In a press conference today, local nonprofit housing developer Avenue celebrated officially breaking ground on Avenue Center, a new mixed-use community resource center in Near Northside. Construction was kickstarted by a $1 million gift from the BBVA Compass Foundation, which will create opportunities for Avenue’s comprehensive homebuyer education and counseling programs at Avenue Center.

It isn’t easy to live in Soacha. Despite being close to Bogota, basic services like running water are not available on a daily basis and the streets of this town, one of the most impoverished in Colombia, are known for their insecurity and lack of infrastructure. But everything is possible with an opportunity and enthusiasm and Jessica Hernandez is the perfect example of this. BBVA’s Group executive chairman wanted to meet the entrepreneur whose story was heard around the world following her speech at the United Nations during a BBVA Microfinance Foundation event.

BBVA has invested more than €300 million over the past three years as part of its Community Investment Plan, supporting a total of 24 million people. In 2018 alone, BBVA allocated more than €104 million to social programs that reached eight million people around the world

Diversity and inclusion have become the keystones around which BBVA structures its response towards the equality and wellbeing of its employees. One of the focal points of Talent and Culture’s policies is tearing down the barriers preventing greater diversity in positions of responsibility. That is why work-life balance emerges as a priority issue to attract and retain talent within the organization.

Ebru Dildar Edin, Garanti Bank’s Executive Vice President of CIB, was recently re-elected President of Turkey’s Business Council for Sustainable Development (BCSD). The general assembly of the organization voted in favor of Edin continuing in her role as BCSD President - a position she accepted one year ago. BCSD Turkey is a key member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development network and has spearheaded sustainability initiatives in Turkey’s public and private sectors for the past 15 years.

BBVA secured €11.8 billion in sustainable financing in 2018, the first year of Pledge 2025, the bank’s initiative to combat climate change. This figure includes transactions in green financing (69 percent of the total), sustainable infrastructure and agribusiness (13 percent), and social entrepreneurism and financial inclusion (18 percent).

BBVA secured €11.8 billion in sustainable financing in 2018, the first year of Pledge 2025, the bank’s initiative to combat climate change. This figure includes transactions in green financing (69 percent of the total), sustainable infrastructure and agribusiness (13 percent), and social entrepreneurism and financial inclusion (18 percent).

On March 27 at the CDP Climate Change Conference, CDP, the world's largest environmental reporting platform announced the 2018 results for Turkey’s Climate Change and Water programs. Garanti Bank sponsored the conference where, as in previous years, it assumed its place among other Turkish CDP leaders receiving their awards.

On Saturday, March 30th, the world came together to celebrate Earth Hour, an initiative promoted by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF). Entire cities went dark for an hour to raise awareness and urge people to join the global movement in support of the environment and the protection of the planet. BBVA’s HQ in Spain - Ciudad BBVA – as well as other corporate buildings and headquarters in other countries, including Mexico, the U.S., Colombia, Peru, Uruguay or Argentina, also showcased their commitment to sustainability and the fight against climate change.

BBVA Compass received a perfect score of 100 on the 2019 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), the nation’s premier benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) workplace equality, administered by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation.  The bank joins the ranks of over 570 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year.