BBVA has closed its first growth capital transaction in Finland with Bob W, the Helsinki-born hospitality scaleup focused on redefining the short-stay experience across Europe through technology. This also marks BBVA’s first growth capital deal in Finland, coinciding with the bank’s debut as a key partner at Slush, the renowned global innovation event that gathers more than 13,000 attendees, 2,500 startups and 2,000 investors in Helsinki each year.

Just over a year ago, BBVA created its Digital Banks unit, led by Murat Kalkan, an executive with a strong background in diverse retail banking businesses at BBVA, to drive the bank’s push into new markets with a fully digital model.

At BBVA, the adoption of artificial intelligence is much more than just a technological change: it represents a profound transformation of the banking business. The bank’s AI strategy is built on leadership and employee empowerment as a way to drive uptake and achieve a truly transformative impact. OpenAI invited Antonio Bravo, Global Head of Data, to take part in its annual event OpenAI Frontiers, where he explained how both entities are already transforming the banking sector, with tangible results.

Garanti BBVA was internationally honored for its design excellence, earning two distinctions from the iF Design Awards for its updated Garanti BBVA mobile app and the Pulse app, and another from the A Design Awards for its ‘My Home, My Car, My Travel’ project — showcasing its highly innovative approach to user experience and digital design.

BBVA Germany is expanding its digital offering with a new ‘Bargeld via App’ cash‑in feature. From now on, customers can deposit cash directly into their BBVA account at participating supermarket and retail checkouts – quickly, securely, and without visiting a bank branch.

BBVA has completed the global rollout of ADA (Analytics + Data + AI), the group's data platform, which is now operational across all geographies within BBVA's footprint, consolidating a unique, efficient, and wholly cloud-based technology model.

Garanti BBVA Pensions was honored with the silver award in the Digital Transformation category of the Smart-i Awards for its innovative approach to digitizing insurance sales on Garanti BBVA Mobile.

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.

AI-generated cover image

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 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 Crypto is now offering trading and transfers in Tether (USDT), allowing users to do business with the popular dollar-pegged stablecoin via the Ethereum network and trade USDT pairs.

Garanti BBVA has entered a new era in asset management in Türkiye by migrating its crypto asset portfolios to its app, Garanti BBVA Mobile. Garanti BBVA Crypto users can now easily view their crypto assets, along with price information in real time, gains and losses, and watchlists directly from the ‘Investments’ menu in the bank’s mobile app.

The three-year project, titled Fair Learning, will address the main ethical, technical and regulatory challenges posed by the growing automation of decisions that impact society. A multidisciplinary team of BBVA and The University of Navarra will explore the use of advanced mathematical and statistical methods to correct data bias, integrate philosophical and ethical frameworks into model development, and devise a set of best practices based on international legislation.

During the global launch of its new language model, OpenAI identified BBVA as one of the first institutions to adopt this technology in the financial sector. The bank has been testing the system in strategic tasks as part of its commitment to exploring the potential of generative artificial intelligence to enhance organizational processes and drive team innovation.

Proptech company PropHero has secured financing from BBVA Spark to drive its growth in the Spanish real estate market, where it plans to double its business volume by year-end 2025.

BBVA has hired 23 recent graduates specializing in data for its technology teams. They were selected through the bank’s ‘Be Talent’ program, one of the main entryways for data specialists entering the Spanish job market. This innovative selection process evaluates not only the candidates’ technical skills and personal abilities, but also asks them to develop an analytical model for a real financial challenge in a ‘datathon’ that marks the final stage in the selection process.

BBVA continues to drive growth in Europe with the appointment of Walter Rizzi as Head of Digital Banking in Italy, a key role in adapting the bank’s offering to the needs of the local market.

What if saving was easier than it seems? BBVA has revamped its app to help you save consistently in a streamlined and personalized way. Through tools based on artificial intelligence, it proposes realistic goals, guides you step by step and, if you set aside a monthly amount from your paycheck, pension or unemployment benefit, it rewards you with a 6 percent bonus of up to 20 euros per month for three months.

BBVA has unveiled its cryptocurrency trading and custody service for bitcoin and ether, which is now available to all retail customers of legal age in Spain. After filing the relevant disclosure with the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV), the bank has been gradually rolling out the service in recent weeks. Customers can now use this service to trade in bitcoin and ether directly through the BBVA app, all within a fully integrated environment that also includes the bank’s other financial services.

If you’ve managed to put aside some money and are now wondering what to do with it, the BBVA app makes it easy. Now you can learn to invest from your phone, with tools designed for beginners and with no jargon or obstacles.

Today in Frankfurt, BBVA officially launched its new digital bank in Germany. It combines cutting-edge technology, through one of the top financial apps in the world, with a compelling value proposition: an interest-bearing checking account paying three percent for the first 12 months, and a debit card with a three percent cashback on purchases - both paid monthly and completely free of charges, with no fees. “We’re bringing something new to Germany. A banking experience that combines the simplicity and convenience of a fee-free account, typical of digital actors, with the full range of products, reliability, and trust of a universal bank,” said BBVA CEO Onur Genç.

The Frontiers of Knowledge Awards ceremony paid tribute to 20 leading figures in science and culture, recognized for their decisive contributions to the advancement of knowledge. Carlos Torres Vila, President of the BBVA Foundation, emphasized in his speech that we are living in complex times, marked by enormous challenges, but we also possess “extraordinary tools to confront them: science, technology and culture.”

Kay Firth-Butterfield, CEO of Good Tech Advisory and former Head of Artificial Intelligence at the World Economic Forum, reflected at BBVA’s FinAI Summit on the challenges of responsible artificial intelligence and on the kind of relationship society wants to forge with this technology: AI is not our best buddy or our partner, she stated, even though 20 percent of men in the United States have used it at some point “as a romantic partner, the person they talk to, the person they love. Is that the future we want with this technology?”.

The first edition of Global Finance AI in Finance Awards named BBVA the best bank in Spain for its artificial intelligence strategy, both within the organization and in its financial solutions for individuals. The publication also recognized one of BBVA’s revenue forecasting tools as the top AI risk management solution in Mexico and Latin America.

Image generated with Artificial Intelligence (Midjourney)

BBVA’s smart  ‘discrete mode’ in its app detects when more than one pair of eyes is looking at the screen and hides sensitive information. Therefore, you can do your banking and view and manage your cards anywhere, while keeping your financial data private, making it illegible to onlookers and possible cybercriminals. Below we tell you how to activate this feature.

Garanti BBVA Crypto recently launched a variety of advanced new features on its mobile app. With nearly 100,000 users, the app is powered by the bank’s robust infrastructure and highest quality standards, ensuring a simple, fast and secure investment experience.