Garanti BBVA, the BBVA Group’s Turkish franchise,  integrates climate change and inclusive growth within its core strategies. In line with that commitment, Garanti BBVA has launched a program of events called 'Sustainable Future in Exports' to support Türkiye’s adaptation to the European Green Deal and pave the way to sustainable investment. At the first event, held on November 23, 2022 at Fişekhane Istanbul, the bank explained the European Green Deal and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to the sectors and institutions–especially SMEs–that will be affected by the new rules governing exports to the EU.

BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila, alongside other leaders of major global companies, has signed a statement calling on world leaders and participants at the Sharm El Sheikh United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27) to commit convincingly to a just transition. "This transition needs a radical rethinking of how we do business," explains the statement from the Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders promoted by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Garanti BBVA has entered a strategic partnership with Erguvan, the country’s first and only digital carbon credit trading platform to accelerate compliance for its export clients and help them meet the target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Garanti BBVA’s Head of Customer Solutions and Digital Banking Işıl Akdemir Evlioğlu analyzed the latest developments in digitization and mobile banking, as well as the bank’s investments in this field, following 15 years of mobile banking.

The Group’s Turkish franchise adds a different dimension to its work on sustainability and inclusive growth, two areas at the center of its strategy.

BBVA is committed to clean energy and will support the energy industry in its transition. The bank has therefore announced it will reduce emissions from its oil and gas portfolio by 30% by 2030. This commitment is in addition to the bank's 2021 targets  in four other carbon-intensive sectors and the decision to stop financing coal companies, in line with the zero net emissions banking alliance (NZBA).

BBVA's decarbonization targets: What do they mean and what is their scope?

BBVA is part of a European high level expert group charged with providing recommendations to the European Commission to promote sustainable financing in emerging countries and bridge the gap that currently exists in financing the SDGs. BBVA is the only private bank in this group, which will present its recommendations in mid-2023.

Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, President of the Government of Spain, and Carlos Torres Vila, BBVA Chair, will open the BBVA Sustainability Forum 2022, on September 15 (4:30pm CEST) at Ciudad BBVA, Madrid. Teresa Ribera Rodríguez, the Third Vice-President of Spain and Minister for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, will also take part in the meeting.

BBVA's Turkish franchise is one of the main drivers of renewable energy projects in the country.

BBVA’s Global Head of Sustainability, Javier Rodríguez Soler, has been appointed Chair of the Advisory Board of the bank’s Center for Financial Education and Capability. The center, now celebrating its fifth anniversary, supports financial education as a tool to contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth.

BBVA has created a new sustainable loan that focuses on reducing water footprint, a key priority in many companies' sustainability policies. Iberdrola, one of the world leaders in sustainability, is the first company to formalize this innovative solution in the sustainable financing market, which can be structured as a bilateral or syndicated loan.

A recent report by Deloitte and the European Banking Federation (EBF) explains the role of the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) in a company, the qualities they should have and what the purpose and future of their work is. 

BBVA joins the global initiative the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Forum. BBVA is the first Spanish bank to join thisworking group, which already includes more than 400 entities, organizations orregulators around the world.

Grupo DEME, a marine engineering company with a global presence, signed a €20 million sustainable financing agreement with BBVA. The loan is part of an extensive financing package that will enable the Belgian group to finance further investments in its dredging and environmental activities. Based in Zwijndrecht (Belgium) with over 5,200 employees worldwide, the company is reinforcing its commitment to sustainability and the environment.

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.

BBVA mobilized €10.81 billion in sustainable financing between January and March, 2022, up 26% from the previous quarter, making it a quarter record. In total, BBVA has mobilized €96.7 billion in sustainable financing between 2018 and 2022’s first quarter.

BBVA's environmental footprint has decreased considerably in the past two years. In 2021, energy consumption per employee was 14% lower than in 2019, water consumption was 5% lower and paper consumption was 32% lower. Net waste per employee dropped by 52% over the same period.

On April 21, 2021, 43 financial institutions from around the world formed the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA).   BBVA now celebrates its first anniversary as a founding member by leading progress in the financial sector toward a more sustainable world.

BBVA’s donation drive in Spain among its employees, customers and non-customers has already collected two million euros, in addition to the bank’s own contribution of one million euros. Nearly 50,000 donors have joined this campaign in aid of Ukraine.

Uber, Instagram, Twitter, and Google are some of the companies in which Lowercase Capital & Lowercarbon Capital's founders invested when they were startups. Chris and Crystal Sacca have invested in innovative startups for years, first in technology and more recently in the fight against climate change. As widely known investors, activists and philanthropists in the U.S., they devote a major effort to environmental protection.

BBVA will co-chair the Climate Finance Leadership Initiative (CFLI) in Colombia, a new public-private partnership that aims to mobilize capital in support of Colombia's climate goals. The initiative will be replicated in other countries to close the climate finance gap in emerging markets.

Three energy projects financed by Garanti BBVA were recently presented with three awards by IJ Global, one of the world's leading journals for energy and infrastructure finance. The prestigious magazine recognized the bank for three projects it financed. The Star Refinery project was presented the award for the Oil and Gas Project of the Year in Europe; the Central Anatolian Natural Gas Combined Cycle Plant project (with installed capacity of 853 MW) won the award for the Best Energy Restructuring Project of the Year in Europe; and the Kalyon - YEKA Karapinar Solar Power Plant Project received the award for the Export Finance Agreement of the Year.

Garanti Bank is cooperating with the Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association/TURMEPA to further its goal of working toward a sustainable world and combating the climate crisis. Both organizations are collaborating to collect waste and prevent marine pollution in the Marmara Sea and the provinces of the region as part of the “Blue Breath Project”.

Given the massive influx of Ukrainian refugees leaving their country as a result of the Russian military invasion and looking for a place to live, BBVA has offered the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migrations 200 homes for refugees. The homes will be able to house up to 800 people and are spread throughout Spain, but are mostly located in Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia.

BBVA has launched its Global Financial Education Plan through 2025 with the aim of training one million people and reaching 50 million people who access BBVA content on this subject. The plan, which will be implemented in all countries where BBVA is present, has three lines of action in financial education: society, business support and collaboration.