Economy and Finance

BBVA customers in Italy can now stay connected wherever they travel by purchasing mobile data plans directly through BBVA’s app, bringing banking, payments and global connectivity together in one place. The service, launched through an agreement between BBVA and Gigs, represents another step in BBVA’s plan to broaden its range of products beyond financial services. The eSIM service has launched first in Italy with the possibility of future market expansion.

BBVA reported a net attributable profit of €9.07 billion for the period from January through September 2026, up 13.6 percent year-over-year (up 11.4 percent in constant euros) driven by strong recurring revenue (net interest income and fees and commissions). Earnings per share grew at a faster pace, rising 17.5 percent following the share buybacks carried out over the past 12 months. The Group maintains a distinctive combination of growth and profitability in Europe: lending increased by 20.4 percent year-over-year in constant euros¹, and ROTE reached 22 percent. The bank also boasts an industry-leading efficiency ratio of 37.9 percent and a strong CET1 capital ratio of 12.21 percent.

BBVA has surpassed one million customers in Italy as it marks five years since entering the country's retail banking market. This milestone confirms the strong reception of its 100% digital banking model, where the key goal is to become the primary bank for Italian customers, as BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila highlighted during his visit to celebrate the anniversary. BBVA is reaffirming its long-term commitment to the Italian market, where it also has a significant Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) business, supporting Italian companies in their growth and international expansion plans.

In the photo: Walter Rizzi, Head of Digital Banking at BBVA Italy; Carlos Torres, Chair of BBVA; Alberto Maroni, Head of BBVA CIB Italy; and Murat Kalkan, Global Head of Digital Banks at BBVA, yesterday during the BBVA Chair’s visit to Italy.

This Wednesday, October 14, BBVA will resume the execution of its extraordinary share buyback programme of up to €2 billion euros, announced on July 30. Following the completion of the first tranche of €1 billion euros, the bank will repurchase shares for a further maximum amount of €1 billion euros.

BBVA is entering a new phase from a position of leadership and credibility, following years of transforming its business model and building relationships with its customers. In the current environment, the bank aims to accelerate its growth in Spain by focusing on three levers: expanding its customer base, deepening customer relationships and increasing its presence in higher-value businesses such as the enterprise segments, insurance and Global Wealth. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be the key accelerator in this new phase, with customers at the heart of the transformation and an increasingly simple, hyper-personalized and specialized experience. This was highlighted by BBVA’s country manager in Spain, Peio Belausteguigoitia, during a meeting with analysts and investors.

BBVA has completed the first tranche of the extraordinary €2 billion share buyback programme it announced at the end of July. Between 5 August and 1 October 2026, the bank repurchased shares worth €1 billion.

BBVA Digital Banks and eDreams ODIGEO are launching a strategic partnership to promote integrated digital experiences across travel and financial services. The collaboration, which begins in Italy and Germany, aims to bring together the capabilities and expertise of both companies to develop new digital propositions. As a first step, an exclusive campaign will launch in Germany in September for new customers of  BBVA Germany who are eligible to participate and enjoy one year of Opodo Prime Plus free of charge, an online travel subscription programme offering exclusive benefits and discounts on flights, hotels, trains and car rentals.

Artificial intelligence is fueling an unprecedented surge in demand for digital infrastructure. But increasingly, the defining challenge facing the sector is not computing power alone. It is energy.

Garanti BBVA has won two awards at Global Finance’s AI in Finance Awards 2026: “Best Personalized Financial Advice in Türkiye” and “Best Personalized Financial Advice in Western Europe.” The awards recognize the bank’s AI-powered approach to providing personalized financial advice. They also qualify Garanti BBVA for the global Round II judging, with the winners to be announced in Singapore in October.

BBVA closed a $2.3 billion senior non-preferred (SNP) debt issuance on Tuesday, structured in three tranches: two three-year tranches — one $1 billion fixed-rate tranche and a $300 million floating-rate tranche — and a third $1 billion fixed-rate tranche with a five-year maturity.

Türkiye Garanti Bankası A.Ş. has released its financial statements for the six months ended 30 June 2026. Based on the consolidated financial statements, the Bank recorded net income of TL 64.4 billion in the first six months of the year. Total assets stood at TL 5.2 trillion, while the Bank’s contribution to the economy through cash and non-cash loans reached TL 3.9 trillion.

BBVA recorded a net attributable profit of €6.05 billion in the first six months of 2026, which represents an 11.1 percent increase year-over-year (up 10.0 percent at constant exchange rates). These results reflect the strong performance of recurring revenue, supported by loan growth (up 17.7 percent at constant exchange rates)¹. From January to June, the Group reached new heights in profitability and value creation for shareholders, with ROTE at 22.2 percent and tangible book value per share plus dividends increasing 21.8 percent year-over-year².  Today, BBVA announced the launch of a new €2 billion extraordinary share buyback program. The first €1 billion tranche will begin on August 5.³

Corporate finance leaders are constantly evaluating how to fund growth, improve liquidity, and diversify sources of capital. For companies with portfolios of loans, receivables, leases, or other predictable cash-flowing assets, asset-backed securities (ABS) offer an additional financing option. By transforming those assets into securities sold to institutional investors, securitization has become an established component of the U.S. capital markets.

Garanti BBVA has joined Swift’s new payment scheme as a sending bank—a first for Türkiye—offering customers faster, more transparent international money transfers with upfront fee visibility and end-to-end tracking. The service is initially available for transfers to the UK, Spain, Australia, the US, and Germany.

BBVA has placed €1.25 billion in a green senior non-preferred issuance maturing on June 30, 2031. The transaction was very well received by investors, with demand exceeding €3.2 billion, more than 2.5 times the final issue size.

Europe and Spain have a historic opportunity ahead of them to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of their economies and accelerate innovation through artificial intelligence (AI). During the opening of the 43rd Seminar of the Association of Economic Information Journalists (APIE) at the Menéndez Pelayo International University (UIMP), in Santander, BBVA Chair Carlos Torres Vila stated that the key will be to accelerate the adoption of this technology and turn its potential into growth, shared prosperity and greater strategic autonomy. He also explained that BBVA has accelerated its transformation with the goal of leading banking in the age of artificial intelligence. To achieve this, the bank has launched a roadmap aimed at expanding the use of AI across the organization and industrializing the creation, deployment, management and governance of intelligent agents at scale.

BBVA’s Investor Relations team has been recognized at the prestigious IR Impact Awards, held last week in London, winning in the categories of Best Retail IR Strategy and Best Sell-Side Management.

BBVA Mexico participated as bookrunner in Grupo Carso’s bond issuance (Certificados Bursátiles) for an amount of MXN 4.5 billion, identified under ticker symbol GCARSO 26, a transaction that contributes to strengthening the financial strategy of one of Mexico’s most significant business conglomerates.

BBVA Mexico cemented its leadership in international markets yesterday with the successful placement of $1 billion in senior unsecured notes with a five-year maturity and a fixed rate of 5.4%.

Garanti BBVA scooped three awards in the Central & Eastern Europe category of the World’s Best Investment Banks 2026 Awards announced by Global Finance. The bank cemented its regional standing by performing strongly in debt capital markets and infrastructure finance, building close relationships with international investors, and successfully executing transactions.

Fitch Ratings has upgraded BBVA’s long-term issuer default rating by one notch from A- to A. This upgrade is due to a methodological change under which the agency now uses senior preferred debt, instead of senior non-preferred debt, as the reference for this rating.

BBVA´s business unit dedicated to high-growth companies has provided approximately 1 billion euros in bank financing, establishing a model that aligns with the needs of entrepreneurs.

BBVA is strengthening its commitment to growth in Germany with the appointment of Jürgen von der Lehr as Head of its Digital Bank in the country, a key role in adapting the bank’s value proposition in one of Europe’s largest and most competitive financial markets.

BBVA reported a profit of €2.99 billion in the first quarter of 2026, a 10.8% increase yoy (up 14.1% at constant exchange rates), supported by momentum in the banking business: customer loans grew 17% (at constant exchange rates), boosting net interest income by more than 20% yoy. This growth was accompanied by high levels of profitability and value creation for shareholders: ROTE stood at 21.7% and tangible book value per share plus dividends rose 18.1% yoy¹. All this with a solid capital position, with the CET1 ratio reaching 12.83% at the end of March. On May 6, BBVA will begin the final tranche of the extraordinary share buyback program, with a maximum amount of €1.46 billion.

BBVA supported Bladex in its latest local market debt issuance. Since 2012, the bank has placed more than MXN 49 billion across 17 long-term issuances in Mexico, thereby consolidating its position as a recognised and repeat issuer in the market.

Promoting a value and capital creation mindset is one of BBVA’s six new priorities under its 2025–2029 Strategic Plan. According to Luisa Gómez Bravo, BBVA’s Chief Financial Officer, “This strategic priority is about changing the way we think, generating capital and value before making each decision.” It also incorporates a long-term perspective, ensuring that growth is profitable and sustainable over time.

BBVA has completed the second tranche of the €3.96 billion framework program announced in December 2025 – the largest in its history – after reaching the maximum planned amount of €1.0 billion.