Transactionality in databases is fundamental for critical systems, but the historical asymmetry between reads (massive) and writes (specific, but can impact in the middle of a read operation) could be solved with a new approach. Last year Databricks released to the community a new data persistence format built on Write-Once Read-Many (HDFS, S3, Blob storage) and based on Apache Parquet.

In the last few weeks the international community has called on the innovation ecosystem to band together in a coordinated fight against the coronavirus pandemic. A large number of initiatives have risen to the occasion, encompassing schemes that support startups, developers that propose technical solutions, and requests for institutions to share their data with the scientific community. These projects share a single goal: to combine forces, creativity, and resources in the fight against the virus and its far-reaching effects.

Researchers, businesses, and innovators around the world are putting technology to work to alleviate the effects of the global health crisis. From applications that collect data to track the spread of the virus to 3D printed ventilators for hospitals: these are some of the various technology projects rising to the occasion in the fight against coronavirus.

Unequivocally identifying people online and respecting their privacy remain major challenges for companies and a growing cause of concern for users. Covault is committed to a model whereby banks take on the role of the verifiers of users’ data, which is in keeping with the trend within the ecosystem.

Pablo Inchausti works at BBVA Argentina and is a very special member of the ‘Ninja’ initiative. In 2019, he became the first person to earn a black belt as part of this program designed to promote and give visibility to BBVA’s technological talent. Now he’s willing to help more and more colleagues do the same.

Simple, a subsidiary of BBVA USA, today announced the addition of Moin Moinuddin to the company’s corporate leadership. Moinuddin will serve as Vice President of Engineering for the neobank.

The European Research Council has presented one of its most prestigious research grants to  Stephen Hansen, an Associate Professor of Economics and researcher at the Imperial College of London, and previously at the University of Oxford. With this grant, Hansen will start a research project on big data together with BBVA Research.

According to UN projections, by 2050 more than 9.7 billion people will inhabit Earth with 68 percent living in urban areas. Of this 9.7 billion, the World Bank. estimates that 4.4 billion will live in Africa and 4.9 billion in Asia.

Everyone leaves a online footprint that could be easy to find, simply from being a member of a digital society. But by being aware of one’s footprint and learning how to control it, cyber criminals will have a much harder time finding possible victims. Here is some advice to do so.

The electronic forensic investigation starts with the application of a series of keywords to people’s electronic devices that, according to the information available, are thought to have had information of interest about the facts, may have had or not participation in them (the so-called ‘custodians’). Devices may include both computers and other electronics used by the custodians as well as data available in servers, in both emails and other files.

Kai-Fu Lee, one of the world’s foremost experts in machine learning, has praised the focus BBVA has on Artificial Intelligence during a visit to the bank’s dedicated AI unit

The BBVA and Anthemis Venture Creation Partnership is helping U.K. based financial health business Wollit get off the ground with an integrated investment programme.

Quantum computing has taken a short time to make a big leap: from R&D laboratories to corporate meeting rooms. BBVA began its quantum journey almost two years ago and now has a team specialized in quantum development, business units involved in the initiative, strategic alliances agreed, and various lines of research in place.

BBVA CEO Onur Genç recently visited the U.S. operations of BBVA in a homecoming of sorts. As the President and CEO of the global financial services company’s U.S. subsidiary in 2017 and 2018, Genç is highly familiar with the bank’s U.S. operations, and the team was glad to welcome him back for a series of meetings meant to encourage the market as they begin the execution phase of the bank’s new 5-year strategic plan.

Is it possible to take advantage of big data without it affecting the privacy of users? The answer may reside in “Privacy-enhancing technologies”, or PETs, a set of technologies that use different computational and mathematical approaches with the same purpose: extracting data value in order to unleash its full commercial, scientific and social potential, without jeopardizing the privacy and security of this information.

Mobile payments in Europe, QR codes in Latin America, and super apps in Asia: These are some of the trends that are getting the most traction across the globe in the digital payments arena. We review those initiatives that are making the biggest impact in each region.

Did you know? There are more than 1,300 different roles within BBVA—and they all play a critical role in creating opportunities for our customers. Over the coming months, we’ll be profiling some team members and sharing how they’re Working for Our Customers.

According to the results of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2019, with 13 out of the world’s top 20 universities, the United States is, yet another year, the world’s academic powerhouse in computer science. Computer Science is a booming tech field. Demand for specialized talent, for example in artificial intelligence, has skyrocketed more than 400 percent since 2010.

The use of quantum algorithms in artificial intelligence techniques will boost machines’ learning abilities. This will lead to improvements in the development, among others, of predication systems, including those of the financial industry. However, we’ll have to wait to start these improvements being rolled out.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the World Economic Forum, popularly known as the Davos Forum. The event kicks off on January 21 in the Swiss district of Davos-Klosters. For half a century, this forum has brought together politicians, businesspeople, and representatives from social and cultural organizations in order to find solutions for the world’s problems. 2020 sees the launch of a new ‘Davos Manifesto’ with the single objective of building a more sustainable, inclusive world.

The role technology plays in people’s lives –both personal and business– is continually growing. As a bank, BBVA committed to transforming itself digitally long before the start of the last decade, understanding that technology was going to have a huge impact on how the industry operates. In this article, BBVA experts in various fields give their view on the changes that 2020 will see in the technological landscape.

One of the biggest challenges in advanced analytics is developing mechanisms to determine how reliable the decisions made by algorithms are. Now, research by BBVA’s Artificial Intelligence Factory is proposing a new method to make machine learning models capable of expressing the uncertainty in their predictions in a clearer manner. It’s an exploratory approach to make artificial intelligence more transparent, measure the reliability of its predictions and  fine tune the accuracy of its results.

In mid-September, BBVA Open Platform announced that it was working with Catch to provide banking and payment services for gig workers.

Ask anybody which search engine they use to find an answer online, and chances are good, they’ll say Google. In fact, the search engine has become synonymous with searching; so much so that Webster’s Dictionary has included it as a verb, as in “We googled what Google is.” Talk about meta.

The race to make good on quantum computing is well underway. Millions of dollars have been allocated to developing machines that could cause current computers to become obsolete. But, what is the difference between quantum and classical computing? This is a puzzle that is beginning to be unraveled.

November 30th has been designated the day to remind Internet users of important, day-to-day cybersecurity habits that help prevent them falling prey to scams, malware, or the loss of personal data. Here are some useful “cybertips” to help you browse the Internet worry-free.

The new global partnership will enable BBVA to optimize data storage and processing capabilities that drive its commitment towards innovation in financial services.

To browse the internet safely and keep their computers properly up to date, users have a great ally: antivirus software. This quick guide will help you understand the value these tools provide, the protection they offer, and how to make the most out of them.

Automatic learning is a prerequisite for intelligent systems. It enables data-driven predictions and creates new business opportunities. Banking in general, and BBVA in particular, is already taking advantage of this technology in order to improve products and services for its customers.

Industry and institutions consider the Internet of things an opportunity for the present and the future that will digitize many operations and bring tremendous benefits. But it also has the ability to help combat climate change and protect the environment. This is how the Internet of Things could impact the sustainability of the planet in different areas, such as water use and energy efficiency.

What were the hottest digital transformation trends in banking in 2019? Which ones should we keep an eye on in 2020? The banking sector’s interest in the latest developments in cyber security, computing or gamification grows day by day. For disciplines such as ‘pentesting’, quantum computing or development with the Unity engine, the future looks bright.

With the advent of big data, banks like BBVA are better able to harness the power of information to improve customer experience and provide advice, products and services – all personalized to your unique situation.

As part of BBVA’s commitment to improving its products and value proposition for customers, the bank continues reinforcing its love story with fintech startups. With its Open Marketplace platform, the group has challenged the startups to solve four technological challenges its business units have identified in process automation, energy efficiency, international transactions and corporate financing.

Stores, restaurants and hotel chains in Spain are offering tourists from other countries the possibility of paying with their smartphones. Payments with QR codes allow companies to streamline the process and boost sales. Platforms like WeChat Pay and Alipay are central to the shopping experience of tourists from China, one of the most profitable for the country.

By using AI to better understand customers financial lives, and to then offer them better advice and specific products, BBVA has been able to significantly increase digital sales.

Machines’ current ability to learn is present in many aspects of everyday life. Machine learning is behind the recommendations for movies we receive on digital platforms, virtual assistants’ ability to recognize speech, or self-driving cars’ ability to see the road. But its origin as a branch of artificial intelligence dates began several decades ago. Why is this technology so important now, and what makes it so revolutionary?

The President of the BBVA Foundation, Carlos Torres Vila, presented the Spanish Computer Science Society (SCIE) – BBVA Foundation Research Awards in recognition of creativity, originality and excellence in cutting-edge research in the computer science field.