BBVA Compass today announced the official opening of applications for BBVA Momentum 2019, a small business program for social entrepreneurs designed to help them achieve scale, enhance operations and multiply the social and economic impact of their business.

On February 25th, BBVA’s Open Space auditorium in Madrid was transformed into a meeting space with the best of the BBVA Momentum ecosystem. The global event completes the 2018 edition of BBVA Momentum, which united the year’s most promising entrepreneurs from Colombia, the U.S., Mexico and Turkey. The entrepreneurs presented their projects and growth plans, and sector experts discussed current issues in the social investment field.

At an event celebrating the winner of BBVA Momentum 2018 last night, BBVA Compass executives announced the opening for 2019 Momentum applications, as well as a second opportunity for entrepreneurs to win up to $60,000 for their businesses, called the Entrepreneurial Opportunity of the Year contest presented by BBVA Compass and The Business Journals.

BBVA Momentum, BBVA's social entrepreneurship support program, will host a global event to showcase the brightest projects of its 2018 edition. These companies, from Colombia, the United States, Mexico and Turkey, have come up with innovative ways to tackle some of today’s most pressing social and environmental challenges.

Over 1,800 participants from the banking industry, governmental authorities, and civil society gathered in Brussels on February 5-6, to take part in what has become the leading forum discussing the future of the European Union’s industry. EU Industry Days 2019, organized by the European Commission, devoted a substantial share of time to social investment and sustainable financing, something that has become an obligation for financial institutions today, according to Antoni Ballabriga, Global Head of Responsible Business, BBVA, who participated in one of the panels.

The European Commission has warmly received the Principles for Responsible Banking. The vice president of the European Commission applauded this UN-sponsored initiative, which BBVA has actively championed since its inception. “It is truly encouraging to witness this initiative. Now is the time to implement them and truly scale up in sustainable finance. We need European banks to lead the way,” explained Valdis Dombrovskis, vice president of the European Commission, at a European Banking Federation forum held on February 5 in Brussels.

The Center for Financial Education and Capability has already secured support from more than 500 experts to conduct its activities. Both the quality and the quantity of experts and collaborators regularly involved in the Center’s activities attest to the success of the initiative, which launched two years ago.

BBVA Compass Sales and Service Advisor Rebecca Alexis has “nothing but veterans” in her family. It’s one of the biggest reasons she allocates so much of her professional and personal time helping them with her financial expertise.

BBVA Compass today announced that the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta rated it “Outstanding” for CRA performance for its most recent examination period encompassing 2015 to 2017. The bank achieved “excellent performance” for community development lending and investments, and “high satisfactory” for service, which would translate to an overall “Outstanding” rating.

Between 2016 and 2022, BBVA will reach a milestone of supporting almost half a million young people gain access to the job market, primarily though its worldwide entrepreneur programs. The bank, together with 20 other large global companies at the World Economic Forum in Davos, launched Global Alliance for YOUth, an initiative representing a collective effort to provide young people with the knowledge and skills they need for the jobs that society calls for. To this end, the project aims to help six million young people improve their skills so they can take part in the new working environments.