BBVA has received LEED Gold certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for the sustainability of its office located at 389 9th Avenue in New York. This recognition, awarded by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), accredits the entity's commitment to energy efficiency, responsible use of resources and the creation of healthy spaces for its professionals and customers.
Antoni Ballabriga, Global Head of Sustainability Intelligence at BBVA, shares the key takeaways from New York Climate Week 2025, within the broader framework of the UN General Assembly. Climate Week NYC is widely regarded as a flagship event in championing sustainability alongside the COP conferences.
The three leading rating agencies have upgraded BBVA’s rating over the past three weeks. On Tuesday, Fitch upgraded the long-term senior preferred debt one notch, from A- to A. It also upgraded BBVA’s long-term issuer rating, from BBB+ to A-, with a stable outlook, among other improvements. This latest move joins the recent upgrades by S&P and Moody’s.
BBVA CEO Onur Genç said on Tuesday that the acceptance period for the takeover bid for Banco Sabadell is progressing well ahead of expectations. Genç participated in the 16th Financial Meeting organized by KPMG and business daily Expansión in Madrid, where he emphasized the positive response from shareholders, both institutional and retail, who are backing the transaction. He reiterated his belief that BBVA will comfortably exceed the 50 percent acceptance threshold thanks to the financial appeal and strategic rationale of the offer. He also stressed that “waiting for a hypothetical second bid makes no sense, as it would be highly unlikely and would offer no advantages in terms of price, timing or taxation. Shareholders who do not tender their shares will be left out and will not benefit from the price being offered,” he said.
It will soon be enough to spot a shirt we like and just ask a voice-enabled AI device to send it home in our size and in a different color, bypassing the entire traditional online shopping process. Artificial intelligence is set to transform shopping into a conversational experience, explained Carmela Gómez, Global Head of Open Banking at BBVA, at the Sibos financial event. AI will also enable companies to anticipate cash needs, open up new financial opportunities for vulnerable communities, and make access to credit easier for gig economy workers.
Following the recent upgrade of BBVA’s rating by S&P, another leading ratings agency, Moody’s, has raised BBVA’s rating from A3 to A2, one notch above that of Spain, with a stable outlook. The main reason behind this upgrade is the favorable performance of BBVA’s fundamentals.
SWIFT, the global financial messaging network connecting more than 11,500 institutions in 200 countries, is set to develop a shared blockchain platform that will function as a common digital ledger for banks around the world. This infrastructure will enable seamless, real-time international payments and transfers and transactions with stablecoins and digital assets. BBVA has joined a consortium of more than 30 partner banks now starting work on a prototype.
BBVA’s Turkish franchise has shifted a branch-only product to digital channels, enabling quicker access for clients funding sustainability-focused investments.
BBVA has introduced an innovative new feature to its banking app, allowing customers to personalize their Visa cards using Image Playground with Apple Intelligence technology. The functionality is now available in Spain on virtual cards for users with iPhone 15 Pro and newer models, and will soon be extended to physical cards.
BBVA, in a further show of its commitment to offering innovative payment solutions, has launched a new virtual card product in Mexico alongside Mastercard (NYSE: MA) and Sabre Direct Pay, Sabre Corporation’s (NASDAQ: SABR) virtual payment solution. This innovative offering in Mexico enables travel agencies to issue secure virtual card numbers (VCNs) for each payment. This improves control, integrates with backend reconciliation tools, and significantly reduces manual work and errors.
BBVA shareholders will receive on November 7¹, 2025, a gross interim cash dividend of €.032 per share charged to 2025 earnings, up 10 percent from a year earlier. This is the highest interim dividend in BBVA’s history. Banco Sabadell shareholders who have tendered their shares will also receive this dividend, as the payout will materialize following the settlement of the tender offer.
BBVA, as a founding member (and only bank), has joined the Coalition for Sustainable Procurement, a global alliance led by the United Nations Global Compact that seeks to mainstream sustainability into procurement processes and supply chains internationally.
Clean technologies, also known as 'cleantech', are technologies that contribute to sustainability and environmental protection. This includes innovative solutions for both climate change adaptation and mitigation, ranging from emission reduction to biodiversity protection and water treatment.
The Global Head of Sustainability and Corporate and Investment Banking at BBVA, Javier Rodríguez Soler, underscored the enormous demand for electricity and energy expected in the U.S. in the coming years, and the need to have the greatest possible variety and quantity of energy sources. “In this sense, we see a growing potential to invest in clean energy in the U.S.,” he said at the ‘Latin America, the U.S. and Spain in the Global Economy Forum’ as part of New York Climate Week activities.
Garanti BBVA has launched ‘Garanti BBVA Genç,’ a new section on its mobile app where young people between the ages of 18 and 26 can access campaigns and promotions tailored to their needs and interests.
BBVA’s model to finance its clients’ decarbonization was honored by the World Economic Forum’s Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders during New York Climate Week. The jury recognized BBVA’s solutions for its clients as best practice in the Finance category. Together with three winners from other sectors, they “show how companies can move beyond incremental change to deliver the systemic shifts needed for a net-zero, resilient global economy.”
Public and private investment in clean technologies (‘cleantech’) in Spain and Portugal must increase by an additional €50 billion per year until 2030, beyond current levels, to reach the decarbonization targets in the Paris Agreement. This was stressed in the report, ‘Capital Cleantech in Iberia: Mapping the Landscape, Mobilising the Investments,’ which also encourages financial solutions to support the implementation of innovative, pioneering projects, as well as their scalability and commercialization.
Photograph created using artificial intelligence (Midjourney).
BBVA once again attended the ‘Digital Assets’ Forum organized by El Confidencial. For the eighth time, the event brought together the Spanish crypto ecosystem, which is starting to move beyond the experimentation phase and roll out real services following the entry into force of MiCA. In this context, BBVA has established itself as an experienced player, as it was the first traditional European bank to offer a cryptoasset service in Switzerland in 2021, and the first to offer it in Spain. Alfonso Gómez, CEO of BBVA Switzerland, stressed the financial sector’s responsibility in supporting the consolidation of digital assets and the importance of offering customers safe, reliable solutions.
Garanti BBVA has launched a new feature that helps users select the card that provides the most benefits for each transaction. Known as SMART (smart, mobile, advanced, relaxed, technology), the feature is a first in Turkey and is the latest example of Garanti BBVA’s focus on personalizing payment experiences for its customers.
Climate Week NYC returns September 21-28, 2025, for its 17th edition. Operating under the banner "Power On," the event will host more than 900 activities and deliver an unequivocal message: the time has come to deploy solutions at scale. As COP30 in Brazil approaches, governments, businesses, and civil society will gather to transform promises into concrete action.
At Bank of America's investor conference in London, BBVA CEO Onur Genç reaffirmed the attractiveness of his bank's offer for Banco Sabadell. Genç argued that BBVA's track record and future prospects position it as the ideal partner for Sabadell, telling investors that those who accept the offer will join the European bank with the highest growth and profitability levels. He emphasized that BBVA's geographic diversification and leading franchises would enhance value creation for new shareholders. Genç stressed that the bank stands strongly positioned to generate value: “We have announced €36 billion¹ available for distribution throughout 2025-2028”.
The rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has upgraded BBVA’s rating by one notch, from A to A+, matching Spain’s sovereign rating, with a stable outlook. “BBVA continues to deliver solid risk-adjusted returns and it is our view that BBVA’s financial strength is now in line with that of larger and more diversified European and global peers,” S&P noted.
The new office houses an Energy and Cleantech Hub, bringing specialized advisory capabilities to help clients advance their decarbonization strategies. It also serves as a platform to accelerate the growth of Corporate & Investment Banking in the U.S., expand Global Wealth Advisory services, and reinforce support for BBVA Mexico clients through its long-standing Agency in Houston. In addition, BBVA is proud to participate as a sponsor of both Houston Energy & Climate Week and Houston Energy & Climate Startup Week taking place from September 14-19.
The investor roadshow is a cornerstone in the bond issuance process. It serves three fundamental purposes: gauging market sentiment, defining the pricing range, and securing the success of the transaction through meticulous preparation and a strategic approach. BBVA CIB organises these meetings in Europe’s leading financial hubs, with a focus on credibility, transparency, deep market insight, and flexibility, reaffirming its commitment to being the partner of choice for companies and to accompanying them throughout their growth journey.
For the third year running, Time has published its World’s Best Companies 2025 ranking, with BBVA having climbed 37 positions compared with 2024, claiming eighth spot globally (45th in 2024). In Spain, it was ranked as the top performer in the banking sector. The ranking, which evaluates 1,000 multinational companies, assesses employee satisfaction, financial performance, and progress toward sustainability.
Artificial intelligence is neither good nor bad in itself, but, as with any tool, it all depends on how you use it. In fact, in cybersecurity it has a dual role: while security teams use its capabilities to bolster defenses, cybercriminals use it to hone their attacks.
