BBVA is strengthening its commitment to growth in Germany with the appointment of Jürgen von der Lehr as Head of its Digital Bank in the country, a key role in adapting the bank’s value proposition in one of Europe’s largest and most competitive financial markets.

Germany is rapidly becoming one of the bank’s most important strategic growth markets in Europe. Since the launch of its digital retail bank in June 2025, BBVA has surpassed a six-figure customer base. Notably 90% of these customers have “activated, funded their accounts, and are actively using them,” Murat Kalkan, BBVA’s Global Head of Digital Banks, said today at FIBE in Berlin. That strong early confidence is further underscored by the fact that 23% (as of early 2026) of BBVA’s customers in Germany hold more than €100,000 with the bank. Kalkan emphasized that  BBVA’s ambition is to become a genuine primary banking alternative for German customers.

BBVA is  to pay a final dividend this Friday, April 10, of €0.60 gross per share in cash. In addition to a gross payment of €0.32 per share last November, BBVA will distribute a record of €5.2 billion in ordinary dividends corresponding to the 2025 earnings, equivalent to 50 percent of the profit for the year.

As is customary each year, regulatory bodies at both the global and European levels have published their annual work programs. These documents set out the various regulatory initiatives they plan to introduce in 2026, as well as those rolled over from previous years. These programs reveal that banking regulatory activity will remain intense, albeit marked by notable divergences in the approaches and objectives pursued across different geographic regions.

BBVA’s Chief Executive Officer, Onur Genç, took part this Thursday in the Global Banking Summit hosted by the Financial Times in London. During his address, he remarked that the bank remains firmly focused on delivering its 2025–2029 Strategic Plan, which is built around profitable, organic growth. Along these lines, he pointed to BBVA’s expansion in Europe through its digital banking model in markets such as Italy and Germany. He also noted that the bank is firmly committed to “growing organically in the markets where we already operate.”

BBVA celebrated the fourth anniversary of its digital retail bank in Italy, which currently has over 800,000 customers and expects to reach one million in 2026. Since last November, BBVA Italy has increased its customer base by 35 percent, and has multiplied the financing granted to customers eightfold, including 1,800 mortgages. The success of the BBVA Italy model is driving the Group’s organic growth strategy across the rest of Europe, as CEO Onur Genç explained at a meeting with the media at the bank’s new offices in Milan. “Our priority is to consolidate our progress and ensure sustainable long-term growth: expanding our presence in key financial products, such as investments, and continuing to attract customers from traditional banks seeking a more modern experience”, Genç said.

“Simplification” dominates today’s European financial‑regulation debate. The new Commission has turned it into a slogan, pledging to strip away layers of complexity, align the regime with the cleaner approaches of other regions, and make the framework easier to navigate.  At present Europe resembles a car covered by multiple insurers, each tacking on new clauses over time. The result is a patchwork in which it is unclear what is actually covered or how policyholders are meant to use their coverage. It simply doesn’t work.

Who hasn’t been there at some point? An important bill comes in and due to either an oversight or an unforeseen expense, you don’t have sufficient money in your account. To prevent these situations, BBVA has come up with a smart solution on its app that lets you stay one step ahead and boost your account balance. What’s more, if you need it and meet certain requirements, such as having your salary deposited into your account, or a personal loan, you automatically receive up to €300 in coverage to pay for direct debit bills, avoiding last-minute stress.

The Bank of Spain has informed BBVA of its new minimum requirement for own funds and eligible liabilities (MREL), the regulatory framework that requires banks to have sufficient funds to absorb losses in case of crisis.  Starting June 12, 2025, BBVA must maintain a buffer of 23.13 percent of the total risk-weighted assets (including the parent company, BBVA S.A and its subsidiaries in Europe). With an MREL ratio of 33.20 percent at the end of March 2025, the bank already far exceeds this threshold, and also meets the additional requirements for subordination and capital buffers.

Jaime Sáenz de Tejada, Global Head of Commercial & Institutional Client Solutions, stated that “one in four companies in Spain chose BBVA in 2024, a figure that is even more impressive in Catalonia, where one in three companies chose BBVA.”

The current geopolitical context, combined with the urgent need to finance the green and digital transitions in Europe, makes it increasingly necessary to unlock the full potential of the EU’s currently fragmented capital markets. The goal is to make them more efficient and better equipped to compete with more developed markets elsewhere.

On Thursday, April 10, BBVA will pay a supplementary dividend of €0.41 per share. Added to the interim dividend paid in October, the total payout for 2024 rises to €0.70 per share, the bank’s highest since 2007. BBVA has also announced a €993 million share buyback.  Through dividends and the buyback, the bank will return a combined €5.03 billion to shareholders this year, half of its 2024 profit.

The Central Bank of Morocco has given the green light for the indirect change in control of Banco Sabadell's branch in the country, as part of the transaction with BBVA. Therefore, BBVA now has all the authorizations needed from international regulators to complete the transaction.

Ten years have passed since the implementation of a supervisory system for banks in Europe to help them absorb losses in the event of a crisis so that the state doesn't have to bail them out. Needless to say, much progress has been made in this last decade: banks have become significantly more resilient, are compliant with MREL requirements, and have designed and tested recovery and resolution plans. Moreover, Europe has gained some experience in actually implementing the resolution framework following the failures of Banco Popular and Sberbank.

BBVA shareholders will receive on Oct. 10 a gross dividend, against 2024 earnings, of €0.29 per share, 81 percent higher than a year earlier. This is the highest interim dividend to be paid by BBVA to date. The bank will thus distribute about €1.7 billion in cash to shareholders. Following this dividend, from 2021 BBVA will have distributed about €15 billion in dividends and share buybacks.

BBVA CEO Onur Genç, speaking on Wednesday at Bank of America's annual investor conference, stated that the process in the Banco Sabadell transaction is actually relatively straightforward. "Spain has excellent institutions, and the CNMC, the competition supervisor, is certainly one of them," he said. Genç noted that similar deals have been approved in the past and expressed confidence that, “If the same methodology is applied, the deal should be cleared in phase 1, as there are no competition issues.” On Mexico, he emphasized the country's highly positive prospects and reaffirmed that the bank "will continue to deliver reliable high returns."

Throughout its history, BBVA has played a prominent role in the economic and social development of Spain, propeling its progress and constantly adapting the bank in order to be at the forefront of innovation and technology. Since it was first established in the mid-19th Century (1857), BBVA has been known for being a visionary bank, with the ability to anticipate the trends that will change the financial industry and the future needs of its customers. Some of its noteworthy milestones include financing the construction of the Madrid subway system; being the first bank to allow women to do their banking without the permission of a legal guardian through the creation of the  Women’s Bank; and being the first bank to introduce credit cards as a payment method. A track record that has established BBVA as a crucial ally to face future challenges and thus encourage economic growth and the transformation of businesses.

BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila and Spanish Minister of the Economy Carlos Cuerpo launched the 41st edition of the APIE Seminar in Santander, Spain on Monday. The event focuses on the role of companies in the new economy. In his presentation Torres Vila emphasized BBVA's support for Spanish businesses, particularly SMEs, which he identified as key drivers of the country’s growth and development. Specifically, he said, “our view of the importance of SMEs is one of the reasons for the offer we presented to Banco Sabadell shareholders a little over a month ago,” as the bank holds a strong position in this segment. “The transaction represents a clear commitment to SMEs, and will further reinforce our commitment to this kind of businesses,” Torres Vila stated.

On April 8, the European Union's instant payments regulation finally came into force. However, many citizens are still unaware of the changes that this regulation will have on the way they pay.

BBVA shareholders will receive a gross cash dividend of 39 euro cents per share this Wednesday, 26 percent more than in April of last year. This dividend comes on top of the 16 cents per share paid in October as an interim dividend charged to 2023 earnings and the €781 million share buyback initiated on March 4, 2024.

BBVA has achieved a milestone in Italy, surpassing 420,000 customers in February 2024, exceeding its initial target. The bank had a record year in 2023, attracting 220,000 new customers, thanks to a highly attractive range of products and services. As a result, BBVA has set a new target for this year of 600,000 customers. If successful, it will have achieved its original goal two years ahead of schedule.

Luisa Gómez Bravo has been CFO of the Group since September 2023. She recognizes that the first few months in her new role have been very intense. After all, the Finance unit is responsible for the Group’s financial planning and monitoring, for capital, for managing liquidity and structural balance sheet risks, for relations with the Group’s investors and shareholders, and many other functions. After a historic 2023 in financial terms, Gómez Bravo predicts that 2024 will be another great year for BBVA. This will be possible, she maintains, thanks to the Group’s structural strengths:  leading franchises in high growth markets and a strategic focus based on the opportunities provided by innovation, digitization and sustainability. And these focal points have been the main drivers of the bank’s growth. “BBVA’s ability to combine profitability and growth is unique in the European banking sector and it sets us apart from our competitors,” she stressed.

‘Spirit of Dialogue’ is the theme of the new edition of the Davos Forum to be held in Switzerland from January 19 to 23, 2026. Organized by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the event will bring together public- and private-sector leaders, along with representatives from civil society, with the aim of finding shared solutions to the world’s most pressing global challenges. Davos 2026 takes place against an international backdrop in which global balances and growth models are being shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, economic uncertainty, and the relentless pace of technological change. In this context, the Forum has cemented its status as a key space for fostering cooperation, promoting responsible innovation, and championing more resilient and inclusive growth capable of generating prosperity while respecting the planet’s limits.

BBVA has updated the Group's Tax Strategy, last published in 2015. The bank thereby addresses rising interest among analysts, investors and wider society in corporate decisions with an impact on environmental, social and good governance issues. The new strategy strengthens the governance, oversight and control structure by creating a specific tax compliance body and integrating ESG criteria in tax decision-making.

The surge in online banking has heralded many benefits for customers who insist on being able to bank wherever and whenever they choose. However, the digital revolution has been harder for many older customers, who are not very Internet savvy, and for those living in villages and rural parts of Spain. Moreover, customers finding it hard to keep up with their payment obligations need solutions, such as tailoring installments to their payment capacity or having their loan refinanced. Banks have reacted to these social demands and are stepping up to the challenge.

BBVA shareholders are to receive on October 11, 2023 an interim cash dividend of €0.16 (gross) against 2023 earnings. This dividend is 33 percent higher than that of October 2022 (€0.12 per share).