BBVA to address how to mobilize finance to move from ambition to action at COP31
BBVA Group will participate as a global bank in COP31, to be held in Antalya (Türkiye) from November 9 to 20, with an agenda focused on mobilizing finance to move from climate ambition and targets to action and implementation. BBVA and Garanti BBVA have organized more than 60 sessions to analyze investment opportunities and financial solutions that can contribute to the development of energy transition, industrial decarbonization, climate resilience, and nature protection projects.
The financing needed to execute climate transition projects will be a core pillar of BBVA and Garanti BBVA’s participation in the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31). The summit will bring together representatives from governments, international organizations, businesses, financial institutions, academic bodies, and civil society organizations in Antalya to discuss progress and challenges in climate action.
The summit will feature the participation of BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila and the bank's CEO, Onur Genç. Also attending will be the Global Head of Sustainability and Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB), Javier Rodríguez Soler, alongside the Global Head of Enterprise and Institutional Banking, Jaime Sáenz de Tejada.
Representing Garanti BBVA will be its CEO, Mahmut Akten; Executive Vice Presidents Sinem Edige and Cemal Onaran; and Sustainability Director İrem Barzılay.
BBVA and Garanti BBVA will host a pavilion in the Climate Finance Hub located in COP31's Green Zone. This venue will host panels, roundtables, and sectoral meetings bringing together companies, investors, financial institutions, public entities, and experts to share experiences, analyze investment needs, and explore collaborative frameworks.
BBVA and Garanti BBVA’s schedule of activities and related content regarding their participation in the summit are available on the COP31 microsite at bbva.com.
The program will address topics such as clean energy financing, electrification, industrial decarbonization, and carbon markets. It will also feature sessions on electric mobility, water management, biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, and the role of artificial intelligence in the climate transition.
The sessions will focus on projects being developed by companies across different sectors, the barriers hindering their financing, and solutions to facilitate their rollout.
Nature and social development will also feature on the agenda
In addition to energy transition financing, the program will address ecosystem protection, water resource management, and climate-related social challenges.
Garanti BBVA will present community investment initiatives and projects developed in collaboration with various organizations. Among them is Mavi Nefes (Blue Breath), an initiative focused on marine ecosystem protection that combines scientific research, technology, education, and citizen participation.
Female entrepreneurship, inclusive growth, education, equal opportunities, and youth engagement in the green transition will also be part of the discussions.
Alliances to drive projects beyond COP31
Collaboration among companies, financial institutions, public entities, and other stakeholders will be another core focus of BBVA and Garanti BBVA’s program in Antalya.
Through the meetings organized during the summit, both institutions will seek to identify investment opportunities, exchange insights on sectoral financing needs, and explore financial solutions for projects related to the energy transition.
BBVA and Garanti BBVA also aim for the relationships and contacts established during COP31 to foster new avenues of collaboration that continue beyond the summit. The goal is for discussions on climate finance to help identify projects and investment opportunities that translate climate commitments into real-world action.