Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a neurologic condition that causes people suffering from it to be dominated by anxiety and develop unwanted thoughts that they cannot get rid of. Researchers at the Universidad Carlos III are applying artificial intelligence techniques to detect which brain areas are affected by this disorder. Emilio Parrado, a data scientist at BBVA was one of the researchers that took part in the project and explains how machine learning can bring huge improvements to any activity, including finance.

According to a report by the independent research firm Forrester, 2019 will be the year that digital transformation aspirations translate into “pragmatic” actions.

The world of video games is an economic and creative reality. Its possibilities are not limited to its recreational aspects; it is an industry that employees a multitude of people. According to the latest report by Newzoo, gaming generated more than €100 billion in 2018. And in an article that cites the Newzoo report, CNBC points out that this represents an increase of more than 13 percent compared to the previous year. The gaming industry encompasses video games, games for mobile devices, and eSports.

Each year the Las Vegas CES technology trade fair becomes a parade of outlandish devices as the the big industry trend-setters make their announcements for the coming year. Manufacturers like LG and Samsung compete to show off the latest models of their flexible displays or connected household appliances, while the likes of Amazon and Google continue the battle to place their virtual assistants in as may products as possible. What happened this year?

BBVA’s investment arm, Propel Venture Partners, has led the latest funding round into class leading invisible payments business Grabango.

The trends described below will be the major disruptors that continue to shape the future of the new year in the age of digital transformation.

It’s time for holiday shopping and a bit more free time. The perfect time to recommend several books that help explain the digital revolution and its context.

BBVA Foundation President Francisco González presented the Francisco Giner de los Ríos Awards for the Improvement of Educational Quality. This year, these awards claim education as the most decisive domain for collective well-being, pluralism and democracy.

Atom and solarisBank, two companies in which BBVA holds a significant stake, included in KPMG’s ‘Fintech 100’ list. The report ranks the leading 50 ‘Established’ fintech companies across the globe, as well as the most captivating 50 ‘Emerging Stars’ with exciting, new products and solutions.

According to BBVA Next Technologies’ experts, these are four of the emerging platforms of the blockchain technology to watch out for next year.

Carlos Torres Vila took part in the ‘14th Banking Industry Meeting’ organized by IESE and EY in Madrid. BBVA’s CEO spoke about how digital transformation reflects on the outside, but originates inside organizations. In the current environment, he believes that banks need to harness the potential of new technologies to create opportunities for their customers. “We think big, not only in the sense of being ambitious, but of being innovative, breaking molds and surprising the customer,” he said.

Identification using authentication like digital fingerprints and facial or iris recognition is making inroads in the world of airports where companies are looking for new technologies to enhance the user experience.

In a world flush with acronyms – hello, banking! – “API” might seem like the latest notable term. But the truth is, APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, have been on the scene for many years, and was made popular in the year 2000 when SalesForce officially launched its web-based sales force automation.

The global products and services BBVA is now delivering across its countries, driven by the adoption of re-useable code and technology, are offering a unique and personal experience to customers around the world.

Space Apps Challenge is an annual global contest where scientists and innovators from across the world compete to solve challenges facing the aerospace industry proposed by NASA. In 2016, I was one of the scientists that won this prize thanks to an algorithm capable of detecting and classifying Near Earth Objects, or NEOs. Today, I work as a data scientist at BBVA, where I develop fraud detection models. This is my story.

A group of prominent innovation leaders and experts gathered recently in Paris to attend the Innovation Leaders Summit, organized by the MIT Technology Review. BBVA’s was the only major bank to take part as speaker at the event. Here, it debated on current topics, such as the role of blockchain in the emerging tokenized economy and the security challenges posed by quantum computing.

This new computing paradigm will reduce latency and streamline data traffic coming from millions of devices on the Internet of Things.

Atom bank, the UK’s first bank built for mobile and the country’s fastest growing mortgage lender, has agreed a multi-year partnership with leading fintech Thought Machine to put its next generation of personal and business banking products onto Thought Machine’s Vault platform.

The problem of data integrity verification is a classic topic that has been well-studied in the last decades. Many database or log systems run on untrusted servers or are subject to malicious attacks from insiders and, therefore, vulnerable to tampering. With the advent of cloud computing and the possibility of dealing with outsourced data, such situation has been aggravated. This problem is an essential challenge for financial institutions where preserving the correctness of customer data and transactions is crucial in terms of legal compliance and reputation.

The new technologies are not an end in themselves but rather a way to improve the customer experience. This was how Ricardo Segoviano, head of BBVA Open Platform Spain, explained it during the presentation event for the ‘World Retail Banking Report 2018‘, which lists BBVA as an example of successful collaboration in the drive to improve the digital banking experience via APIs.

For second year in a row, the European Commission has recognized BBVA as one of the 36 corporates that are doing more to collaborate with technological startups.

BBVA has been recognized by the Financial Times (FT), Google and a panel of leading European policy makers as one of the 100 digital pioneers in Europe. BBVA is the only major bank included in a special report from the Financial Times, ‘Europe’s Road to Growth,’ because of its innovative use of new technologies, as well as the cultural shift that the company has undertaken.

BBVA is one of the first five banks invited to join a blockchain forum organized by the European Commission (EC) in Brussels to, subsequently, join the launch of the IATBA, an European platform to promote the use of blockchain. The purpose of this publicly-sponsored initiative is to garner support from private blockchain and DLT experts to contribute to outline the EU’s strategy regarding these technologies.

Salvador Valle is head of user experience at BBVA Next Technologies, where he researches on new interaction models. In this article, he explains some basic concepts to get started in the world of visual thinking, and making the most of these sketching techniques to explain and disseminate ideas.

I will never forget the outfit I wore my first day of 8th grade. Acid-wash Jordache jeans with a zipper up the back, red Esprit branded sweatshirt, white keds, Esprit logo tote bag and bangs curled into a claw then weighed down with Aqua Net. I was the epitome of middle school 80s cool.

Companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Spotify and Netflix use algorithms to try to offer their users personalized recommendations. Two Spanish researchers found that even in these personalized suggestions, the views of the majority carry a heavy weight.

BBVA’s CEO recently spoke at the DeustoForum in Bilbao. Carlos Torres Vila discussed BBVA’s transformation strategy in front of an audience of the Basque business community and current Deusto University students and alumni. “In today’s world opportunities are digital. That’s why we focus on the digitization of our customers, providing channels that are always available and a simple, agile experience,” he maintained.

According to The Global FinTech Report Q3 2017, global fintech funding has had a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 44 percent from 2013 to 2017, with more deals and more investments being made year-over-year.

One of the core themes BBVA has been exploring at the Money20/20 U.S. event this year has been the power of networks.

BBVA Global Head of Investment & Cost Management Luisa Gómez Bravo has been included in this year’s edition of MujeresyCía’s 100 Female Leaders in Spain 2018 list. Women’s news site MujeresyCía has unveiled the seventh edition of the ranking aimed at boosting the visibility of female talent in Spain and promoting the presence of women across all spheres of society. Gómez Bravo, was named in the ‘Executives’ category among over 1,000 candidates.

At the 10th edition of BBVA Open Talent, Dunforce, Sedicii and ChargeAfter were the fintech startups who took this year’s winning titles. Preparations are now underway so that the companies are ready to develop pilots in conjunction with the bank.

It might seem like a strange question to be asking, but given the multiple elements that drive the success of a bank, and given also that increasingly location is a key determining factor in how you deliver great customer experience, its an important topic.

Are banks going to withstand the challenge of the big tech players and indeed beat them at their own game? It’s a question that banks all over the world are working on but for two of the leading digital banks in the world —BBVA and Citi— it’s more a question of how far do ‘we’ want to go.

At BBVA Open Summit, Ricardo Forcano, BBVA’s Global Head of Talent and Culture; and Rob Brown, Global CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) at BBVA, chatted with the representatives of two startups that are working to leverage blockchain and AI technologies to enable new decentralized ways of working.

Innovate or Die.

It has become a common refrain over the past decade or so for banks when it comes to technology, particularly when faced with fintechs wishing to disrupt what has traditionally been part of banking’s value chain. But in the U.S.,the challenges associated with innovation come not only from fintechs but also from the relatively glacial pace of regulatory change.

This week, Spanish newspaper El Español will honor Francisco González’s professional career with a Los Leones award. On the occasion of the award, the current BBVA Group Executive Chairman sat down for an interview with the online newspaper to discuss the present and future challenges facing the banking industry at large, and his bank in particular, including his retirement from office, scheduled to take place on December 31, 2018. At BBVA “we’re creating a new bank,” he says. Now the institution customers are more satisfied, more likely to recommend the bank and more loyal.

BBVA and Das-Nano demonstrate the potential that can come out of alliances between small and big business. Veridas represents a milestone in the development and launch of innovative payment solutions and user identification at BBVA Group. “Our technological developments are on par with the best in the world,” says Eduardo Azanza, CEO of Veridas.

The issue is no longer about using data, but doing it in a responsible manner that also has a positive impact on users’ lives.  This was one of the most relevant topics discussed during the second day of BBVA Open Summit, where Derek White, Global Head of Client Solutions at BBVA, stressed that user confidence is the key to success in this new digital playing field.

With investments on artificial intelligence expected to reach €10 billion by 2020, it is evident that the financial sector is very optimistic about these technologies. However, the level of uncertainty surrounding AI remains almost too high to justify this degree of enthusiasm. In a recently published paper, the World Economic Forum warns about how overhyped misconceptions of what AI really is and what it can deliver may undermine the potential benefits derived from the use of artificial intelligence in finance. In contrast with this vision, other experts concur that AI contributes more to prevent and mitigate risks than to generate them.

BBVA has become the first bank in the U.S. to offer a full suite of Banking as a Service products after its BBVA Open Platform program moved out of beta.

Technology is now disrupting every sector from retail to recruitment, and financial services are no different. What is different is how the incumbent players in the sector choose to respond. Do they collaborate, challenge, or do nothing?

José Manuel González-Páramo on Saturday took part in the annual meeting of the Institute for International Finance (IIF) in Bali held in parallel with the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank. He called for a regulatory framework that treats all market participants equally by establishing a level playing field: “Activities with the same risks should receive the same regulatory treatment” without unnecessary barriers to competition, he said.

The Valencian company Emotion Research Lab has developed a system that studies human behavior through facial analysis.

Open innovation took center stage at South Summit 2018, where BBVA presented various tools, initiatives, and projects. With its participation in the event, the bank sought exposure to talent and ideas outside its normal ecosystem.

The paradigm shift that will shape the future of banking was the subject of a keynote address by BBVA’s Derek White in Madrid this week. “BBVA is taking on Big Tech and building the future of banking”, he said.

‘BBVA AvalBox’ is the new BBVA digital tool that allows for the first time in Spain to request, present and consult guarantees online. In doing so, BBVA has simplified a process that up until now could only be carried out in person and on paper.

Mario Pardo, the global head of Enterprise Solutions at BBVA, shared the stage at the Open Innovation Forum with Henry Chesbrough, renowned academic of the University of California and known as the ‘father of open innovation’. Both speakers spoke about how BBVA is working with its corporate clients and startups to develop better banking solutions.

Twenty-six young people have joined the ‘Young Professionals Data’ in Spain and Argentina program, a BBVA initiative to recruit and develop the best talent in advanced analytics. The selection process to take on another 21 young people in Mexico has started and in the following months Colombia, Peru the U.S. and Turkey will join the project.

The software company Salesforce is celebrating its annual meeting Dreamforce, aimed at showcasing excellence when it comes to customer engagement and experiential design.

Some companies are now working to incorporate blockchain technology into smartphones. A cell phone that incorporates these characteristics could become the most secure on the market. This would be possible thanks to blockchain’s intrinsic security provisions.

BBVA has launched a new service for startups looking to work with the bank, which matches up expertise with needs across the business.

Amazon & Google jointly hold over two thirds of the global smart speaker market, but problems ‘made in China’ are on the horizon.

The tools known as cryptowallets allow the storage and exchange of cryptocurrencies, and are becoming increasingly relevant in the context of the cryptoeconomy and blockchain boom. It is important to recognize their characteristics and differences, as not all offer the same levels of security.

Francisco González, the executive chairman of the BBVA Group, is a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and is a frequent visitor to the country. This weekend, he took part in the Singapore Summit, an event aimed at “connecting Asia with the rest of the world.” While there, Francisco González granted an interview to the Spanish daily ABC, in which he speaks about the “extraordinary moment” the bank is going through, having chosen to embark on a digital endeavor, the results of which have been striking. These results include an increase in digital sales, which accounted for 42 percent of total sales in July. “The first fruits of digitization have been really superb,” he says.

Like most IT professionals, the engineering team at BBVA Compass loves the challenge and teamwork of a good hackathon.  These condensed collaborative coding events were the inspiration for the inaugural BBVA Compass Ninja Hackathon, which included both bank employees and students from the University of Alabama Birmingham.

Like other customer-centric companies, BBVA Compass uses large amounts of data — “big data” — to drive its customer understanding and its customer experiences.  And while the bank’s shift to its new big data platform will make data collection easier, the process still requires data analysts who can make sense of all that information.

Blockchain is one of the most disruptive new technologies in the world of finance. But currently its use in the sector is focused mainly on the underlying technology – Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)- to create applications or redesign processes rather than in creating cryptoassets. The reason? Blockchain applications have the potential to improve the efficiency, transparency and traceability of processes while cryptoassets are volatile.

What is BBVA’s strategy for transforming the bank into a truly digital company?

In this series of of interviews, BBVA talks with some of those at the cutting edge of designing the future of financial services. The series is about getting under the skin of where, how and why technology will be the biggest game-changer when it comes to how people and businesses bank in the future.

BBVA often talks about how it is transitioning from a bank into a truly digital company. While it is an easy thing to say, the ways in which you demonstrate this are incredibly complex. Take data, for example.

Luisa Gómez Bravo, Global Head of Investment & Cost Management BBVA Group.

Luisa joined BBVA almost 20 years ago. During this time, she has held various positions in the bank, moving up to become the main financial head overseeing the Group’s investments and spending and, specifically the ‘Single Development Agenda’  (SDA).

She studied at ICADE and graduated with degrees in law and business administration. She lived in London for several years where she worked for American investment banks. Her view of BBVA is that it has always given her the opportunity to learn and develop. “That’s my main motivation.” she states.

Passionate about her job, she gets excited when she talks about the new way of working – using agile methodologies in small, multidisciplinary teams with quarterly product deliveries that enable fast results. “It’s exciting because your effort becomes tangible” she remarks when interviewed about the implications of the new management approach, which prioritizes resources on a global level according to the impact each project could have on BBVA’s business.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently released research aimed at demonstrating the importance of digital transformation in corporate banking. In the research, BCG underscored the notion that for lasting and meaningful digital transformation, banks need to develop a clear vision for the future of banking, formulate a comprehensive strategy of how they will evolve alongside it, and plan their initiatives accordingly.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently released research aimed at demonstrating the importance of digital transformation in corporate banking. In the research, BCG underscored the notion that for lasting and meaningful digital transformation, banks need to develop a clear vision for the future of banking, formulate a comprehensive strategy of how they will evolve alongside it, and plan their initiatives accordingly.

BBVA Compass’ hometown of Birmingham recently made national news in Forbes for its efforts in becoming the Silicon Valley of the South.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently released research aimed at demonstrating the importance of digital transformation in corporate banking. In the research, BCG underscored the notion that for lasting and meaningful digital transformation, banks need to develop a clear vision for the future of banking, formulate a comprehensive strategy of how they will evolve alongside it, and plan their initiatives accordingly.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) recently released research aimed at demonstrating the importance of digital transformation in corporate banking. In the research, BCG underscored the notion that for lasting and meaningful digital transformation, banks need to develop a clear vision for the future of banking, formulate a comprehensive strategy of how they will evolve alongside it, and plan their initiatives accordingly.

Business banking specialists Holvi have joined forces with Uber to provide the app based business’ partner drivers with an easy way to become entrepreneurs and manage their finances.

Three and a half years ago when BBVA acquired Madiva, a small company dedicated to big data, no one could have imagined the impact it would have on the group. In that time, the 16-employee strong startup has shown how the use of non-financial data can translate into new business, sales, and customers.

BBVA, a pioneer in real-time customer enrollment, has enhanced its online sign-up process. Last year, the bank announced the creation of Veridas, a technology company specializing in authentication systems. BBVA founded the new company with Das-Nano, a startup based in Spain’s northern Navarre region. The joint venture has already produced results: now anyone can sign up as a BBVA customer, from anywhere and at any time, by simply sendingtheir photograph and a video to the bank.

BBVA’s venture capital investment arm, Propel Venture Partners, is participating in a new funding round by an app-based business dedicated to helping U.S. workers with flexible working lives.

Spain has just become one of the few countries in the European Union with a concrete proposal for launching a regulatory sandbox. The goal? To create a space for experimentation, temporarily unencumbered by regulatory measures, to promote innovation in the financial sector. In doing so, Spain thus has stolen a march on other countries in this area, with a proposed law that appeals to both the traditional financial industry and new fintech startups. Álvaro Martín, Chief Economist for Digital Regulation and Trends at BBVA Research helps us understand how it will function and if it benefits the consumer.

BBVA Bancomer is the first bank in Mexico to use artificial intelligence integrated with WhatsApp’s technology. Its virtual assistant facilitates the bank’s communication with both customers and non-customer users, answering questions about branch location, how to open an account, and suggestions on how to use the bank’s digital services.

A new cryptocurrency available without the internet represents one of the first examples of how to implement blockchain technology in the absence of a decent digital infrastructure.

BBVA has announced it is part of the consortium of corporate businesses and banks taking part in a new initiative by SWIFT aimed at speeding up cross border transactions.

BBVA realized a few years ago that it wouldn’t be able to tackle its strategic transformation alone, and decided to establish a series of strategic partnerships with a number of industry leaders.

New VR headsets like Oculus Go and HTV Pro are becoming more accesible and dropping barries to entry for a wider range of audience.

There’s a fix for confusing economic terms or not being up-to-date with financial news: “influencers” aren’t just gamers or it-girls; many experts in the finance domain use the virtual world to provide information, data, and opinions about financial and economic topics.