In recent weeks, the role of the financial conglomerate has drawn renewed attention.  Some observers argue that several European banks are seeking to expand into insurance, hoping to qualify as conglomerates and benefit from more favorable capital requirements under the so-called Danish compromise.  But does this classification always serve a bank’s interests?  The answer hinges on the bank’s business model.  For some, the fit is natural; for others, it’s like slipping into shoes that are simply too big: awkward and ill-suited to their needs.

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.

Like every year, global and European regulators have published their annual work plans, in which they describe the lists of initiatives underway in the regulation areas they will prioritize in  2025.

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.

A takeover bid happens when an investor or a group of investors offers to buy shares from all the shareholders of a listed company. They usually offer a specific price for these shares or other securities that give them an ownership stake in the company.

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.

On the morning of Wednesday, March 13th, the European Parliament gave its final approval of the European Artificial Intelligence Act.  According to some EU authorities, this makes the bloc the first international jurisdiction with comprehensive legislation on the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

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.

BBVA has completed the sale of a portfolio of secured non-performing loans (NPLs). The portfolio has a gross value of approximately €330 million. This is BBVA's second such sale in 2023.

Davos will be held in Switzerland from January 20th - 24th with the theme ‘Collaboration for the Intelligent Age’. The event organized by the World Economic Forum will bring together governments, international organizations and around 1,000 companies, as well as civil society leaders, young agents of change, social entrepreneurs and the media. Davos 2025 is taking place in a global context marked by geopolitical and economic uncertainties, trade tension, cultural polarization and the climate crisis. However, it is also an opportunity to reflect on the positive impact of technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum computing and biotechnology, which promise to boost productivity and improve the quality of life worldwide.

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.

BBVA’s Turkish franchise is strategically reinforcing its commitment to enhance customer accessibility by extending remote banking services to corporate clients.

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).

BBVA has stood out in the 2023 stress test of the European Banking Authority (EBA).  The exercise is carried out every two years and examines the banks’ capacity to maintain minimum capital levels and own resource requirements under two scenarios: a baseline and an adverse one. In the baseline scenario BBVA would generate 326 basis points, to a maximum fully-loaded CET1 of 15.87 percent as of December 2025. In the adverse scenario, BBVA would see a capital depletion of 295 basis points, to a fully-loaded CET1 of 9.66 percent. This impact is significantly lower than the average of the European banks surveyed (459 bps). BBVA is the third bank with lowest impact among its comparable group¹.

BBVA’s Turkish unit is launching the ‘Women who know their accounts’ program as part of its strategy for inclusive growth. The aim of the program is to support women who are not familiar with banking services, to help them discover their potential and ensure a more active participation in economic life. The program will support them by providing training in basic financial matters and in managing their personal finances.

Celia Mosquera has had to reinvent herself three times after being forcibly displaced by violence in Colombia. Her story is one example of the remarkable resilience of micro entrepreneurs supported by the BBVA Microfinance Foundation (BBVAMF): 60 percent of them managed to overcome poverty after five years of assistance and finance from the entities within the foundation.

BBVA has given a new boost to its Wealth Management unit within the Private Banking area in Spain to enhance its range of services for individuals with a net worth of over €2 million. With a view to more personalized support for customers, BBVA Private Banking has recruited 28 new bankers (an increase of 38%), bringing the total team to 101 professionals. Of these new entrants, 13 will focus on the Ultra High Net Worth segment (net worth of more than €10 million).

BBVA has announced the MREL regulatory requirement for 2024 -a buffer to absorb losses- which the bank is already in compliance with. Starting next year, the bank needs to have a 22.11 percent volume of its own funds and eligible liabilities, or 25.42 percent including the combined requirement for capital buffers based on its risk-weighted assets (RWAs). As of March 31, 2023, the bank already meets this requirement, reaching 26.89 percent, as well as the subordination requirement.

BBVA will allocate more than €3 billion of 2022 earnings (47% of reported net attributable profit) to shareholder distribution in the form of dividends and a new share buyback program. The bank will pay a final dividend of 31 euro cents per share on April 5.

BBVA reported a total tax payment in 2022 of €10,948 million (+33 percent vs. 2021) across all the countries in which it operates, of which €5,023 million (+65 percent) were its own taxes and €5,925 million (+14 percent) were third-party taxes. This was the highest tax payment ever recorded by the Group, in line with its earnings performance during the past year. In Spain, BBVA generated a total tax contribution of €2,759 million, of which €1,326 million consisted of its own taxes (+42 percent).

After achieving 160,000 customers in its first year in Italy BBVA has set itself a new goal for 2023: to attract another 160,000 customers. And it is doing so with a 100% digital and free financial proposal that includes a wide range of services and tools so that users can make the best decisions and improve their financial health.

In 2022, digitization continued to be a priority for regulators on a global level, and 2023 is expected to be just as intense in the regulation of digital issues, with a focus on open finance and digital assets.

After a 2022 shaped by the developments in the Basel III framework, post-COVID regulation or the first European banking climate stress tests, 2023 is looking set to be a key year in terms of digital regulation. Thus, the regulatory framework for cryptoassets and the digital euro will be two of the major issues on the agenda in the coming months. There are also expectations that the Basel III regulation will be finalized, that progress will continue to be made in sustainability and that proposals will be presented in Europe to improve the crisis management framework.

Many would agree that the sustainable finance regulatory agenda has been increasingly growing in both intensity and complexity over the last few years. We hope that 2023 will be the year in which this regulatory framework is consolidated, all the pieces fit together, and the inconsistencies found are corrected.

The BBVA Board of Directors approved Wednesday the bank adhering to the measures included in the new  Code of Good Practice (CBP in Spanish) to help customers at risk of vulnerability with mortgages, as well as the expansion of the Code of Good Practice, which has been in force since 2012.

BBVA shareholders will receive next October 11, 2022, a cash interim dividend of €0.12 (gross) per share. This amount is 50 percent higher than that of last year, of €0.08 per share paid in October 2021. The Group’s solid results in the first half of the year are supporting this decision.

World Finance, one of the world's leading business and finance magazines, named Garanti BBVA ‘Türkiye's Best Retail Bank’ for the eighth consecutive time. The Turkish franchise was also singled out as ‘Europe's Best Retail Bank’ for the fifth time.

BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila announced today at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos that BBVA and the Edison Alliance are joining forces with the BBVA Microfinance Foundation's commitment to contribute to the digital inclusion of vulnerable populations in Latin America.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has just published the Private Philanthropy for Development statistics detailing the contribution of the 40 largest foundations in the world. For the third consecutive year, the BBVA Microfinance Foundation (BBVAMF) is the second worldwide and the first in Latin America.