BBVA has been selected to join the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index 2018, which recognizes companies’ achievements in gender equality policies, both regarding their employees and in support of social initiatives, along with their offering of products and services that prioritize this commitment. Garanti Bank, part of the BBVA Group, has also been included in the index.

U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed his attendance at this year’s annual World Economic Forum, which will kick off on January 23 at Davos, Switzerland. President Trump will share the spotlight with some 60 heads of state and government, and an ensemble of business leaders, scholars, artists and prominent figures from civil society. Together, they will seek to deliver on the meeting’s theme: “Creating a shared future in a fractured world.’ Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump will deliver the event’s opening and closing speeches, respectively.

BBVA Research maintains its forecasts for Spain’s GDP growth in 2017 and 2018 at 3.1% and 2.5%, respectively. In addition, it expects that the economic recovery will continue in 2019  (with a 2.3% increase in GDP) and that the improvement in the economy will translate into wage growth. BBVA Research’s latest Spain Economic Outlook was presented today by Jorge Sicilia, Chief Economist of the BBVA Group and Director of BBVA Research; Rafael Doménech, Head of Macroeconomic Analysis at BBVA Research; and Miguel Cardoso, Chief Economist for Spain and Portugal.  If these forecasts prove to be correct, Spain´s unemployment rate could drop to 13.4% by end of 2019, which would imply the creation of 860,000 jobs over the next two years.

For many people, a new year brings new resolve to set finances on firm footing, and for some, a consumer loan like the BBVA Compass Express Personal Loan may be the ticket to consolidating debt and lowering high interest rates.

BBVA presents Baby Planner, a new functionality within BBVA's app and website that allows customers and non-customers to understand the expenses associated with having a baby. The monetary expenditure for families with a child under three is 10% higher than for those without, as concluded by estimates from BBVA Research after factoring in other differences between households. This added functionality serves to give new parents the information they need to plan their finances. BBVA Baby Planner also provides the economic effects associated with maternity and paternity-leave and other schemes to offer “work-baby balance.”

Today marks the second anniversary of death of David Bowie, a pop icon who needs no introduction. Hundreds of lines have been written about his life, career and concerts. But what many are not aware of is that Bowie was also a pioneer in the financial world: he was the first artist ever to issue a “celebrity bond.”

The beginning of the normalization of monetary policy in 2018 should bring greater profitability for banks, a larger investor appetite and a positive outlook for the stock market. However, what is perhaps more important, the new policy will enable banks to meet one of their principal goals: supporting economic growth by financing companies and private individuals.

A chronic deficit in infrastructure for telecommunications and logistics has hindered  Argentina’s competitiveness in the tourism industry. Even so, since 2015 the country has moved up seven positions in the World Economic Forum’s biannual report on Latin America.

Argentina’s mega-deposit of non-conventional hydrocarbons is attracting investor attention at home and abroad. With pricing and labor costs now settled, investment figures are starting to arrive: President Macri has announced $5 billion, private companies estimate $8 billion and the total figure for the coming years stands at $120 billion.