Sustainability

BBVA allocated €191.5 million to social programs and initiatives in 2025 globally, an increase of 7.5 percent over 2024. 7.7 million people directly benefited from these activities, which mainly focused on education, accounting for 68 percent of the total resources. These efforts aimed to facilitate access to opportunities and support people and communities in their development.

The financial institution has been recognized in the first edition of the EPBN-WISE LGBTIQ+ Inclusion Awards as one of the European companies most firmly committed to LGBTIQ+ inclusion in the workplace. The award recognizes organizations that have implemented concrete measures to create safe, diverse, and inclusive working environments.

BBVA Mexico acted as joint placement agent for the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) in the year’s second joint issuance of BONDESG and Bonos MS fixed-rate bonds.

As the climate summit to be held in November 2026 draws closer, Türkiye has emerged as the leading European country in championing energy storage—a key technology for ensuring energy security and accelerating the integration of renewable energy sources. Its firm commitment to battery systems and to modernizing electricity grids has afforded the country a strategic role within the wider energy transition taking place across Europe.

In 2025, 99 percent of BBVA’s global electricity consumption came from renewable sources, and the bank has set a new target to reach 100 percent shortly. Since 2019, the bank has reduced scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions¹ by 83 percent and cut per-employee electricity consumption by 22 percent, energy consumption by 19 percent, water consumption by 36 percent, paper consumption by 44 percent and net waste by 33 percent. Furthermore, environmentally certified floor space reached 62 percent, far surpassing the 45 percent target set in the Global Eco-efficiency Plan.

¹Scope 1 and 2: BBVA's direct and indirect emissions, excluding those of our clients.

Transition finance refers to instruments designed to fund the gradual reduction of emissions in industrial sectors that are hard to abate (i.e. difficult to decarbonize). Supporting the transformation of “hard-to-abate” industries through this type of financing is essential to advancing toward a low-carbon economy.

BBVA channeled €36 billion into sustainable business in the first quarter of 2026, an increase of 33 percent over the same period in the previous year. Of this amount, €12.6 billion came from Spain. This activity allows the bank’s clients to gain access to financing and solutions for the energy transition, efficient resource use and social challenges. With this achievement, the bank has reached a total of €170 billion toward its €700 billion target for the 2025 – 2029 period.

Iain McGilchrist is a psychiatrist, neuroscientist and philosopher specialising in the brain hemispheres and their influence on the human body, well-being, and social and cultural change.

Garanti BBVA has been recognized in two categories at the Environmental Finance Sustainable Debt Awards 2026 for Türkiye’s first biodiversity-themed bond issuance. The bond channels funding toward the protection of marine and freshwater ecosystems and introduces an innovative financing model in the sustainable debt markets.

BBVA channeled €30 billion into sustainable business for social activities in 2025, 52% more than in 2024, accelerating its growth rate. Activity was distributed across financing for entrepreneurs and microbusinesses, financing for the construction of social infrastructure, products for financial inclusion, social bond placements, loans linked to social indicators, and financing for clients whose activities generate a social impact.

BBVA’s Milan and São Paulo offices have earned the international LEED Gold certification for sustainable construction. This recognition confirms both spaces’ high environmental performance and their contribution to a more sustainable, efficient and people-centered work model.

Christophe Galfard is a theoretical physicist and science communicator, renowned for his ability to explain the great concepts of the universe in an accessible and engaging way. He earned his PhD at the University of Cambridge, where he worked alongside Stephen Hawking, one of the most influential figures in contemporary physics.

The BBVA Foundation presented its Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Climate Change and Environmental Sciences category to Carl Wunsch (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) for his foundational contributions to studies that revealed the impact of global warming on the world’s oceans. The awardee researcher “had the early insight that the ocean plays a central role in regulating Earth’s climate,” the committee noted.

Tessa Hulls is an artist, writer, and author of the graphic novel Feeding Ghosts, a work awarded the Pulitzer Prize. Her work explores memory, identity, and the traces of intergenerational trauma through the story of her own family.

Citizens, companies, city councils and institutions from all over the world will turn off the lights this Saturday, March 28 for Earth Hour to fight against climate change and the loss of biodiversity. BBVA participates for yet another year in this initiative organized by the World Wildlife Fund, turning off a hundred headquarters, corporate buildings and branches spread throughout all the countries where the bank is present.

Water is one of the four key areas in BBVA’s natural capital management. For the first time, the bank has published a comprehensive calculation of its water footprint. This measurement is based on 2024 data, showing a total water footprint for the Group of 8.6 million m3 equivalent, derived from direct and indirect activities and its environmental impact.

BBVA Research states that higher oil prices alone do not necessarily accelerate energy transitions. In a recent report, it argues that geopolitical crises drive energy diversification only when viable technological alternatives are available. The study highlights how perceived supply risk, technological readiness, and public policy shape the energy system.

Equality is not a destination that has been reached, but a daily commitment. On International Women’s Day, BBVA reaffirms its commitment to gender equality, underscoring the need to continue transforming the workplace and society as a whole.

Having insurance to cover unforeseen expenses (such as hospital stays, loss of income, or climate events) can mean the difference between moving forward and falling back into poverty. For those in vulnerable circumstances, these extra costs are a massive blow to their household economy. Microinsurance products are affordable financial tools designed to mitigate these risks, guaranteeing well-being and peace of mind in the face of the unexpected.

Much has been written about generational differences and how to classify the population according to someone's year of birth. The truth is that there is no exact or official definition of when a generation begins or ends and, depending on which demographers or researchers you consult, there are discrepancies about the years that comprise each generation.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one of the most influential literary and cultural voices of the 21st century. Born in the Nigerian city of Enugu in 1977, the writer grew up in an academic environment, developing her passion for literature and storytelling.

To reach the 2030 decarbonization targets and remain competitive in the European clean industrial transition, Spain and Portugal need up to €50 billion per year in additional public and private investment. This is according to the report, ‘Cleantech Investment Plan for the Iberian Peninsula’ by Cleantech for Iberia, which underscores that companies need greater financial support in the scaling phase to launch their projects.

BBVA’s sustainable business continued to grow at a strong pace in 2025. The bank channeled €134 billion, representing 44 percent growth over 2024. This figure marks an annual record for the financial institution, which aims to mobilize €700 billion between 2025 and 2029.

Achieving significant business growth and committing to ambitious climate action are not mutually exclusive, as demonstrated by the UK’s Atom bank, an app based savings and lending firm that BBVA has invested in since 2016. The bank's most recent annual Sustainability Report underscores key achievements in its commitment to becoming climate positive from 2035, notably a 22% reduction in operational emissions concurrent with a period of record balance sheet growth.

Garanti BBVA, in partnership with TUREMPA, removed over 60 tons of solid waste and 613,000 liters of liquid waste from marine ecosystems in the Marmara Sea, Lake Van, Göcek and the Saros Gulf in 2025.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and BBVA signed two key agreements to boost green finance. The first is an EIB guarantee line of up to €380 million for BBVA to finance green projects. The second is an advisory agreement, under which the EIB will provide consulting support to BBVA to strengthen its capabilities in climate action and environmental sustainability.

A custom-designed ATM manufactured from waste and scrap materials and powered entirely by renewable energy has become a symbol of how innovative employee ideas at Garanti BBVA are turned into tangible projects — and of how sustainability has become an organic part of the organization’s culture.

Boris Becker is a former German tennis player, coach, and writer, regarded as one of the most charismatic legends of modern tennis. In 1985, at just 17 years old, he made history by becoming the youngest Wimbledon champion, a victory that propelled him to worldwide fame. Throughout his career, he won six Grand Slam titles, a Davis Cup, and an Olympic medal, standing out for his aggressive playing style, powerful volley, and unbreakable competitive spirit.

The financial institution was proclaimed the best bank in Spain and Türkiye in the sixth edition of the Sustainable Finance Awards. Global Finance also recognized BBVA as the best bank for green bonds and presented the bank the award for sustainable finance deal of the year for the agreement with Verdalia to build biomethane plants.