Carlos Torres Vila, CEO of BBVA, took part in the Encuentro Bancario Iberoamericano, (Ibero-American Bank Meeting) held today in Madrid. Asked how technology is conditioning the future of banking institutions, he said that “technology and globalization are affecting the banking business in a critical manner,” but that they also “allow us to do things more quickly and improve the experience of our customers.”

The number of cell phone lines offering voice services with mobile broadband in Spain broke the barrier of 40 million for the first time in March, after adding 148,684 new lines during the month, according to the monthly report by the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC).

During an informal conversation with Financial Times journalist Laura Noonan, Francisco González noted that these days everybody is talking about digital change, but "we have been working on it for years."  Transforming the bank "is not just a matter of platforms. The big challenge is changing an incumbent into a new digital company." Francisco González made these remarks during his participation in the closing of MoneyConf 2017, one of the top events in the European fintech calendar, held this year in Madrid.

Some 76% of Spaniards are willing to use mobile banking while on vacation – an increase of 166% from those who used it last year, according to a Ferratum report on fintech startups published today.

BBVA’s Global Head of Customer Solutions, Derek White, explained this morning that “It’s not longer about products, but about helping customers with their financial lives.” White participated in MoneyConf’s panel “Competition makes you smarter: Customer Centric banking,” where he exchanged ideas with Zopa CEO Jaidev Janardana and moderator Andrea Rexer, finance editor at Süddeutsche Zeitung.

Europa Press reports that smart factories’ productivity could increase up to 27% over the next five years thanks to investments in digitization - the equivalent of a $500 billion (444.75 billion euros) contribution to the global economy, according to the Capgemini study Smart Factories.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Investment Fund (EIF) have agreed to provide BBVA with a €143 million mezzanine guarantee facility to support investment projects for Spanish SMEs. The operation will allow BBVA to offer up to €1 billion in SME funding. The agreement, which has secured backing from the Investment Plan for Europe (also known as the ‘Junker Plan’) was signed today in Madrid by EIB Vice-President Román Escolano and BBVA CEO Carlos Torres Vila.

Seven out of every 10 people have a credit card, while five in 10 have a debit card. Nearly 50% of credit card owners used the cards as a payment method, financing their purchases with the available credit.

June 5 is World Environment Day, a UN initiative to raise awareness about the need to take care of the planet. BBVA will illuminate some of its most emblematic buildings in green as a gesture to signify its commitment to this cause.

According to a report by the Ipsos consulting firm for eBay, which analyzed consumers’ new habits in the growing collaborative economy, Spanish consumers obtain an average of €124 from online sales, Europa Press reports.