BBVA surpasses one million customers in Italy on its fifth anniversary
BBVA has surpassed one million customers in Italy as it marks five years since entering the country's retail banking market. This milestone confirms the strong reception of its 100% digital banking model, where the key goal is to become the primary bank for Italian customers, as BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila highlighted during his visit to celebrate the anniversary. BBVA is reaffirming its long-term commitment to the Italian market, where it also has a significant Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) business, supporting Italian companies in their growth and international expansion plans.
In the photo: Walter Rizzi, Head of Digital Banking at BBVA Italy; Carlos Torres, Chair of BBVA; Alberto Maroni, Head of BBVA CIB Italy; and Murat Kalkan, Global Head of Digital Banks at BBVA, yesterday during the BBVA Chair’s visit to Italy.
"We have reached one million customers in Italy, reflecting the success of our 100% digital banking model. We are now entering a new phase in Italy, focused on becoming our customers' primary bank and deepening our relationships with them. Our commitment to Italy is long-term, and we want to continue growing in the country," said Carlos Torres Vila, Chair of BBVA.
Since its launch in October 2021, BBVA has established a banking proposition in Italy that combines the simplicity and agility of a fully digital experience with the strength and broad range of financial products and services offered by an international banking group.
BBVA Italy's value proposition combines attractive deposit remuneration and cashback promotions on card purchases with a comprehensive range of financing products, credit cards, including personal loans and mortgages, as well as savings and investment solutions, such as mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This comprehensive offering is driving greater customer engagement with BBVA, with an increasing number of customers choosing the bank as their primary financial institution to manage their day-to-day finances.
"Our real success lies in the quality of the relationships we are building with our customers in Italy. Customers who join BBVA stay with us and increasingly trust us to manage their everyday finances, their savings and their major life projects through mortgages and loans," said Walter Rizzi, Head of Digital Banking at BBVA Italy.
Beyond digital banking, BBVA has been present in Italy for more than four decades through its Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) business, which it aims to continue strengthening in the coming years. Through financing solutions, capital markets services and advisory expertise, BBVA supports Italian companies in their growth and international expansion plans, helping them connect with strategic markets such as the United States and Latin America.
This activity is underpinned by a specialized business model that combines deep knowledge of the local market with the Group's global presence. BBVA's priorities also include supporting Italian companies in their energy transition projects and the development of sustainable infrastructure, as well as their investments in artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
Digital Banks
The success of BBVA's retail banking business in Italy is demonstrating the strength of the Group's strategy of growing through digital banks in Europe, leveraging its technological capabilities and expertise in digital transformation to enter new markets efficiently and at scale.
The Italian experience laid the foundation for BBVA's expansion into Germany, where the Group launched its digital banking model in June 2025, surpassing its first 100,000 customers before completing its first year of operations.
“Our digital banks are seeing a very positive reception in Italy and Germany, where BBVA combines the innovation and convenience of neobanks with the financial strength, security and broad range of products of a bank with nearly 170 years of history and 80 million customers worldwide. Our efforts are now focused on strengthening our business in these two markets, with the aim of achieving sustainable and profitable growth,” said Murat Kalkan, Global Head of Digital Banks at BBVA.