BBVA Group and the Regional Government of Catalonia signed a deal to roll out a social housing project. Within the framework of the agreement, the institution will temporarily transfer tenancy rights over 1,800 housing units to the Generalitat.  The 8-year agreement also sets out a social inclusion plan to improve the personal prospects of the beneficiaries. With this social agreement, BBVA’s social housing portfolio now stands at 7,000 units in Spain.

The European entrepreneurship network, Startup Europe Partnership, has distinguished the companies that most help startups in the “Europe’s 25 Corporate Startup Stars” list. Telefonica and BBVA are the only Spanish companies listed in this ranking for their good practices in supporting entrepreneurs.

The presentation ceremony of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards again transformed Madrid headquarters of the BBVA Foundation, into a window from which to contemplate some of the key ideas, insights and challenges that define the modern age.

From childhood, Ilkka Hanski was a keen butterfly collector. At the age of eight he found a specimen of a species considered extinct in Finland, and a professor at the University of Helsinki specializing in that species sent him one of his scientific papers.

If a person’s tweets reflect their interests, there can be little doubt as to what makes Martin Ravallion tick. His account directs followers to articles on the exodus of Syria’s refugees; the importance of the world’s poorest having access to information; campaigns to tackle child malnutrition. Ravallion, an economist, is aware that his vision of economic science “is not shared by the majority.” And he quotes historian Max Hartwell: “Economics is, in essence, the study of poverty.”

Indian climatologist Veerabhadran Ramanathan decided to study climate change when he realized the full extent of how human activity was altering the composition of our air. It was in the mid-1970s and he had just discovered that carbon dioxide is not the only atmospheric greenhouse gas: there are others called “trace” gases less abundant than CO2 but capable of trapping a thousand times more heat, and their atmospheric concentration is likewise on the rise.

Investors, customers and society in general are demanding increasingly higher levels of transparency. There is also regulation accompanying these new demands, as illustrated by the EU directives on non-financial information that will become applicable in 2017.

The head of Country Networks at BBVA, Vicente Rodero, underscored the bank’s excellent position to face the challenges European and Spanish banks have before them.

“Our geographic diversity, universal, customer-centric banking model, our focus on risk management and the development of new digital functionalities are key elements of our strategy. We aim to lead the transformation of banks in all the regions where we have a presence,” Vicente Rodero explained at an event organized by APD (Asociación para el Progreso de la Dirección) this morning in Bilbao.

The Urgent Spanish Foundation (Fundéu BBVA) has launched an application for mobile devices containing 300 tips for writing about economic and financial topics. Its aim is to help people who work in the sector and specialist journalists to use the correct language and convey information clearly and accurately.

A Mexican app called Aire offers real-time information on air quality, ultraviolet radiation and meteorological conditions.