BBVA Sustainability Projects

BBVA closed 2023 reporting good progress in decarbonizing its credit portfolio. Improvements in plan delivery reached 24 percent in key sectors —such as oil and gas— for which 2030 targets were set. As of December 2023, 80% of the finance portfolio in high-emission sectors relates to clients actively managing their transition, according to the latest TCFD report published by the bank.

BBVA widens its sustainable business with a global finance unit that will focus on cleantech innovation, announced BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila at the 3rd BBVA Sustainability Forum, held Thursday at the bank's headquarters in Madrid. The specialized team, based in New York, London and Madrid, will offer lending and advisory services.

Garanti BBVA is in the process of installing solar panels on buildings at its Pendik Campus, on the Güneşli Service Building and on top of the bank’s ATMs. The solar energy project is part of Garanti BBVA’s commitment to fight the climate crisis and support renewable energy.

As part of its efforts to further increase financing for renewable energy projects, Garanti BBVA recently announced an agreement to provide €36.1 million in financing to Galatya Energy Production Inc. for the Işıklar Wind Power Plant.

BBVA is investing $25 million (€23.6 million¹) in climate fund Decarbonization Partners Fund I, which raises the bank’s total investment in climate-related funds to €108.4 million. The bank is actively contributing to the decarbonization of the economy through its participation in funds of this kind.

BBVA has invested 25 million dollars in a new round of financing from the venture capital fund Lowercarbon, which specializes in decarbonization. This new investment, added to a previous one of 20 million reaching a total of 45 million, will be allocated to disruptive solutions with enormous potential, including new technology based on nuclear fusion.

BBVA plans to invest in Suma Capital’s 3rd Sustainable Investment Fund, which specializes in the energy transition, the circular economy and in particular waste management for energy production: biogas and biomethane. The financial institution is investing in this reference fund for sustainable infrastructure in Spain as part of its investment strategy for climate funds. Through these investments, BBVA is contributing to the decarbonization of the planet.

BBVA Asset Management published its first report on environmental activity, based on the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate Financial Disclosures (TCFD). It is the first Spanish asset manager to make this commitment to transparency. The report includes the environmental progress of the asset management area and incorporates information on the risks and opportunities associated with climate change.

BBVA and IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, announced the launch of Colombia's first blue bond at the 2023 Banking Convention in Cartagena.

BBVA Asset Management (BBVA AM) has announced the winners of the fifth BBVA Sustainable Future Solidarity Call for Proposals, which distributes a total of one million euros among 23 NGOs throughout Spain. Their solidarity projects are framed within the areas of social inclusion, dependency, the elderly and health, and the environment. In these five years, BBVA AM has distributed more than €4.2 million among a total of almost 100 solidarity projects, generating a direct and indirect positive impact on more than 370,000 people.

BBVA has invested $20 million in Just Climate’s Climate Assets Fund I (“CAF I”) whose objective is to invest in the highest impact solutions that can radically reduce or remove emissions, while generating attractive risk-adjusted financial returns.

BBVA has gained recognition from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, as the first 'EDGE Champion' in the Peruvian banking industry, after certifying more than 250,000 square meters of sustainable construction built to EDGE standards.

Mace, the company that managed the construction of the iconic London Eye, has become a global benchmark for sustainability in the construction industry. It has committed to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (CO2) by 10 percent each year, save 10 million tons of carbon for its clients and contribute to biodiversity gain through the protection of 500 hectares. BBVA is supporting the construction company in this transition.

The President of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou, and the country manager of BBVA Uruguay, Alberto Charro, gave the opening presentations at the BBVA Sustainability Forum this Tuesday in Montevideo. A meeting where government officials, experts and the business community analyzed various initiatives to support the fight against climate change. BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila recorded a video message in which he stressed the need for all countries to join the race to decarbonization in Latin America, and emphasized the progress in Uruguay in its transition toward a more sustainable economy.

In line with its Net Zero Banking Alliance commitments, Garanti BBVA announced its interim decarbonization targets for 2030. As the first bank in Türkiye to announce that it will no longer fund coal-related projects, Garanti BBVA joined the UN-convened Net Zero Banking Alliance in 2021.

BBVA has published its clients’ progress toward decarbonization in the initial version of its climate transition plan. The bank is one of the first in the world to apply the recommendations by the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) to define a transition plan. Emissions declined in all sectors with published decarbonization indicators. BBVA’s goal is to finance this emission reduction by its clients.

BBVA is the only Spanish financial institution that is a member of the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Finance Industry Advisory Board, which held its first meeting in Paris. This initiative aims to be an institutional channel between the agency, the finance community and energy policy makers in order to promote dialogue on the issues that affect energy investments, in particular those related to the transition toward clean energy.

Matrix Renewables, the TPG Rise-backed global renewable energy platform, and BBVA have announced the closing of €40 million in sustainable financing to begin the construction of two solar plants, Zaratán and Arroyadas, in the municipality of Valladolid, in northwest Spain. The new plants will lead to the creation of 500 local jobs during the construction phase.

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.

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.

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

Around four million people have potentially benefited from the social bond that BBVA issued in 2021, in a placement that amounted to 1 billion euros. Almost 50% of the amount was allocated to the access to essential services category (health, education and financial services), followed by socioeconomic advancement and empowerment (37%), affordable basic infrastructure (12%) and affordable housing (0.6%). Such is the conclusion of the 2021 Green and Social Bonds Report just published by the bank. The document details the environmental and social impact generated by the projects and loans that have been financed with the proceeds of the green and social bonds issued by BBVA, S.A. since 2018, amounting to a total of €5 billion, of which €3 billion were green bonds and €2 billion were social bonds.

BBVA financed almost €14.5 billion between April and June 2022, up 50% from the same period from the previous year. This is the quarter that has mobilized the largest amount. Moreover, since 2018, it has financed a total of almost €112 billion and thereby has exceeded half of its 2025 goal set at €200 billion.