With 40% of its population under 25 and a 95% cell phone penetration rate at the end of 2014, Turkey has positioned itself as a highly attractive market for mobile banking.

A  few months ago, I left Simple, the company I co-founded in 2009, took some time out  - including a visit to India with my daughter Asha- and then joined BBVA in a newly created-role as Head of Open APIs. At parties, when talking about the move, I often get quizzical looks asking “Why?” Why would I leave a young, fast-growing financial business that I founded, and go and work for a bank?

The Mexican company Sisoft is a startup that focuses on technological innovation and developing custom software. It develops technology and patents based on different electronic and physical theories. This is done through a group of teams that develops solutions like Li-Fi, vision systems for people who cannot see and robotic hands.

It isn’t common to come across a 500 euro bill, but now it’s possible that they may disappear completely. In their last meeting, European Union economics and finance ministers (Ecofin) considered removing 500 euro bills from circulation. It is also being explored by the ECB. Why? To help reduce possible financing sources for illegal activities.

BBVA invests in the best  digital financial services startups. The bank has announced that it is expanding its Fintech  fund up to 250 million dollars and the agreement with Propel Venture Partners (Propel).

The rise in civilian drones may be an opportunity to evade security protocols that were not designed to detect them.

Propel Venture Partners (Propel)  is a new independent venture capital (VC) firm investing BBVA’s money in the startup companies that are using technology to change financial services for the benefit of the customer. Propel intends to be the go-to VC firm for entrepreneurs looking for a long-term, supportive partners as well as capital. Here are seven things you need to know about Propel:

The measurement of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives and programs is acquiring an increasing relevance in companies. For the last four years, BBVA has been using the rsc2 methodology, proposed by McKinsey and developed in Spain with the Seres Foundation, to measure the social and financial impact of its actions in this field. The results of applying this methodology is revealing very valuable information to better manage these actions and contribute to them really being sustainable.

US technology giants are coming together to look into the ethics of the progress in AI.

Mexico remains the most attractive market for Spanish companies, according to the "Multilatina puntocom” report from IE Business School, stating that 89% of all companies polled hoped to establish a foothold in Mexico over the next 24 months, or are already operating in the country.