscores that Arvo Pärt’s creations are “a fresh approach to spiritual music, especially in his choral oeuvre, that reduces the musical material to the essence.”

BBVA Momentum, BBVA’s program in support of social entrepreneurship, is proud of its participant entrepreneurs who consistently demonstrate their ability to innovate under the most difficult of circumstances. The coronavirus crisis is no exception. A number of the Momentum program’s Spanish startup graduates have put the full weight of their ingenuity and resources into providing workable solutions to improve people’s lives.

BBVA’s Group executive chairman said that the bank has to “step up and make a difference” to do everything in its power to “save lives, mitigate the economic impact, and help others overcome these difficult times.” Carlos Torres Vila also announced that as an act of responsibility with society, customers and clients, shareholders and employees in the current context, “Those of us running the bank on a global level and in the different countries have decided to give up all variable compensation in the year 2020.” In a video made for employees, he maintained that BBVA is facing the COVID-19 crisis from a position of strength.

BBVA Group is staying ahead of the crisis with a global remote working plan that protects customers and employees alike. It has also ensured continued, uninterrupted operations for both consumer and business customers by strengthening digital access to its full suite of services. To contain the spread of COVID-19, BBVA has significantly reduced the number of employees working in its branch offices.

Garanti BBVA has put 10 million Turkish lira (approximately €1.4 million) into a fund to support public hospitals as they contend with the coronavirus pandemic. The money has been earmarked to address the most urgent needs of health care workers.

Researchers, businesses, and innovators around the world are putting technology to work to alleviate the effects of the global health crisis. From applications that collect data to track the spread of the virus to 3D printed ventilators for hospitals: these are some of the various technology projects rising to the occasion in the fight against coronavirus.

BBVA has launched a campaign for employees to do their part to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Employees who wish to do so, can join this cause through the campaign ‘Your contribution is worth double’ in which the bank will contribute an additional euro for every euro donated by employees.

The Group is to donate €25 million to combat the coronavirus outbreak across its footprint. This week, BBVA will deliver an initial batch of medical equipment, respirators and surgical masks, worth approximately €3 million to Spanish health officials.

BBVA’s Turkish franchise is launching new measures to protect the health of employees, customers and society, while tackling the possible economic challenges generated in Turkey by coronavirus.

BBVA is lighting its corporate headquarters in Madrid as a symbol of its support for the professionals who are fighting day in and day out against coronavirus.

Spanish banks are to provide a deferral of up to three months on rent payments for families affected by the coronavirus and living in dwellings belonging to the Spanish Social Housing Fund.  This fund was created in 2013 and includes more than 10,000 dwellings in Spain that are the property of lending institutions.

Garanti BBVA, BBVA’s Turkish unit, has implemented a series of proactive measures to address the coronavirus pandemic, currently affecting 176 countries in the world. Garanti BBVA considers the health of its employees’, their families’, and society at large as its most important priority.

Garanti BBVA’s ‘Instant Insurance at the Branch’ campaign has been recognized with a Bronze Stevie award in the category of ‘Sales Enablement Solutions’. This accolade recognizes the bank’s efforts to develop car loan products and improve customer experience.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Economics, Finance and Management has gone in this twelfth edition to Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt for their fundamental contributions to the study of innovation, technical change, and competition policy. The joint research of these two economists builds on Joseph Schumpeter’s idea that productivity growth at the macroeconomic level stems from a process of creative destruction in which the continuous entry of new firms and technologies renders the incumbents obsolete.

BBVA’s Turkish unit has launched the latest round of its Garanti BBVA Partners Acceleration Program, an initiative that seeks to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit and support local small business people.

The Spanish Banking Association (AEB) supports the economic measures announced today by the Government amidst the coronavirus outbreak in order to avoid a production drop and to back employment. The AEB also expresses its complete disposition to facilitate their implementation and thus mitigate the impact of this crisis on families and businesses.

BBVA continues taking security measures to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus in Spain. Starting this Tuesday, the bank is operating its branches with 20 percent of its workforce, guaranteeing service in all municipalities where it has a presence.  This measures aims to protect the health of customers and employees, following the recommendations of healthcare authorities.

The BBVA Momentum 2019 closing event took place on March 3rd at the Impact hub in Madrid. It set the scene for putting a face and name to the most promising entrepreneurs of this season’s Momentum program. Their business pitches highlighted the potential of their growth plans, which is already starting to materialize for many of them.

BBVA shareholders have backed the Group’s corporate management in 2019 with 99.4 percent of the votes at the Annual General Meeting, held on Friday in Bilbao. Quorum has been the highest in the bank’s history: 66.83 percent.

Carlos Torres Vila, Group executive chairman

• Excellent figures: “In 2019 BBVA posted its highest net attributable profit of the past decade without one-offs”
• New strategic priorities: We want “to improve our clients’ financial health and help them transition toward a sustainable future”
• Dividend: BBVA is proposing at the AGM a complementary gross cash dividend of €0.16 per share. The total dividend for the year stands at €0.26 per share, which reflects a 36 percent of attributable profit, excluding the impact of the goodwill adjustment in the U.S.

Onur Genç, Chief executive officer

• Business model: “Once again, we have demonstrated the strength of our diversified model”
• Profitability: “We are number one in terms of profitability,” among 15 largest European banks

BBVA Group’s executive chairman referred to the Cenyt case at the 2020 Annual General Meeting, which was held on March 13, 2020. This is a transcript of what he said at the meeting.

BBVA shareholders meet today in Bilbao (northern Spain), where the bank will hold its Annual General Meeting. Starting at noon, Group executive chairman Carlos Torres Vila and CEO Onur Genç will present the bank’s shareholders with the most significant 2019 accomplishments and the outlook for 2020.

Andrew Wong is the winner of the third edition of the scholarship offered by BBVA in collaboration with The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The promising youth from the U.S. was selected among culinary students from around the world. He will complete his training at three restaurants led by chefs Mauro Colagreco, Luke Dale-Roberts and Leonor Espinosa.

YouTube started publishing its Ads Leaderboard list in 2017, to showcase the best performing and impactful advertising campaigns on its channels. The streaming giant has just released the list of ads that garnered the best results in Turkey in 2019, and, once again, Garanti BBVA’s campaigns rank high on list. The list is drawn up based on a number of factors, including the number of organic and paid plays, viewing time and the full playthrough ratio of each ad.

In light of the situation resulting from the coronavirus, BBVA recommends not attending the Annual General Meeting in person whenever possible. The AGM is to be held on March 13th, 2020, at the Euskalduna Conference Center in Bilbao. Additionally, in order to allow shareholders to exercise the remote vote, BBVA has extended the deadline to do so until Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 08:00 pm.

BBVA’s 2020 Annual General Shareholders’ Meeting (AGM) is scheduled to be held next March 13, 2020, on first call, at the Euskalduna Conference Center in Bilbao. BBVA wishes and promotes the participation of its shareholders in such an important event for the company. For that reason, the bank has made available to its shareholders the appropriate channels to enable the exercise of their rights remotely, which are described in the Annual General Meeting section on the corporate website.

BBVA is operating as normal after activating additional measures on Tuesday following the recommendations made by the Ministry of Health and the Madrid and Basque regional governments, and after an employee at the bank’s Madrid headquarters tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). Following this positive case, the bank has closed the area where the employee worked, as well as some common spaces as a preventive measure. The rest of the bank’s facilities are operating as normal.

Unequivocally identifying people online and respecting their privacy remain major challenges for companies and a growing cause of concern for users. Covault is committed to a model whereby banks take on the role of the verifiers of users’ data, which is in keeping with the trend within the ecosystem.

Following a selection process that began last November and involved large international firms in advertising communication, BBVA has awarded tenders for media management and the digital ecosystem to WPP Group and Accenture Interactive, respectively.

In an interview published by the Spanish newspaper ABC, BBVA’s Group executive chairman took stock of recent years and anticipated the bank’s focus looking ahead with new strategic priorities. Carlos Torres Vila underscored that the bank has reached “the [capital] levels where we want to be.” Now that this has been accomplished, in the medium to long term “there is an opportunity to increase BBVA shareholder returns through dividends or share buybacks,” he said.

BBVA Global Wealth (GW), the BBVA Group private global banking unit has entered into an agreement with art advisory firm We Collect to expand its art advisory services to customers in Spain and Switzerland. One of BBVA GW’s goals is to promote non-financial art-related issues, incorporating new opportunities for customers throughout 2020.

In commemoration of International Women’s Day, BBVA’s Turkish franchise has launched a new initiative called ‘Women are the future.’ Garanti BBVA has reserved its digital channels, social networks and screens at branches for the winners of the contest, Turkey’s Women Entrepreneurs Competition.

As part of his tour across all regions and business areas, BBVA CEO Onur Genç met in Madrid with the team of the bank’s wholesale banking area, Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB). Genç had the opportunity to review the priorities of the business units and wholesale banking products that comprise this area of the bank.

Madrid-based Ciudad BBVA today hosted the official conference of the Spanish Federation of Rare Diseases (FEDER), which included the participation of Queen Letizia; BBVA Group executive chairman Carlos Torres Vila; the Health Minister Salvador Illa; and the President of the Congress of Deputies Meritxell Batet.

Pablo Inchausti works at BBVA Argentina and is a very special member of the ‘Ninja’ initiative. In 2019, he became the first person to earn a black belt as part of this program designed to promote and give visibility to BBVA’s technological talent. Now he’s willing to help more and more colleagues do the same.

BBVA’s ‘Ninja’ initiative is a pioneering program designed to allow any employee to acquire technological knowledge and skills thanks to the use of gamification techniques and training offered by the best tech companies and educational platforms in the market. Following its success in the units more linked to the Group’s technological transformation –where nearly 9,000 employees are currenlty enrolled–, it will expand to new areas of the bank in 2020.

BBVA’s Turkish unit broke new ground in the country, issuing Turkey’s first integrated annual report based on artificial intelligence. A leader in harnessing the power of technology in its products and services, the bank issued its 2019 Integrated Annual Report entitled ‘The Next Decade’.

The BBVA Foundation has honored Charles Bennett, Gilles Brassard, and Peter Shor with the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Sciences for their respective roles in the development of quantum computing and cryptography.

By Anita Dharapuram

On March 3, the winners of 2019 BBVA Momentum will arrive in Madrid, Spain to celebrate their entrepreneurial accomplishments and culminate this year’s program. A handful of the program’s winners hail from Turkey, Mexico, Colombia, and the United States – and one was recently recognized by Forbes magazine. 

The European Research Council has presented one of its most prestigious research grants to  Stephen Hansen, an Associate Professor of Economics and researcher at the Imperial College of London, and previously at the University of Oxford. With this grant, Hansen will start a research project on big data together with BBVA Research.

In just a few short days the closing event for BBVA Momentum 2019 will take place. International experts in social entrepreneurship will join the best of the best of this year’s pool of entrepreneurs at the celebration. The three most promising social ventures from this year’s Turkish Momentum program will travel to Madrid to present their business models.

Over 20 leading international and national experts and the most promising social entrepreneurs of BBVA Momentum 2019 edition will meet in Madrid for the global event bringing the edition to a close. Those attending this event will have a unique opportunity to expand their knowledge and professional network with the best ecosystem for social entrepreneurship.

Cisco Chairman and CEO Chuck Robbins visited BBVA headquarters on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of their strategic partnership.

BBVA is the first financial institution in Spain to distribute cards made of recycled plastic. This launch is part of the bank’s commitment to the fight against climate, and adopt initiatives that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. The new cards, which are currently in the early stages of production, will begin circulating in the month of May. They will initially be available for those holding BBVA accounts for young people (Cuenta Joven BBVA).

Garanti BBVA’s Cash Management service portfolio has been recognized by Global Finance magazine as the best in Turkey. The bank’s Cash Management model, personalized customer solutions, product diversity and market share as some of the key aspects cited by the publication in its assessment.

For more than 20 years, Garanti BBVA has been leading and actively contributing to the development of Internet and mobile banking in Turkey. Last year was full of advances, prompting research firm Forrester to name Garanti BBVA’s mobile application as the second best in the world, only after BBVA Spain’s application.

BBVA is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group operates in more than 30 countries and has a strong leadership position in the Spanish market, is the largest financial institution in Mexico, it has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States. It is also the leading shareholder in Turkey’s Garanti BBVA.

BBVA has mobilized €29,90 billion since it rolled out its Pledge 2025 initiative two years ago to contribute to the fight against climate change. It is almost one third of the €100 billion that the pledge envisages. The 2019 figure includes transactions in green financing (63 percent of the total); financial inclusion and entrepreneurship (13 percent); social infrastructures and agroindustry (9 percent) and other sustainable finance (15 percent).

BBVA’s Turkish franchise announced its decision to turn to renewables to power its corporate buildings, subsidiaries and branches.

The 2019 edition of BBVA Momentum in Mexico has accelerated the growth of 100 social enterprises. The three companies that stood out for their potential growth and innovation will go to Madrid on March 3rd to participate in the global event ending this 2019 edition.

Fintech startups are transforming the path to homeownership with new financing models. Different companies in BBVA’s ecosystem are revolutionizing traditional approaches to home buying, creating new options that are helping consumers become homeowners, more easily, quickly, and with a more personalized experience.

The electronic forensic investigation starts with the application of a series of keywords to people’s electronic devices that, according to the information available, are thought to have had information of interest about the facts, may have had or not participation in them (the so-called ‘custodians’). Devices may include both computers and other electronics used by the custodians as well as data available in servers, in both emails and other files.

Following the lifting of the secrecy order, BBVA wishes to reiterate the main messages regarding its actions in recent months.

The three 2019 BBVA Momentum winning social enterprises in the United States will attend the global event marking the close of this iteration of the program (to be held in Madrid on March 3rd) where they will share the full force of their business models. The three companies will participate in the premier social entrepreneurial event showcasing their initiatives, which seek to foster diversity, education, and access to healthcare in the communities they serve.

The Atlantic Council in Turkey and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently held the ‘Renewable Energy Outlook Conference: Financing, Investment, Regulation, and New Technologies in Turkey, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Western Balkans’.

In response to a statement released by three Spanish press associations, BBVA states that it deeply respects the work of the media and their important role in society, and therefore, it rejects any practice that infringes their fundamental rights, the freedom of information and the freedom of speech.

BBVA is now offering its shareholders the possibility of exercising their right to vote or the delegation of this right through three channels: the websites bbva.es and bbva.com, and the bank’s mobile banking app. These voting and delegation options are available from February 19th through March 12th. BBVA’s Annual General Meeting is planned for March 13th in Bilbao.

The BBVA and Anthemis Venture Creation Partnership is helping U.K. based financial health business Wollit get off the ground with an integrated investment programme.

The BBVA Foundation has awarded Isabelle Guyon, Bernhard Schölkopf and Vladimir Vapnik with the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Information and Communication Technologies category, for helping advance the field of artificial intelligence with their seminal contributions to machine learning. Their work has been applied to fields as diverse as medical diagnosis, computer vision, natural language processing and the monitoring of climate change.

BBVA officially presented the six strategic priorities that will allow the Group to accelerate and strengthen its transformation in the coming years. Group Executive Chairman Carlos Torres Vila and CEO Onur Genç announced the new priorities at a Live@BBVA event, broadcast via streaming for the bank’s 126,000 employees around the world.

BBVA Momentum ends its 2019 program with the celebration of a global event in Madrid. International players in the sector and the three most promising entrepreneurs from each participating country will attend the event. The event will close the most ambitious year for the program, which accelerated the growth of 169 social businesses from Colombia, the United States, Mexico, and Turkey.

For the tenth consecutive year, Garanti BBVA was presented the award for the Best Trade Finance Bank by Global Finance magazine. This award confirms yet again Garanti BBVA’s experience and leadership offering its clients unique solutions in the trade finance field.

BBVA’s Group Executive Chairman participated this Monday in the presentation of ‘Superpowers of Artificial Intelligence’, the latest book by Kai-Fu Lee, one of the world’s most authoritative voices in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Both were invited to feature as speakers in a discussion panel and share their insights into the technological revolution and how it is reshaping society. “Through data and artificial intelligence we can improve our customers’ financial health,” said Carlos Torres Vila.

Quantum computing has taken a short time to make a big leap: from R&D laboratories to corporate meeting rooms. BBVA began its quantum journey almost two years ago and now has a team specialized in quantum development, business units involved in the initiative, strategic alliances agreed, and various lines of research in place.

Over the past two years, market volatility has caused investors to think twice before investing in Turkish assets. In an interview for Bloomberg in Turkey, Emre Hatem, head of Corporate Loans and Project Finance Restructuring at Garanti BBVA, discusses the country’s economic outlook for 2020 following 2019’s slump in transactions.

BBVA increased its 2019 contribution to the communities it serves, allocating €113.8 million to social initiatives, thus benefiting 11.5 million people around the world, up 42 percent from the previous year. Of this investment, 85 percent is earmarked to the three areas defined as priorities in the Community Investment Plan: financial education; social entrepreneurship; and knowledge, education and culture.

MAPFRE has strengthened its life-savings insurance product portfolio with the launch of Unit Linked Valor Activo III. The product is linked to the performance of the Eurostoxx index and to a BBVA social bond. The bank will devote the proceeds to fund social projects. With this new operation, BBVA is supporting the Spanish insurance company’s efforts in broadening its sustainable commercial offering.

BBVA CEO Onur Genç recently visited the U.S. operations of BBVA in a homecoming of sorts. As the President and CEO of the global financial services company’s U.S. subsidiary in 2017 and 2018, Genç is highly familiar with the bank’s U.S. operations, and the team was glad to welcome him back for a series of meetings meant to encourage the market as they begin the execution phase of the bank’s new 5-year strategic plan.

Today BBVA launched an issuance of senior non-preferred debt in Switzerland. It is the first time the bank has issued debt in the alpine country. The deal closed at 160 million Swiss francs (around €150 million), well above the initial offer of CHF 150 million (around €140 million).

BBVA has named Mario Pardo Bayona the new CEO of BBVA in Colombia. He will replace Óscar Cabrera, who is leaving the Group to take on new personal and professional challenges, following a successful career in both Spain and Latin America.

In an interview published in the latest edition of Compromiso RSE, Antoni Ballabriga, Global Director of Responsible Business at BBVA and Co-Chair of the Global Steering Committee for the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), stressed that: “The financial sector’s sustainable partnership with the United Nations is more active than ever.” An initiative he feels promotes a financial industry that has a positive impact,  serving people and the planet. “It’s something that it hopes to achieve by inspiring, informing and enabling financial institutions to improve people’s quality of life without compromising that of future generations,” he explains.

BBVA is gearing up for the first anniversary of the global unification of its brand identity. The introduction in the bank’s different locations is progressing at a good pace, thanks to the coordinated work of local teams to change both physical and digital assets. In fact, some countries like Argentina and Uruguay have already completed the process. On a global scale, in less than a year, over 3,600 branches around the world have been changed, and 1,000 logos have been adapted on different channels.

BBVA today released its 2019 annual compensation report for its board members, the first that includes sustainability as a non-financial indicator in the variable compensation for the executive chairman. In 2020, the CEO will also have an indicator that will measure the bank’s strategic commitment to climate change and sustainable development. The 2019 compensation policy (applicable for 2019, 2020 and 2021) was already announced last year. It was approved with 94.8 percent of the votes at the Annual General Meeting in March last year.

BBVA’s Executive Board Member analyzed in Frankfurt the main challenges that Europe will face in the decade ahead and how they will affect banks. José Manuel González-Páramo noted that, on top of political and economic challenges, Europe will need to tackle “the double disruption that digital transformation and climate change will bring” and which will impact not only its economy, but also its financial institutions.

On September 25, 2015, global leaders adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to protect the planet, fight against, and attempt to eradicate poverty in order to build a more prosperous world for future generations. These goals were established as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

BBVA is to propose at the Annual General Meeting the appointments of Ana Revenga, Raúl Galamba and Carlos Salazar as new board members. With this announcement, BBVA fosters diversity of its highest decision-making governing body in several areas: female board members will now account for a third of the Board, meeting the goal set for 2020; and foreign board members will represent 40 percent. Areas of knowledge as relevant as sustainability will also be reinforced, especially from a social and aid development standpoint, as well as the global financial system and the Mexican financial sector, in particular. Following these changes, the Board will have two thirds of independent members.

Since they were first launched in January 2019, this new generation of cards has distributed millions of air miles, which translates into hundreds of thousands of plane tickets. Shop&Fly card holders can fly to any destination in the world with the airline they choose, paying the taxes with the card.

BBVA’s Center for Financial Education and Capability is celebrating its third anniversary on February 6th. Since it was first established, this platform, which seeks to promote financial education as a driver to improve people’s financial health, has benefited from the collaboration of 100 different organizations participating in its initiatives. The center also serves as a complete information repository on the subject, and has showcased nearly 250 reports and publications and 140 best practices around the world.

Capital Magazine ranked BBVA’s CEO at the top of its list of the 50 most influential Turkish executives working abroad. And Forbes Spain ranked Onur Genç the third best Spanish CEO of the decade for Spanish Ibex-listed companies.

The BBVA Foundation has recognized three marine biologists — Carlos Duarte, Terence Hughes, and Daniel Pauly — with the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the category of Ecology and Conservation Biology. Their research has expanded our knowledge about the Earth’s oceans and has contributed to the protection and conservation of marine biodiversity and ocean ecosystem services.

Carlos Torres Vila presented BBVA’s 2019 results today, “a year with record-high income” for the bank. BBVA’s Group executive chairman went over the bank’s biggest accomplishments since the presentation of the strategy in 2015 and also announced new strategic priorities. Of these, he emphasized two. On the one hand, “we want BBVA to be a trusted partner to improve our customers financial health”. And on the other, “we want to help them in the transition to a sustainable future.”

Mobile payments in Europe, QR codes in Latin America, and super apps in Asia: These are some of the trends that are getting the most traction across the globe in the digital payments arena. We review those initiatives that are making the biggest impact in each region.

Recurring revenues (net interest income and net fees and commissions) continue growing robustly, reaching a record high in 2019. According to BBVA Group executive chairman Carlos Torres Vila, the bank obtained outstanding results despite a macroeconomic environment that was more complex than expected. “Looking toward the future, at BBVA, our goal will be to dig deeper into our strategy, integrating the interests of customers, employees, shareholders and society as a whole, balancing economic, social and environmental perspectives in everything we do,” he indicated.

BBVA Group earned €4.83 billion excluding one-time items in 2019 (+2.7 percent from the previous year), the highest figure since 2009. The results were driven by an increase in recurring revenue and the containment in operating expenses. Including the impact of the goodwill adjustment at its U.S. franchise in 4Q19 and the capital gains from the sale of BBVA Chile in 2018, the net attributable profit declined 35 percent yoy, to €3.51 billion. The bank is to propose for the consideration of the competent governing bodies a gross cash dividend of €0.16 per share to be paid in April 2020, maintaining the same amount as the previous year.

Carlos Torres Vila, Group Executive Chairman:

Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş. today announced its fourth quarter earnings. In 2019, the bank’s net income was TL 6.241.390 billion, with total assets at TL 428.554.148 billion. The bank’s contribution to the economy through performing cash and non-cash loans reached TL 321.964.117 billion.

ROTE or “Return on Tangible Equity” is a ratio that helps measure a company’s profitability.

ROE stands for “Return on Equity” and is the most used measurement of a company’s profitability. It is calculated by dividing the company’s net income by shareholder equity (or the company’s assets minus its debt).

Recurring income (or core earnings) is the most closely linked to the traditional banking business: net interest income and commissions.

A company’s shareholders — ultimately the company’s owners — expect the company to create value that they can eventually recognize. Can the generation of shareholder value be measured? Which metric is a better indicator: book value or tangible book value?

The net interest income is the difference in euro between financial income and financial costs; that is, the difference between an asset’s profitability (the credit lines and loans that the institution has on its balance sheet, mainly) and the interest that the bank pays for the resources it needs to finance that asset (such as customer deposits and wholesale financing).

These are the expenses that an institution incurs in its business operations.

BBVA is celebrating the World Day for Reducing CO2 Emissions by reaffirming its environmental policy to develop a more sustainable economy. BBVA has committed to be neutral in terms of CO2 emissions in 2020. As of January 1st, it has assigned an internal price for its emissions, thus incorporating this factor into decision-making processes, as BBVA Group Executive Chairman Carlos Torres Vila recently announced. This measure is part of BBVA’s broader effort to align its activity with the Paris Agreement and cut its direct and indirect emissions. BBVA will light its Madrid headquarters building in blue in commemoration of this international day.

To calculate a bank’s relative productivity, the market uses what is called an efficiency ratio. This indicator calculates the income earned for the expenses required to achieve said income over a given period of time. An institution’s efficiency ratio, expressed as a percentage, is the result of the ratio between operating expenses and the gross margin. For example, if the efficiency ratio is 60% it means that to earn 100 euro, an institution needs to spend 60. Therefore, the lower the percentage, the more efficient the institution.

Holvi, the BBVA-owned digital banking specialist for self-employed business owners, has announced it is expanding into its third core market – the United Kingdom.

BBVA’s Turkish unit has approved financing worth TL400 million to support Enerjisa Enerji’s ongoing infrastructure and distribution network investments. Enerjisa is a major player in the country’s energy distribution market, with Sabanci Holding and E.ON as its main shareholders.

BBVA’s Group executive chairman participated in a debate organized by CNBC at Davos to discuss what financial institutions can do to mobilize resources for a more sustainable development. Carlos Torres Vila pointed to the bank’s commitment – not only to mobilize resources, but to accompany its clients in this change. “Advising our clients in their environmental transition is an integral part of BBVA’s strategy,” he said.

2019 has seen the first 5G networks rolled out and the first achievements in quantum computing, as well as the establishment of various financial initiatives using blockchain. These three technologies will mark a before and after in the banking sector in the years to come.

The BBVA Foundation presented Michael Hall and David Sabatini the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Biology and Biomedicine category for discovering the main regulator of growth in animal cells. This mechanism, a molecular pathway called mTOR, opens the door to new treatment options for cancer, diabetes and aging.

2020 will be another exemplary year for the environmental, social and governance (ESG) bond market, with issuances expected to reach record levels, and the potential for innovative new structures in this growing asset category, BBVA Global Markets Research analysts say.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and BBVA are joining forces to provide financing on favourable terms for Spanish SMEs. EU bank Vice-President Emma Navarro and BBVA CEO Onur Genç signed an agreement today in Madrid enabling the Spanish bank to provide EUR 600m to support the investments of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). With this agreement, BBVA will be able to offer them favourable financing in terms of both maturity and interest rates.

Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP),  the world’s main platform for environmental information, has included BBVA in its “category A-”, consisting of leading companies in the fight against climate change. The bank has improved its rating in the past three years and is now in the top category: Leadership (A).

The B20 – or “G20 for businesses” – is a forum of private international companies that provides recommendations to the G20 to address the most relevant challenges of the global economic and financial agenda. This year, Saudi Arabia will preside over the meeting. BBVA has played a very active role in the B20 since 2015, thanks to BBVA Executive Board Member José Manuel González-Páramo, who serves as Vice Chair of the Finance and Infrastructure Task Force.

The use of quantum algorithms in artificial intelligence techniques will boost machines’ learning abilities. This will lead to improvements in the development, among others, of predication systems, including those of the financial industry. However, we’ll have to wait to start these improvements being rolled out.

Following several quarters of slowing down, the Turkish economy is starting to stabilize, and forecasts suggest a V-shaped recovery for 2020. BBVA CEO went to Turkey this week to meet with the Garanti BBVA team. Onur Genç stressed that: “Turkey was the biggest positive surprise for the Group in 2019, and 2020 will be even better.”

A new toolkit designed to explain the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and to standardise its use has been launched by the World Economic Forum with help from BBVA.

BBVA is one of the top five European banks with the strongest commitment to sustainable finance, according to a report produced by World Resources Institute (WRI). The bank takes the top position in Europe and the third worldwide, when considered by asset size.

Garanti BBVA is the only private Turkish bank participating in Turkey’s blockchain network, the BiGA Digital Asset Transform Platform, developed by Istanbul Clearing, Settlement and Custody Bank (Takasbank). For the first time, Garanti BBVA carried out blockchain transfers in real time with other participating banks.

BBVA’s ecosystem of innovation and fintech talent was key to the success of Lucas. This startup, which facilitates access to the purchase of a home, was able to find its main partners, develop a platform and launch its product on the market thanks to its access to BBVA Open Space’s network of contacts and advice. Now the startup is preparing for its first round of seed funding.

The new year kicked-off with a deluge of corporate issuances. Last week Europe’s bond market had its biggest week ever, with sales of new bonds totaling over €90 billion. Financial institutions accounted for approximately half of the total (€43 billion). BBVA issued two bonds that were warmly welcomed by investors.

For the third year in a row, Garanti BBVA won the awards for the “Best Mobile App” in Turkey and the “Best Consumer Digital Bank” in Turkey at the 2019 World Finance Digital Banking Awards. This recognition demonstrates once again that Garanti BBVA is a leader in the banking sector, with innovative digital banking products and services.

BBVA has partnered with the authentication solutions company Nok Nok Labs — one of the driving forces behind the new FIDO (Fast Identity Online) standard aimed at strengthening the security of biometric systems on mobile devices. The agreement is part of BBVA’s strategy to improve the security and user experience of its mobile banking services through state-of-the-art biometric capabilities.

The new Fast Identity Online (FIDO) standard reinforces the security of online identity authentication systems on mobile devices and web applications. Its goal is to replace the exclusive use of passwords with more secure biometric authentication mechanisms that are protected by encryption systems.

Today, BBVA placed €1 billion of Tier 2 subordinated debt on the market. The debt, maturing on January 16, 2030 has an interest rate of mid-swap plus 127 basis points, 28 basis points below the initial interest rate (mid-swap plus 155 points) and a 1% coupon. Demand for the issuance reached €4.2 billion, exceeding the opening offer by four times.

The BBVA Foundation has honored “the fundamental contributions” of American researcher Kerry Emanuel to understanding the essential physics of hurricanes with the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change category. The twelfth edition of the awards has recognized the pioneer work of this professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), for being the first to link this phenomenon with the warming of sea surface waters driven by climate change.

Garanti BBVA Mobile took home the award for the Best Mobile Banking App at the seventh Boğaziçi IT Awards, organized by Boğaziçi University IT Club (Compec).

As part of Garanti BBVA’s goal to enhance customer experience on the go, the bank is now offering customer service on a corporate WhatsApp account. The new WhatsApp service allows customers to resolve their problems quickly and get detailed information on the bank’s products and services  – all on a channel they already use on a daily basis.

According to BBVA Research’s latest Country Risk Quarterly Report, financial tensions have eased across all regions, markets, and asset classes with the exception of Latin America. Emerging Asia is the only region where all variables for the macroeconomic vulnerability radar analysis stand below their corresponding risk thresholds. Between 2018 and 2019 there were no significant changes to the degree of macroeconomic vulnerability across all developed economies, whereas within emerging regions, changes were concentrated in Latin America.

BBVA kicked off 2020 with a €1.25 billion non-preferred 7-year bond issue, the year’s first by a Spanish bank. The bond received a warm welcome from investors and was two-times oversubscribed, with demand exceeding €2.6 billion and drawing a high-quality order book. All this enabled BBVA to price the bond at 70 basis points over mid swap, compared to the initial guidance of 90 basis points.

BBVA is a large company with lots of stories to tell – so many that four year ago, bbva.com was born. The platform serves to give life to the countless things that a group with a 160 year history and a presence in over 30 countries does.

Garanti BBVA customers carry out more than 88 percent of their non-cash transactions without ever setting foot in a branch — using either the mobile banking app, the website, or ATMs.

Under the scope of agreements Garanti BBVA has signed with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Development Bank of Austria (OeEB), and Green for Growth Fund (GGF), the bank will allocate $133 million to support energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, small and medium-size businesses, and women entrepreneurs across 22 Turkish provinces.

Garanti BBVA Securities assumed the sole financial advisory services role in the largest power plant sale in 2019 in Turkey. The recently announced deal consisted of the sale of Zorlu Rüzgar to renewable energy company, Akfen Yenilenebilir.

Garanti BBVA Executive Vice President Didem Dinçer Başer joined the Women in Technology (Wtech) Association at their inaugural event, ‘Human Diversity in Technology.’ The Wtech Association aims to increase the number of women in technology by helping them fulfill their potential and advocating for equal opportunities. Didem Dinçer Başer participated in a panel entitled ‘Future with Technology’ where she discussed the future of digital banking and ever-changing customer expectations.

Garanti BBVA has collaborated with the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD) by sponsoring the fifth ‘Understanding & Doing Business with China’ conference, recently held in Istanbul.

Garanti BBVA participated alongside other leading Turkish organizations in the recent Internal Communication Summit organized by HR Magazine. BBVA Garanti director of Talent & Culture Sibel Inal Kaya shared her expertise and insight into best practices, outlining the key elements for effective internal communication management.

Garanti BBVA and the Export-Import Bank of China have agreed to a $300 million, three-year loan to be used by Turkish companies to finance imports from China. A partner and trusted advisor to its clients engaging in international trade, BBVA’s Turkish unit forges international agreements in order to be able to offer customized financing solutions to this commercial segment. The agreement with China’s Exim Bank demonstrates the strength of Garanti BBVA’s long-lasting relationships with Chinese banks.

SALT is a unique, constantly growing cultural organization and plays an important role in raising awareness about Turkey’s cultural heritage and creating collective memory.

Over the past year, BBVA Open Innovation, the area of the bank that works to connect with the FinTech ecosystem, has generated 310 interactions between entrepreneurs and business areas. Thanks to these contact points, BBVA successfully carried out 16 pilot tests with startups in 2019 alone, one third of which are now in the marketing phase. In addition, a further 38 collaborative initiatives are in the process of being defined and implemented.

Doğan Holding’s subsidiary Suzuki Motor Vehicles Marketing Inc. became the first Turkish company to use Garanti BBVA’s Global Payments product featuring SWIFT FileAct.

BBVA’s Turkish unit builds on years of proven responsible banking and a commitment to the communities it serves by issuing a 5-year $50 million green bond.

Sustainability is a core part of BBVA’s strategy. This strategy encompasses the bank’s Pledge 2025, which is founded on three pillars: 1) to secure €100 billion for green financing, sustainable infrastructure projects, social entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion. In the 18 months prior to and through June 2019, the bank had already secured €22 billion, close to 20 percent of its goal; 2) to manage environmental and social risks in order to mitigate direct and indirect impacts. BBVA will place an internal price on its CO2 emissions, which will be factored into its decision-making processes. All this will contribute to the bank’s goal of being carbon neutral in 2020; and 3) to engage with all stakeholders in order to collectively advocate for sustainable development within the financial industry. In 2019, the bank spearheaded the initiative that resulted in the Principles for Responsible Banking, and it signed up to the banking sector’s Collective Commitment to Climate Action.

BBVA’s Turkish unit has been singled out as the country’s ‘Most Admired Bank’ by business journal Capital. The study is sponsored by T-Systems and conducted by ZENNA Research according to objective research principles.

This week, BBVA sold two of its largest portfolios of written-off loans. Following the sale of “Project Juno”, the bank signed the transfer of a portfolio comprised of loans to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with an approximate gross value of €2.1 billion.

According to current available data and profits forecasts, BBVA estimates a potential negative adjustment in the goodwill value at its U.S. business unit. This adjustment is mainly related to the evolution of U.S. interest rates and the economic slowdown in that country. The accounting adjustment has no impact on tangible net equity, capital, or liquidity of BBVA Group, nor on its ability to distribute dividends or the amount of the dividend payment, which will be proposed to the Board of Directors for its approval.

BBVA has appointed Peio Belausteguigoitia as head of BBVA Spain, replacing Cristina de Parias, who leaves her executive duties after a successful career of more than three decades both inside and outside BBVA. Cristina de Parias will remain involved with the Group as she will join the board of BBVA’s subsidiary in Mexico, once the necessary approvals have been obtained.

The 13th annual Turkish Women Entrepreneur Competition, organized by Garanti BBVA in collaboration with Ekonomist Magazine and the Women Entrepreneurs’ Association of Turkey (KAGIDER),  recognized the best and brightest women entrepreneurs in 2019.

Held in Madrid and with Chile presiding, COP25, has come to an end following nearly two weeks of intense debate, the presentation of reports on the threats of climate change and proposals to tackle the different challenges.

BBVA Momentum will hold its 2019 global closing event on March 3, 2020. This year, the BBVA program in support of social entrepreneurship has broken its own record by accelerating the growth of 169 companies from the United States, Turkey, Mexico, and Colombia.

BBVA has signed the sale of a written-off loan portfolio (mostly consumer loans) worth a gross total of €2.5 billion. The transaction is BBVA’s biggest ever of this kind to date.

Garanti BBVA continues to raise the bar by delivering state-of-the art functionality that helps big businesses and SMEs alike with their business needs.

The “BBVA Pensiones V” fund received the award for best equity pension fund in the annual event organized by the magazine, Investment & Pensions Europe (IPE). The same fund was a finalist in the ‘Emerging’ category, while the Enagás pension fund — also managed by BBVA Asset Management — was a finalist in the ‘Passive Management’ category.

The Extel Survey, recognized as the foremost independent evaluation of the European investment industry, revealed its 2019 results with Garanti BBVA named as Turkey’s ‘Best in Investor Relations.’

The BBVA’s Turkish unit has a long history with digital transformation and continues to break new ground. The evolving role of bank branches plays a big part in this transformation – a topic that was discussed in depth at the RBR Bank Transformation Conference in London.

Last week, BBVA officially opened its latest Open Space, in Bogotá. Located in the heart of the Colombian capital, it is the third such space opened by the bank. The site, which led a previous life as a BBVA Innovation Center, has been under construction for the past year in preparation for its relaunch as Open Space Bogotá. Jaime Espinosa, Director of BBVA Open Innovation in Colombia, explains why the bank decided to launch a new Open Space, and the impact he hopes it will have on the local fintech community.

The Garanti BBVA mobile application uses biometric authentication technology to provide customers a better user experience and increased security. The bank’s customers’ warm response — registering more than 800,000 activations using iris recognition per month— validates the bank’s investment in the technology.

For the tenth year in a row, AFP and BBVA teamed up for AFP Aware Community Service Day. Nearly 70 treasury and finance professionals arrived at AFP 2019 in December, to give back to the community of Boston.

The British magazine Private Banker International of Verdict publishing group named BBVA’s Swiss unit as the winner in the ‘Outstanding Customer Relationship Service and Engagement 2019’ category. The honor recognized BBVA’s international private banking model, its global investment offering, and the personalization of its services, all founded on a holistic approach to wealth management.

Climate change is “probably the greatest business disruption humankind has ever faced,” BBVA Group executive chairman Carlos Torres Vila said at the Madrid Climate Change Conference. That’s why “sustainability is a core part of our strategy. The future of finance lies in financing the future,” he stressed.

The Garanti BBVA BonusFlaş application, initially launched in 2015, provides a ‘one-stop-shop’ to help bank customers quickly, easily, and securely manage their credit cards.

BBVA’s legal representative Adolfo Fraguas today concluded the bank’s declaration before the Central Investigating Court number 6 of the Spanish National High Court. As he did in the previous declarations (November 20 and 28), Fraguas responded extensively to all questions posed, and once again pleaded that the bank bears no responsibility for the facts under investigation.

Investment in growth in the European Union is less now than it was before the last financial crisis, despite the many modern-day challenges: the digital revolution, climate change, an aging population, migration, to name a few. José Manuel González-Páramo discussed this issue at the Rome Investment Forum held in the Italian capital. The BBVA executive board member stressed that long term investment capacity in Europe should focus on two crucial challenges: adapting to a more sustainable growth model and investing in strategic digital capabilities.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Swiss private banking sector has turned out for Private Banking & Wealth Management: Switzerland 2019, the leading industry conference and award ceremony that will bring together more than 250 banking executives, technology vendors, and specialists in other financial services. BBVA is one of the sponsors of this year’s event.

“We are in a climate emergency. It is currently the most pressing challenge humanity must face, and we have to be fast in taking action,” declared BBVA CEO Onur Genç, who recognized the important role sustainable finance plays in achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. In a panel on the financial sector and sustainability at the Climate Change Conference in Madrid, BBVA’s CEO underscored the financial institution’s role in accompanying clients in this crucial environmental transition.

Garanti BBVA is partnering with BELBİM Elektronik Para ve Ödeme Hizmetleri A.Ş., to go the extra mile when it comes to innovation. Garanti BBVA’s  mobile app can now be used to refill Istanbul travel cards, allowing customers to move around the city without worrying about the balance on their card.

Year 2050: 300 (270–340) million people today live on land indicated as vulnerable to an annual flood event. According to a report by Nature Communications, at the current rate of global warming and Antarctic ice sheet instability, estimates of vulnerability to sea-level rise and coastal flooding triple for Asia, to a greater extent, but also European Mediterranean countries.

The race to make good on quantum computing is well underway. Millions of dollars have been allocated to developing machines that could cause current computers to become obsolete. But, what is the difference between quantum and classical computing? This is a puzzle that is beginning to be unraveled.

BBVA’s practices in support of human rights have been assessed and recognized as one of world’s best in ‘The BankTrack Human Rights Benchmark 2019’ a industry benchmark report published Banktrack. BBVA’s overall mark – 7.5 points, after improving 4 points with respect to the 2016 edition, the highest increase by any of the 50 banks analyzed – placed the bank fourth in list released by the NGO, behind ABN AMRO and Rabobank (Netherlands) and Australia’s ANZ.

Garanti BBVA shared its project financing expertise at the 8th annual PPP in Turkey Forum. The two-day conference, held in Ankara, addressed the complexities around public-private partnerships (PPP).

For years Garanti BBVA has spearheaded projects that give back to society. Now the bank is kicking-off a new initiative: helping its customers celebrate their birthdays by making a contribution to a local charity.

The global economy is in the mature phase of the cycle, with an outlook for growth below potential in most countries. However, the rise in stock exchanges in 2020 should be largely due to valuation and, to a lesser extent, profit. “For the first time in recent years we see more potential in the European stock exchanges than in the S&P 500,” said Joaquín García Huerga, head of Global Strategy at BBVA Asset Management, during the presentation of “Market Vision 2020.”

The rise in the global temperature has negative effects on the planet – effects that are difficult to revert in some cases. Increasing frequent heat waves, devasating fires – like the recent fires in California – and natural disasters like tropical cyclones, floods and droughts, have had an enormous impact on the environment and socioeconomic development.

BBVA’s Turkish unit earned top honors in the Enterprise Transformation and Security & Fraud categories at the Finance Technology Awards hosted by IDC Turkey as part of the IDC Finance Summit 2019.

Integral to its business-wide deployment of agile methodologies, BBVA has to ensure that it has the appropriate skills on hand in order to advance its key strategic projects. To this end, the staffing process- an essential aspect of the bank’s cultural and organizational transformation -orchestrates the assignment of skilled resources.

BBVA CEO Onur Genç stated that: “Today, more than ever, banks play an important role in addressing the sustainability challenge.” In his opinion, “Only banks can play a central role in  distributing the resources, which is a key part of the climate change challenge.” The executive made these remarks at the 15th IESE Banking Industry.

Garanti BBVA recently took part in Turkey’s 2019 Bonds, Loans & Sukuk Conference in Istanbul, where participants discussed the latest developments in bonds, syndicated loans and ‘sukuk’ markets. Sukuks are financial certificates, similar to bonds, that comply with Islamic law, or Sharia principles.

BBVA participated at a conference in Luxembourg organized by United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI). During the forum, which coincided with the start of the Climate Summit in Madrid, BBVA laid out its strategy to help its customers transition toward a low-carbon economy and integrate climate risks into their decision-making.

Economists’ warnings about global warming are nothing new; their voices join those of scientists, ecologists, and international organizations. There are many Nobel Prize winners among those raising the alarm.

BBVA’s Executive Board Member, José Manuel González-Páramo, discussed the current status and outlook for the global economy at the 24th S’Agaró Economic Symposium. His main message was that: “The deceleration of the global economy seems to be stabilizing”, with growth close to its potential. He therefore ruled out the “risk of recession”, which “is not the base scenario in the short-term.”

The Spanish capital gears up to host this year’s UN Climate Summit. Now in its 25th iteration, the annual conference will aim to approve programs to fight climate change and raise public awareness about the urgency of the challenge.

Climate summits date back to the 1990s, when concern over greenhouse gases led to a commitment to address the problem. We review key moments from these events.

To celebrate International Information Security Day, which will take place on November 30th, BBVA is dedicating the week to raising awareness of the risks in the digital world. In this interview, Ana Gómez Blanco, Head of Culture in Cybersecurity at BBVA, explains how initiatives like this are a fundamental component of corporate security and the key to helping employees and their families make their habits “cybersafe”.

BBVA hosted a meeting of the Excellence Club at the bank’s headquarters in Madrid. Over 60 corporate clients attended the event to discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by the transformation of working methods in organizations.

BBVA will actively participate in the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP 25), which will be held in Madrid, starting on Monday, December 2. Some of the confirmed events include a round table discussion where BBVA Group executive chairman Carlos Torres Vila – together with representatives from other banks – will discuss new climate leadership. In addition, there will be a sustainable meal, sponsored by BBVA and prepared by the Roca brothers for heads of state and government officials.

The new global partnership will enable BBVA to optimize data storage and processing capabilities that drive its commitment towards innovation in financial services.

BBVA hosted the fourth edition of Women in Cybersecurity Spain (WiCS). WiCS is an initiative dedicated to promoting the role of women in cybersecurity – a field where they represent just 24 percent of the global workforce, according to International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ICS). Four women who are senior managers at BBVA participated in the event, which also served to discuss diversity in general.

Oscar Vélez de Mendizábal (Victoria, 1972), is the head of BBVA Spain’s business transformation factory. He’s previously held different positions in the business, institution and corporate areas of the Southern Territorial Division.

The European Commission defines microenterprise as a business that employs fewer than ten people and whose annual turnover does not exceed €2 million. BBVA Momentum, the BBVA program that supports social entrepreneurship, works with companies such as these, which are distinguished by an enthusiasm to grow in order to increase their positive impact.

The bank was recognized for its success in eCommerce by the ECHO Awards, which are jointly organized by the leading local research consulting firm, Akademetre, and specialist trade journal, Marketing Türkiey

In an opinion piece published by the Spanish daily newspaper ‘ABC,’ BBVA CEO Onur Genç asserts that Spanish banks are recognized international leaders in the sector, not only because of their financial solidity and global reach, but also because they have spearheaded the transformation of the industry.

BBVA’s Turkish unit successfully refinanced a syndicated loan on Friday, with demand exceeding the initial transaction amount.  The new facility is comprised of $229.5 million and €518.8 million with a 367-day maturity.

Automatic learning is a prerequisite for intelligent systems. It enables data-driven predictions and creates new business opportunities. Banking in general, and BBVA in particular, is already taking advantage of this technology in order to improve products and services for its customers.

“Impact investing has made traction and is now fundamental to addressing the significant objectives related to sustainability. At a time like now, when all of us are experiencing the impact of the climate emergency, this type of asset is all the more relevant. It is undeniable: sustainability requires impact investing.” Lidia del Pozo, BBVA’s Director of Community Investment Programs, said these words at the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA)’s 15th annual conference in The Hague.

Industry and institutions consider the Internet of things an opportunity for the present and the future that will digitize many operations and bring tremendous benefits. But it also has the ability to help combat climate change and protect the environment. This is how the Internet of Things could impact the sustainability of the planet in different areas, such as water use and energy efficiency.

BBVA today testified before the Central Investigating Court number 6 of the Spanish National High Court. The declaration, that will continue at a later date, is yet another example of BBVA’s commitment to full cooperation with the judicial authorities, to whom it has provided documents since the onset of the case, proactively sharing the information obtained from the forensic investigation, carried out by Garrigues, Uría Menéndez y PwC.

Global Finance magazine has recognized BBVA as the Best Foreign Exchange (FX) Provider in Latin America for the third year in a row. The 2019 World’s Best Foreign Exchange Providers awards were presented on November 19 in London. The publication also presented BBVA awards for the best FX services in its franchises in Peru, Argentina and Spain.

What were the hottest digital transformation trends in banking in 2019? Which ones should we keep an eye on in 2020? The banking sector’s interest in the latest developments in cyber security, computing or gamification grows day by day. For disciplines such as ‘pentesting’, quantum computing or development with the Unity engine, the future looks bright.

Bank of Spain today notified BBVA about the new MREL requirement that the bank will need to comply with starting January 1, 2021. According to BBVA estimates, the current structure of own funds and eligible liabilities in its balance sheet is in line with this MREL requirement, as well as the new subordination requirement.

BBVA’s Turkish unit has once again secured its position on both the BIST Sustainability Index and the BIST Corporate Governance Index, which are managed by Borsa Istanbul, Turkey’s stock market.

How does the BBVA Group select its strategic projects? The key lies in the Single Development Agenda, one of the fundamental pieces of BBVA’s agile transformation. The goal is to make the most of existing capacities in the organization and ensure that strategy and execution are correctly aligned.

As part of BBVA’s commitment to improving its products and value proposition for customers, the bank continues reinforcing its love story with fintech startups. With its Open Marketplace platform, the group has challenged the startups to solve four technological challenges its business units have identified in process automation, energy efficiency, international transactions and corporate financing.

Garanti BBVA organized a foreign trade seminar in Istanbul as part of its commitment to making a difference for its clients. At the event, the bank shared its experiences in foreign trade financing, and provided customers updated information about foreign trade regulations, payment methods and the latest developments in the field.

BBVA’s cultural transformation should lie squarely in the promotion of a more diverse, more flexible, more equitable structure that supports a balance between personal and professional life. These are some of the thoughts bank employees were able to share with members of the executive management team, including CEO Onur Genç.

‘Work better. Enjoy Life.’ This is the slogan BBVA used to present employees in Spain the new measures for productivity and work-life balance with which the bank aims to foster change in the way work is done. The initiatives are set to promote a more flexible and balanced work environment, that guarantee equal opportunities and the professional development of all employees based on goals and not presenteeism.

World Usability Day is celebrated on the second Thursday of November. The goal of the day is to emphasize the importance of designing products that are simple to use and make life easier for everyone. BBVA Momentum, BBVA’s program to support social entrepreneurship, promotes companies that espouse inclusive design, ensuring no one is left out.

These days the term sustainability seems to cover everything, and financial institutions are adapting to this new way of understanding the economy. In a gradual but unstoppable fashion, companies are incorporating sustainability criteria in their management. As a result, private and institutional investors are starting to call for global sustainable investment indexes that are rational, solid and reliable to allow them to monitor the evolving profitability of their sustainable investments.

High level government representatives from the energy, industry, and finance fields participated alongside business leaders at the Eighth Turkish Wind Energy Congress (TWEC 2019). Experts at the event agreed, “We have created a success story in energy, with wind energy leading the sector.” The event was held in Ankara and organized by theTurkish Wind Energy Association (TWEA).

Stores, restaurants and hotel chains in Spain are offering tourists from other countries the possibility of paying with their smartphones. Payments with QR codes allow companies to streamline the process and boost sales. Platforms like WeChat Pay and Alipay are central to the shopping experience of tourists from China, one of the most profitable for the country.

Google claims that its quantum computer has been able to perform a calculation in a matter of seconds, a task that would take a traditional computer thousands of years. Even though quantum processors currently only handle simple problems, they are expected to have a significant impact on the future of the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and banking industries.

Machines’ current ability to learn is present in many aspects of everyday life. Machine learning is behind the recommendations for movies we receive on digital platforms, virtual assistants’ ability to recognize speech, or self-driving cars’ ability to see the road. But its origin as a branch of artificial intelligence dates began several decades ago. Why is this technology so important now, and what makes it so revolutionary?

BBVA has returned today to the markets with an issuance of 1,000 million euros of senior debt with maturity in November 2026. Demand has exceeded 2.4 times the initial offer, which has allowed reducing the initial price indication by around 20 basis points, to mid swap plus 52 points. The coupon was 0.375%, a historical minimum reference for a seven-year preferred debt issue. No issue premium has been paid, which demonstrates the quality of the price reached.

Garanti BBVA Mortgage unit has joined the Energy Efficient Mortgages Initiative (EEMI) Pilot Scheme which is supported by the European Union’s Energy Efficient Mortgages Action Plan (EeMap) Initiative, thus becoming the first EEM member from Turkey. As such, Garanti BBVA Mortgage joins 48 other lending institutions who have committed to testing the final energy efficient mortgages framework by implementing it into their existing product lines and processes.

30 students from across Spain participated in an educational program at BBVA in collaboration with the Princess of Girona Foundation. The sessions took place in Madrid – at BBVA’s Open Space and at the bank’s corporate headquarters, BBVA City. The students, between the ages of 21 and 30, were selected for their hard work and exemplary nature, and many of them are the first in their familiar to go to college. Bank experts in different professional skills were in charge of teaching the training sessions.

The President of the BBVA Foundation, Carlos Torres Vila, presented the Spanish Computer Science Society (SCIE) – BBVA Foundation Research Awards in recognition of creativity, originality and excellence in cutting-edge research in the computer science field.

Aspiring chefs from all around the world are encouraged to apply and compete for a chance to work at three of the best restaurants in the world with the launch of the 50 Best BBVA Scholarship 2020, organised by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants with the support of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA). Entries are now open for the initiative, which is in its third year.

The image of the traditional billionaire, surrounded by luxury and oblivious to what is happening on the planet, is beginning to be a thing of the past. Some of the largest global fortunes have discovered impact investing and social entrepreneurship and are using these opportunities to take action and leave a positive mark on the world.

Urgency and opportunity are the two defining traits of the current situation that financial institutions are facing in this climate emergency scenario. For Antoni Ballabriga, Global Head of Responsible Business at BBVA, there are “two axes that define this age of responsibility.” At BBVA, “we are lending at interest rates that reward companies that meet measurable sustainable goals.” In his opinion, the financial sector “is taking ownership of its share of responsibility in this transition, although we still have a long way to go.”

BBVA has been named sustainable finance bank of the year by international magazine LatinFinance. The publication recognized the bank’s performance in the region, notably the experience, creativity, and drive demonstrated by its teams as they promote sustainable finance.

The bank’s chief executive officer, Onur Genç, wants Spain’s contribution to BBVA Group profit to continue to grow. “Our ambition for Spain is to have continued growth,” he stated in the 2019 Q3 results press conference.

BBVA’s 3Q19 earnings reveal how core revenues of the banking business –net interest income and net fees and commissions– keep growing steadily. BBVA CEO Onur Genç noted the impact that digital transformation is having on the business. “We’re leveraging digital transformation in everything we do to create a competitive advantage,” he pointed out.

BBVA earned €1.23 billion in the third quarter, +6.1 percent yoy, excluding capital gains from the sale of BBVA Chile and this franchise’s earnings in 2018. The net attributable profit for the first nine months of 2019 reached €3.67 billion, +1.2 percent yoy (+0.5 percent in constant euros), on a comparable basis. The result was driven mainly by growth in recurring revenues and containment in operating expenses.

BBVA’s Group executive chairman participated in the Money 20/20 conference on financial technologies in Las Vegas, Nevada (U.S.), one of the most  important global events that brings together leading actors from the fintech and financial services industries. There he reiterated the need for “global, cross sector regulation” that fosters data exchange among different companies. “Customers must be the real winners,” insisted Torres Vila, stressing the idea that the free flow of data would facilitate the development of new services that will benefit citizens, society and the planet.

Startups face the growing challenge of building successful business models quickly, while protecting customer data from the threats in the digital world. Here are some recommendations that were offered during the last Open Summit to help entrepreneurs defend themselves against cyberattacks.

Onur Genç, BBVA CEO:

Garanti BBVA today announced its third quarter earnings. The bank’s net income for the first nine months of the year was TL 4.998.460 bilion(approximately €786 million), with total assets at TL 411.161.696 billion (around €64.67 billion).

Financial institutions are preparing to present Q3 2019 earnings. This week, it will be the turn of most Spanish banks, among them BBVA.

Investor appetite for sustainable products has been growing exponentially in recent years.  BBVA’s Global Head of Responsible Business, Antoni Ballabriga, revealed that “This year $350 million in sustainable bonds and corporate loans will be issued around the world, 30 percent more than last year, according to data from the Institute of International Finance (IIF).” During the ‘Sustainable finance in the face of environmental challenges’ forum, organized by Spain’s National Association of Economists (Consejo General de Economistas), Ballabriga stressed that “there is still a lot to be done” and “one of the current challenges is to incorporate this trend into the SME and consumer markets.”

Noam Chomsky received the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Humanities and Social Sciences in a ceremony at his home in Tucson, Arizona. BBVA Foundation President Carlos Torres Vila made the special trip to present him the award, as the U.S. linguist was unable to attend the award ceremony in Bilbao last June. “This is a recognition to your unparalleled contributions to the understanding of human language, which have had a tremendous influence in so many fields,” said Torres Vila.

Representatives of three leading organizations – Google, Telefónica and BBVA – spoke during the Open Summit event about the different applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the business world and how to extract tangible value from data for people and for society as a whole, at a scale and in a structured way.

Garanti BBVA won three bronze awards at the 2019 Smarties Turkey, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) program recognizing innovation, creativity and achievement in the mobile marketing world.

The exhibition ‘Sound Art?’, sponsored exclusively by the BBVA Foundation, addresses the issue of sound in art and raises the possibility of this aesthetic category. The art show explores the presence of sound elements in 20th Century visual arts. Curated by the expert Arnau Horta, the exhibit is open to visitors at the Joan Miró Foundation in Barcelona from October 26, 2019  through February 23, 2020.

“According to United Nations estimates, meeting the Sustainable Development Goals will require mobilizing $5 to 7 billion per year. This explains the enormous scale of the changes that we need to address,” explained BBVA Global Head of Responsible Business Antoni Ballabriga, during speaking at the Open Summit event in Madrid. Ballabriga underlined the key role that financial institutions are called to play in a context “where sustainability is the biggest business opportunity for banks in the next 10 years”.

“The future of banking lies in financing the future.” With this phrase Carlos Torres Vila summed up his breakfast presentation, part of the “Finance and its challenges” series organized by the Deusto Business School in Madrid. According to BBVA’s executive chairman, social and environmental sustainability and the battle over customer data are the principle medium and long-term challenges facing the financial sector. “These challenges bring opportunities. Technology promises a bright future, and we have to seize the opportunities that come with it,” he maintained.

BBVA CEO Onur Genç cited the bank’s collaboration with startups as a contributing factor to the bank’s hitting its growth and efficiency targets. He made his comments at Open Summit, where he presented the grand prize for this year’s international Open Talent competition to the winning startup, Cobee. The BBVA CEO also referred to the Group’s challenges, saying, “Our goal is to monetize the technological advances we’ve made from our investment in digital transformation.”

Today BBVA celebrates its fourth annual Open Summit, the event dedicated to innovation and, as explained by BBVA’s Global Head of Client Solutions David Puente, “demonstrates our commitment to the fintech ecosystem.” Sustainability will be a featured topic throughout the day, and the Open Talent final winner will be announced.

BBVA’s Turkish bank recently participated in the Mobile Market Association’s Impact Istanbul event. Executive Vice President Didem Dinçer Başer represented the bank at the conference, where she discussed the transformational role of mobile technology and mobile marketing in the finance sector.

A poll by the international coworking and entrepreneurship network Impact Hub, which was conducted among the 16,500 professionals who work in its spaces, revealed what social entrepreneurs value the most when it comes to working with a community and how it helps them to promote their businesses.

This week, Carlos Torres Vila attended the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Institute of International Finance (IIF) in Washington. BBVA’s Group executive chairman participated in a panel discussion on banking in the digital age, where he stated that: “Technology is a very powerful lever for financial inclusion. It allows us to reach people we never could before.”

More than 650,000 companies can now register to become BBVA Spain customers, using a completely online process that takes less than ten minutes. The bank, an innovator in online enrollment for private customers, has become the first bank in Spain to create an online registration process that lets businesses instantly open and manage a business account.

Between January 2016 and December 2018, BBVA Group reduced its energy consumption by 7 percent per employee. This savings reaffirms the bank’s commitment to sustainability. By December 2018, the Group had hit its targets of having 35 percent of the energy it consumes coming from renewable sources and reducing its CO2 output by 27 percent compared to 2016. October 21 marks World Energy Savings Day and intends to raise awareness about energy efficiency and the need for responsible and sustainable guidelines governing the consumption of the planet’s resources.

Garanti BBVA recently launched an electronic platform known as Elektronik Teminat Mektubu Platformu, or ETMP, to provide customers letters of guarantee electronically. Provided by Kredi Kayıt Bürosu (KKB), Garanti BBVA customers who are KKB Findeks members get free access to the platform.

BBVA has been a pioneer in its commitment to talented young designers with the launch of its training and recruitment program. One of the architects of the program, Elena Herbosa, the Head of Talent Acquisition for Design at BBVA, explains the bank’s experience building one of the industry’s top design teams and how she sees the future of the profession in the banking sector.

Social entrepreneurship competitions are platforms that can give a leg up to entrepreneurs with a business idea and the hunger to grow. Of the competitions taking place in the upcoming months, there are some that are internationally renowned, standing out thanks to the prestige they have accrued over the years.

Garanti BBVA joined 129 other banks from around the world in signing the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Principles for Responsible Banking at the UN General Assembly in New York. The participating banks represent over $47 trillion in total assets. By signing these principles, Garanti BBVA and five other Turkish banks – ING, the Investment and Development Bank, Şekerbank, TSKB and Yapı Kredi – formalized their commitment to leading the way for sustainability in the country.

PSD2 is a European regulation for electronic payment services. It seeks to make payments more secure in Europe, boost innovation and help banking services adapt to new technologies. PSD2 is evidence of the increasing importance Application Program Interfaces (APIs) are acquiring in different financial sectors.

When Simple appointed David Hijirida as CEO in November 2018, the Amazon alum was excited to get back to his banking roots, the industry where he’d first cut his teeth.

BBVA’s regional advisory board members gathered for their seventh annual meeting in the auditorium of BBVA’s headquarters in Madrid. Antonio Garmendi, Chairman of the Confederation of Employers and Industries in Spain (CEOE), and Carlos Salazar, Chairman of Mexico’s Business Coordinating Council (CEE) were invited to attend as guests. This year’s meeting included participation from advisory board members from across Spain and a delegation of advisory board members from BBVA Mexico. Carlos Torres Vila, BBVA’s Executive Chairman, inaugurated the session, which also included presentations from BBVA CEO Onur Genç and Cristina de Parias, Head of BBVA Spain.

BBVA completed its agenda of activities to commemorate “Financial Education Week”, held from October 7 to 11, taking part in the event `Financial Health in Spain : How to Improve It’, organized by Nantik Lum Foundation and JP Morgan. Speaking at the event, Lidia del Pozo, Director of Community Investment Programs BBVA, explained how BBVA’s strategy has evolved in the field of financial education, noting its profound relationship with financial health and emphasizing “the more than 13 million people have received financial education through BBVA since 2008.” and that “today, BBVA develops these programs across all population segments, primarily through digital channels.”

The company, which develops solutions that allow users to manage their data directly with advertisers and brands, has closed the first round of funding led by the bank, with participation from La Sexta Opción.

Once again, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ criteria reaffirms a previous decision by the BBVA Foundation. Banerjee and Duflo, founders of MIT’s Poverty Action Laboratory, were honored in the first edition of BBVA Foundation’s Frontiers of Knowledge awards in 2008. Considering that ten Frontiers of Knowledge awardees have been subsequently recognized by the Swedish Academy, it could be argued that, to a certain extent, BBVA Foundation’s awards are becoming a prelude to the Nobel awards.

BBVA CEO Onur Genç said on Monday that the bank is focused on organic growth, efficiency and transactionality, all leveraged by digitization. “We are focused on these three levers to ensure we provide the best value,” he said at the 10th Expansión-KPMG Financial Meeting in Madrid. He also recalled that “we have been pioneering the digital transformation.”

The roll-out of networks with speeds far superior to 4G will improve customer experience and allow for real time information processing, making communications more secure.

Banks and investors as starting to awaken to the benefits that can derive from the use of blockchain technologies in bond issues, including green bonds. BBVA and Spanish insurance company Mapfre partnered early this year to arrange the issue of a pioneering blockchain sustainable bond. The technology allows to cut costs, increase efficiency and ensure full transparency.

Garanti BBVA keeps its finger on the pulse of new technology, sponsoring the Second National Blockchain Workshop, organized by TÜBİTAK Bilgem, Turkey’s Informatics and Information Security Research Center.

They attend school, help their families, work, take care of their elders… Girls are an active part of society, but most are discriminated against due to their gender, and this inequality puts them at a disadvantage. October 11 has been marked as the International Day of the Girl to remind us all that, to build a better future, it is essential to support the development of girls and young women across the globe.

Bdeo, the winning startup for the fintech vertical at the South Summit competition, is proof positive that big companies and startups can successfully work together. Its remote claim verification solution is being used by BBVA Mexico’s insurance business, proving that efforts to find new value in the entrepreneurial ecosystem can translate into legitimate innovation for big businesses.

Energy savings at BBVA’s headquarters is 5,766,731 kWh a year, equivalent to the consumption of 1,900 households. This equals 12 to 15 percent less than when the complex was inaugurated in 2015 and a 1,430-metric ton per year reduction of CO2 emissions. The building’s sustainable design and equipment are not solely responsible for this success: tools powered by artificial intelligence have also been used to optimize the bank’s energy use.

Climate change, the biodiversity crisis and inequality pose “the greatest sustainability challenges in the coming years,” according to BBVA Group executive chairman Carlos Torres Vila. “Addressing the most important challenges humanity has ever faced is in our hands, and the future will depend on what we do now. For banks, the future of banking lies in financing the future.” Given all of these challenges “companies cannot simply stand by,” he emphasized at an event held by the SERES Foundation in Madrid on Tuesday.

According to a KPMG report, payments will retain its position as the most significant area for fintech investment in the coming years. Regtech, cybersecurity, wealthtech and proptech are other sectors on the rise. These are areas of innovation and development that the BBVA Open Talent team is also seeing, as part of the around 800 entries to this year’s BBVA Open Talent Competition, the world’s biggest fintech competition.

BBVA Chairman Carlos Torres Vila has told the biggest start-up conference in Spain that authorities around the world need to take action to unlock the true potential of data.

BBVA, in partnership with South Summit, has launched a request for proposals to solve two major challenges of the financial sector: improving digital onboarding processes and digital banking services for SMEs.

The reform of the reference rates in the euro area to adapt to new regulations, promoted by the European Central Bank (ECB) along with other authorities, is taking shape. On October 2, the ECB began publishing a new overnight rate: the €STR.

Social entrepreneurship is known for addressing society’s most pressing problems. The migratory crisis is one of them, forcing millions of people to go to countries where they face an uncertain future. Social enterprises are working hard to support them, offer them the opportunities they need and portray a different – unprejudiced – image of refugees.

A festive day to reflect on and assimilate BBVA’s values. Values Day, now in its second year, was celebrated by the entire BBVA Group. Employees from across the bank’s operating footprint connected with each other over shared values in various workshops, presentations, and group activities.

Garanti BBVA is the industry leader in Turkey with its innovative retail banking products and services. As such, it was recognized as the Best Retail Bank in Turkey for the fifth year in a row by ‘World Finance,’ the internationally respected publication covering the global economy.

BBVA’s Board of Directors resolved today to approve the payment of an interim dividend for 2019, for a gross amount of €0.10 per share, to be paid on October 15.

“You cannot walk the path of innovation alone,” said David Puente, Global Head of Client Solutions at BBVA, during the opening speech of South Summit event in Madrid. Puente also emphasized that BBVA’s commitment to entrepreneurs is one of the key elements of the bank’s strategy to advance its digital transformation.

More than 126,000 BBVA employees spent the day re-familiarizing themselves with, assimilating, and living the corporate values, which represent a fulcrum to the bank’s cultural transformation. Over the course of the day, bank employees participated in workshops and activities that reinforced the central pillars underpinning the bank’s mission, “to bring the age of opportunity to everyone.” This year’s event also included participation from the network of sales teams, who developed special activities to enhance an understanding of how they can help customers on a day-to-day basis.

Since SWIFT gpi was launched in 2017, BBVA has managed three million transactions – equivalent to €2 trillion – using this international payment standard. BBVA staunchly supports this global payment mechanism, which delivers speed and transparency to cross-border payments. Now SWIFT gpi aims to offer instant payments.

As sustainable fashion moves closer to the mainstream, it is starting to be recognized as an efficient way of curbing the impact of one of the planet’s most polluting industries. The industry’s social enterprises cool eco-friendly designs are winning the hearts and pockets of consumers.

After last week’s climate summit in New York, there is still a lot of uncertainty around the feasibility of fulfilling either the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda goals or hitting the 2050 carbon neutrality target. In an article written by BBVA Research’s Arturo Fraile, the economist warns that “time is running out, and progress must be made” because positive results are still on the distant horizon. In his opinion, financial regulation and supervision will be key to this unavoidable transition.

by Anita Dharapuram

BBVA USA Tucson and Southern Arizona CEO Mark Mistler, alongside six of his local team members, have been working together in banking for more than 25 years. In today’s reality, few people stay at the same job for more than four years, but Mistler and his team have figured out the secret to success and are a refreshing enigma in the modern-day workplace. In Mistler’s case, a unique journey from the gridiron to his current state helped maintain this longevity.