Social problems
18 Jan 2021
This year, the Davos Forum will be celebrating its most special and challenging edition, in the midst of the ongoing COVID pandemic. For this reason, the 51st edition of the World Economic Forum (World Economic Forum, WEF) will be held in two phases: An virtual one in January and another one, face-to-face, in August. The summit will convene politicians, businessmen and representatives of social and cultural organizations at a crucial time for the world, under the tagline ‘The Great Reset‘.
08 Sep 2020
Audio
Siri Hustvedt has published works of fiction, essays, poetry and academic articles. Her work is underpinned by feminism, art, and science.
31 Aug 2020
BBVA Executive Chairman Carlos Torres Vila has described the European recovery plan (Next Generation EU) as “a landmark opportunity for Spain.” He asserted that “if the aid is complemented by appropriate reforms, Spain could put an end to its elevated structural unemployment, which has hovered above 16 percent over the last four decades, while laying the foundations of an economy based on green and digital growth, a data-driven economy.”
26 May 2020
Audio
Susan Cain is a U.S writer and author of the best seller, ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.’ Her work revolutionized our concept about personality, that argues that modern, Western culture misinterprets and undervalues the skills and traits of introverts.
23 Apr 2020
Audio
Lisa Damour is an american psychologist and writer specializing in the development of adolescent and young women. Her first New York Times best seller, Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood focuses on the seven distinct developmental stages that girls go through as they grow into adults.
16 Apr 2020
Audio
Sonja Lyubomirsky received her PhD in social psychology from Stanford University and is currently Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside.
25 Nov 2018
BBVA joins the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and will lit up its Corporate Headquarters to support all women that suffer gender-based violence.
24 Aug 2018
BBVA Compass has put its innovative design thinking methodology to work, solving a real-world problem outside its own four walls. Using a common refrain among those who provide response and relief to disasters: all disasters are local. But the increase in the incidence of natural disasters worldwide since the 1970s has made it increasingly difficult for local communities to handle disaster response on their own.
05 Apr 2018
In an imperfect world, new technologies offer an opportunity to make certain improvements that benefit society. Blockchain, the driver of the new tech revolution, promises to help in solving key data traceability and transparency issues.
02 Mar 2018
Fair-trade coffee, quality guarantee, ecological tomatoes… consumers read the labels on the things they eat. But is there any way of checking that what they say is correct? In order to do so, you would need a register of the processes to which the product has been submitted, something blockchain can do.
28 Dec 2017
Sustainable Development is essential to achieving more peaceful and just societies and the United Nations counts on the private sector to help in this effort. The BBVA Microfinance Foundation (BBVAMF) has contributed its experience in the finance sector to the report entitled “Business and SDG 16: contributing to peaceful, just and inclusive societies,” drawn up by the Sustainable Development Goals Fund and the University of Pennsylvania.
04 Oct 2017
Customer experience
BBVA Compass' archive of Harvey-related stories designed to help Houston navigate new reality
In the month since Harvey hit Houston, BBVA Compass has published a series of articles to help its customers and the public at large understand the city’s new reality, how to move forward, and how the bank will be there to provide support.
24 Sep 2017
Francisco González Rodríguez
Francisco González: "We want to raise more than $2 million for victims in the U.S."
BBVA Executive Chairman Francisco González has reinforced the Group’s commitment to the U.S. after the most recent natural disasters. “We’re going to redouble our commitment to those affected through a number of actions,” he explained. In Houston, where he met with the city’s mayor, Sylvester Turner, he gave a message of solidarity on behalf of the entire BBVA Group. Francisco González also announced that he is going to visit Mexico City in the coming days to see first-hand the damages caused by the Sept. 19 earthquake.
07 Sep 2017
Climate change is one of the greatest problems facing humanity. Abrupt temperature changes, famine, disease and floods are all evidence that changes in the climate are not a myth. The consequences could get worse if we do not manage to reduce the greenhouse effect, as Matthew Liao warns in his book The Next Step: Exponential Life. It can be downloaded at no charge on BBVA’s website for the OpenMind project.
15 Jun 2017
Corporate Responsibility
BBVA Compass helps tackle Rio Grande Valley’s digital divide with innovative pilot program
Dozens of families in one of the areas where the country’s digital divide is the widest will be getting free internet access thanks in part to BBVA Compass’ steadfast commitment to using the power of digital to create opportunities in its communities.
06 Jun 2017
Twenty social entrepreneurs from Texas who have channeled their passions into solving an array of society’s issues were selected to join the inaugural U.S. class of BBVA Momentum, an intensive seven-month training program for those who want to change the world through their work.
14 Apr 2017
The Internet of Things is today a reality. Apart from the benefits it can provide to companies, the IoT will become a powerful tool in the fight for citizen security, given its many possible uses.
07 Apr 2017
If Fernando Álvarez of BBVA Francés, Argentina, has an abundance of anything, it is drive and patience. Even so, three years after his first failure, it was hard for him to give it another go. Then a coworker and two children convinced him to never give up.
29 Mar 2017
After a years of steep deterioration, Uruguay has managed to partially recover some of the ground lost after a historic fall in productivity. Despite this, a person working in Uruguay today reaches an average productivity slightly above 40% of the level they would achieve working in an advanced economy. How is this possible? What can be done? This paper sets out a potential explanation and suggests a line of action for further progress.
08 Mar 2017
“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas”. This is one of the most famous quotes from renowned scientist Marie Curie. IT was, precisely, her interest in the world that led her to become the first woman to ever win a Nobel prize, at a time when women were rarely allowed to pursue University studies, at least in Poland.
03 Mar 2017
Momentum
Saraiva Senior: “We want to turn the care home concept on its head, we want to be disruptive in our sector and innovate”
Nobody wants to go into a care home. Based on this premise, Saraiva Senior, a project by Sacendi (a social and healthcare company that provides integrated services for the elderly in Pontevedra), aims to implement a new approach to care for the elderly. The company, a participant in BBVA Momentum, BBVA’s support program aimed at social enterprises, is determined to change mindsets, promote a positive vision of aging and renew the traditional concept of the care home. The director of this social enterprise, Lucía Saborido, its associate director, Noelia López and its technical director, Ricardo Fra Otero, explain how.
15 Feb 2017
Many of the Momentum companies have focused on making life easier for others through technological solutions. Their ideas are overcoming obstacles and giving new meaning to the lives of thousands of people.
Entrepreneurship
An introduction to the Momentum companies that are coming up with innovative solutions to everyday challenges
Momentum, BBVA’s program in support of social entrepreneurship, is today a benchmark in the sector. Since its first edition in 2011, it has driven the expansion process of 56 companies with high social impact in Spain, 30 in Mexico and six in Peru. Many of them have succeeded in making a niche for themselves in the market thanks to their pioneering products or new approaches to business.
02 Dec 2016
Everyone should have access to basic financial services by 2020. This goal, set by the World Bank, aims to combat the financial exclusion that impacts two billion people. Several organizations from the public and private sector, including BBVA Microfinance Foundation, have signed the Universal Financial Access 2020 (UFA), committing to meet this deadline.
Having a bank account is the first step to access basic financial services, such as loans or insurance, which help underprivileged families to receive essential services like water, electricity, housing, education or healthcare. It also allows small and medium sized businesses to grow, expand operations and improve risk management.
19 Nov 2016
Francisco González Rodríguez
Francisco González visits small business owners supported by BBVA Microfinance Foundation in Colombia
“It is really moving to see this type of initiatives and how a Foundation like ours can do so much in favor of society. These people have access to loan facilities, but they manage to move forward thanks to their own efforts and will to fight. Their work is spectacular and we are already seeing progress in future generations; their kids and grandchildren go to school and many even make it to college. For me, it has been an incredible visit,” said Francisco González during his visit to some of the projects supported by the BBVA Microfinance Foundation (BBVAMF) in Soacha, a city just outside of Bogota (Colombia).
16 Nov 2016
Javier M. Flores, CEO of the BBVA Microfinance Foundation, renewed the foundation’s commitment with the Sustainable Development Goals Fund until 2019. During the session held at the headquarters of United Nations, the SDG Fund also presented the report “Universality and the SDGs: A Business Perspective”. This publication examines some of the key issues facing companies when incorporating and implementing the SDGs within their core strategy.
11 Oct 2016
Millenials have become the true engine of Latin America’s society. Not only in economic terms, but also in political and social aspects. They have witnessed the comeback of one of the most powerful regions in the world, and have been granted access to far greater technological resources than they would’ve ever imagined.
24 Aug 2016
Renewable energies are not only an investment opportunity, a response to the planet’s urgent need for sustainability and a change that will improve our lives –they can also rescue remote populations from their isolation and help ease their problems. Microgrids are making giant strides in every corner of the world, combining goals and mobilizing interests.
07 Jul 2016
Since 2010, more than 10,000 Toyota Corolla cars have been stolen in the U.S. This car tops the list of the 25 most stolen cars in the U.S., together with the Nissan Altima and the Toyota Camry.
06 Jul 2016
In July, five countries in the Americas celebrate their declaration of independence: the U.S., Venezuela, Argentina, Colombia and Peru. All of these countries benefited from the French Illustration and subsequently by the U.S. independence and the French Revolution.
21 Jun 2016
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.
10 Jun 2016
Qasanqay is a small village 3,800 meters above sea level in the heart of the Andes, in Ayacucho. The country’s Independence was signed in this Peruvian region in 1826; this is also where Sendero Luminoso originated, the terrorist group that triggered the savage violence in the 1980s against the poorest population and law enforcement agencies. Over 69,000 Peruvians died.
12 May 2016
Leka is an intelligent toy that has been developed to stimulate these types of individuals to learn, have fun and progress.
03 Sep 2015
According to the Global Findex (2014) report, only 15% of adults worldwide use electronic money, and a lot of them live in developing countries.
10 Aug 2015
To a large extent, 3D printing has become more than just a trend thanks to healthcare. 3D makes it possible to create hearts, arms, hands, ears… all tailor-made. And it reduces costs.
09 Oct 2014
The Colombian Laura Parra, the winner of the Innovators Under 35 award in 2013, organized by MIT Technology Review in its Spanish edition in partnership with BBVA, has developed a video game that helps children with mobility problems in their rehabilitation therapy.
23 Sep 2014
Business economics and corporate information
How the buying and selling of your personal information works
A company will pay up to $10 (around 8 euros) for access to your social network accounts, credit card transaction records, and other personal information, and will sell insights gleaned from that data to companies looking for information on consumer behavior.
01 Oct 2013
Love and sex in the era of social networks and mobile communications.