BBVA Compass is back again heating up the summer days with its “Summer of Opportunity” initiative, brightening people’s future with gift cards, a “pay-it-forward” attitude, and a newly-added small business component.

The strategic consulting firm Bain & Company estimates that revenue from hardware, software and cloud services has now reached $180 billion, Europa Press reports. This represents 16 % of the Information Technology sector’s billing, a total of $1.1 trillion.

As reported in Europa Press, recent data from the CNMC Household Panel for the fourth quarter of 2016 conclude that 77 % of those who have a smartphone use it several times a day. The study notes that nine in ten internet users utilize WhatsApp, compared to the 24 % who use Facebook Messenger and 8 % who use Skype.

BBVA Global Executive Chairman Francisco González was very positive about the future of Mexico during his visit to the country for the annual meeting of BBVA Bancomer’s regional Board members. “The resilience of the Mexican economy to the recent challenges it has faced is admirable,” he affirmed. “In terms of the rest of Latin America, I’m also optimistic. Populist movements are losing steam and economic and political rationality is moving ahead.”

According to the CNMC Household Panel, a household and individual survey conducted twice a year, Netflix has doubled its users in half a year. 3.4 % of homes with Internet access, or 540,000 household in Spain use this movie and television streaming service.

According to a Moody’s study on ecommerce, online sales will grow an average of 12 % over the next two years in Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and Italy, Europa Press reports.

The challenges of financial inclusion: technological challenges and the role of women in the economy were the main topics addressed in the Forum on Financial Inclusion and Development organized by the BBVA Microfinance Foundation, Chaired by Her Majesty the Queen.

As reported in Expansión, each year IESE publishes the report Cities in Motion, which analyzes different aspects of 180 major cities in 80 countries to determine how smart they are. The purpose of the IESE study is to measure the future sustainability of the world’s largest cities, as well as residents’ quality of life. Topping the ranking for the second year in a row is New York City, followed by London and Paris. New York stands out as the economic capital of the world, and also has the second-best score in technology.

“The path is made by walking,” said the great poet Antonio Machado. In the case of BBVA, the path has more than 160 years of history, starting with the bank´s foundation and today, it has reached a turning point. The new BBVA is a global financial group leading the transformation of the banking industry worldwide, putting all the new opportunities within everyone´s reach.

According to data from BBVA Research’s Survey on Information and Communication Technology Equipment and Use in Households, there were 15 million online banking users in Spain in 2016 - a 64.5 % increase in six years. The figure represents 38.9 % of the total population (15.4 % more than in 2010) and 53.4 % of Internet users (12.5 % more than in 2010).