2016 will be even better for BBVA
Speaking to the media minutes before BBVA’s Annual General Meeting, held today in Bilbao, Francisco González went over some of the key points of the Group’s performance in 2015 and shared his insights into the Spanish and global economic context.
BBVA’s Executive Chairman underscored the strides achieved during the past year in the bank’s transformation process, while - at the same time - strengthening capital levels and growing both in Spain and abroad. “We are consolidating a first-class team that will bring this bank, BBVA, enormous opportunities to do especially significant things in the future. 2016 will be even better for BBVA."
Regarding the situation in Spain, Francisco González stressed that unemployment could fall below 10% if job creation continues at the current rate, which has led to one million new jobs over the past two years. BBVA’s Global Executive Chairman believes that realistic policies that contribute to political stability need to be implemented, and not utopias that create frustration among citizens. Employment is a key factor in this process; “Therefore, what we have to do is create as many jobs as possible for Spaniards. We should focus on that and have realistic policies.”
To conclude, Francisco González said that there is some uncertainty at a global level, as a result of the little leeway that remains for monetary and fiscal policies. However talking about the Group’s outlook, he made it clear that he expects 2016 to be a much better year for BBVA, with significant growth in subsequent years.