BBVA to Be the Global Banking Partner of the United Nations Climate Summit (COP31) in Türkiye
BBVA has announced that it will take part as the Global Banking Partner of the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), to be held from November 9 to 20 in the city of Antalya, Türkiye. Through this partnership, the bank will work alongside the climate summit’s Presidency and the United Nations to continue driving financing for the energy transition and accelerate the roll-out of solutions for a low-carbon economy.
“This year, the global climate summit, COP31, will be held in one of the most important countries for BBVA—Türkiye—and specifically in the city of Antalya. For years, the COPs have defined the global climate framework. Now a new stage is beginning: implementation. And in it, BBVA and the financial sector have a decisive role to play in turning ambition into action and impact,” said BBVA CEO Onur Genç.
“We are proud to support the United Nations and the COP31 Presidency as the Global Banking Partner. We will bring our capabilities, our client relationships and our experience in developed and emerging markets to help advance their priorities. I would like to invite companies, institutions, public-sector players and civil society to join us at this event,” he said.
COP31 President and Türkiye’s Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Murat Kurum, said: "At the COP31 Summit, which we will host in Antalya this year, we will join forces with all stakeholders to demonstrate Türkiye’s determination to take climate action by bringing together the strengths of the public and private sectors. As part of this effort, we have taken an important step together with our banking sector. Garanti BBVA and the BBVA Group have become the Global Banking Partner of COP31. I met with Garanti BBVA CEO Mahmut Akten to discuss how we can contribute throughout this process. We are pleased that Garanti BBVA and BBVA, which have always stood by our country on its sustainable development journey, will also contribute to COP31. We will continue to take consistent steps to turn commitments into action at COP31."
Implementation and impact
This summit will mark a new stage in international climate action, with a focus on implementing the commitments made in recent years. At COP31, BBVA will bring its experience in channeling sustainable business, financing, advisory services and climate risk management to support individuals, companies, institutions and other economic players in developing projects linked to the energy transition.
BBVA’s presence at the event will center on six areas that are also priorities for COP31: financing electrification and sustainable infrastructure at scale; driving and financing emerging clean technologies (‘cleantech’); sustainability across value chains; climate resilience and nature; sustainability for all; and developing a financial system that helps accelerate the transition.
BBVA will have a strong presence at COP31, with sustainability experts and Group executives joining Garanti BBVA’s local leaders and taking an active part in the official program and in various discussion forums.
The bank will have its own pavilion of around 400 square meters in the Green Zone, designed as an open space for dialogue, collaboration and innovation. The pavilion will host high-level sessions, client meetings and roundtables with business and institutional leaders, as well as events focused on sustainable finance, the energy transition, clean technologies and the development of solutions to accelerate decarbonization. The aim is for the pavilion to become a key venue for building partnerships, sharing knowledge and promoting tangible initiatives.
Sustainability is one of BBVA’s strategic priorities and a driver of growth for the bank. BBVA channeled €134 billion in sustainable business in 2025, an annual record for the bank and 44% more than the previous year. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, it reached €36 billion in sustainable business, and from 2025 up to that quarter it has channeled a total of €170 billion, as part of its goal of reaching €700 billion over the 2025–2029 period.
Dialogue, consensus and action
COP31 (Conference of the Parties) will bring together almost 200 countries to assess global progress on climate change and advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
This year’s edition will focus in particular on delivering on climate commitments, with special attention to financing, electrification, resilience and the transformation of production systems, fostering dialogue, consensus and action among all those involved.
By hosting COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye will be at the center of the global climate agenda, creating an opportunity to strengthen public-private collaboration and attract new investment to help accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.