BBVA acted as advisor and lead coordinator in the first-ever sustainable bond issued by Government of Navarre. For the first time in its history, Navarra will finance projects with a positive environmental or societal impact through capital markets.

Carlos Torres Vila studied at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which is where he gave his first interview since becoming BBVA's Executive Chairman. He was in Boston to present OpenMind’s new book, 'Towards a New Enlightenment? A Transcendent Decade’ and sat down with the Spanish newspaper, ‘El Mundo,’ to discuss the explosion of technology in the banking industry. He believes data is fundamental: "It is crucial that the data revolution is universal. The most vulnerable in society cannot be left behind.”

Art as an investment is gaining momentum as a way to help diversify wealthy customers’ portfolios. BBVA’s global private banking unit, Global Wealth, has an agreement with the consulting firm The Fine Art Group to offer its customers comprehensive art advisory services. The goal is for high net-worth customers to understand and manage art as an investment.

Garanti Bank customers can now personalize their health insurance coverage on the Garanti Cep app. Customers can select the level of health coverage they prefer, adding or removing services as needed.

BBVA names David Puente as global head of Client Solutions, replacing Derek White. Ricardo Martín Manjón will become the new global head of Data.

Current progress in finalizing the Banking Union has been insufficient. There are still a number of elements to be settled, fundamentally resolution, insolvency, and the deposit guarantee scheme. “It will not be easy to reach an agreement on the most important aspects prior to the European elections for parliament, but it is critical to do so as soon as possible to avoid jeopardizing member countries’ commitment to the Banking Union,” maintains José Manuel González-Páramo, BBVA executive board member.

The Juncker Plan, which was launched in 2004, has helped reduce the investment gap caused by the economic and financial crisis. Looking forward to the next decade, Europe should focus on a two-pronged strategy: implementing a greener sustainable investment model and backing key digital capabilities. According to BBVA's executive board member, José Manuel González-Páramo, Europe must develop a forward-looking sustainable finance model.

In response to the growing demand for passive investment instruments, BBVA Asset Management is encouraging institutional investors to use its range of passively managed index funds, called Bindex. This product line facilitates efficient portfolio creation thanks to the simple nature and low cost of the instruments.

The deal, structured as per the German debt instrument, is worth €220 million, which will be allocated to sustainable projects. Blockchain technology was used to manage the negotiation of the deal, and both BBVA and Madrid’s regional government used their own nodes to establish a network between the two parties.

In line with its digital transformation strategy, BBVA has launched a new form of corporate loan, the digital facility (D-Loan), and signed the first ever financing of this kind with Olam International, a leading food and agri-business company headquartered and listed in Singapore. As provider of this innovative solution, BBVA acted as digital advisor and coordinator under the new USD 350 million revolving credit facility. BBVA was also the facility agent for the other 6 banks that participate in the financing.