Adaptation to the environment is the main vector of operation and survival for a business. The technological environment plays a crucial role in this process. As a result, cybersecurity becomes a fundamental pillar and employees are key players. Not in vain, 62% of incidents of this nature that take place in organizations happen due to human error, as reflected in the latest ‘Cyberthreats and Trends’ report prepared by the National Cryptologic Center.

The Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem has grown and matured this year, with the fintech sector leading the way and a considerable boost from investors. While Madrid and Barcelona continue to dominate the national landscape, the Basque Country, Valencia and Malaga have increasingly prominent roles to play, and regions like the Canary Islands and Galicia are working hard to make a name for themselves. A tour of these areas shows the wealth of opportunities for innovation and the diversity of sectors.

BBVA's Chairman called on the entrepreneurial community to “continue to be brave and invest in green technologies” during his participation in the South Summit, where he stressed the need to continue supporting innovation, especially in the field of digitization and sustainability. “We need to decarbonize in 50 years, and that is going to require a lot of investment and innovation in technologies that do not exist today,” insisted the BBVA Chairman at this conference dedicated to startups and whose opening ceremony was presided over by His Majesty the King.

BBVA's Swiss subsidiary, which specializes in private banking, is launching New Gen, a new 100% digital investment account that can be accessed with an initial deposit of $10,000 or its equivalent in euros or Swiss francs.

Decentralized finance is a blockchain-based set of applications that, in principle, need no intermediaries to work. These financial products have similar characteristics to traditional services and their boom period could, to some extent, change the financial sector and give rise to both opportunities and challenges.

BBVA´s CEO was invited to speak at the third edition of an annual meeting organized by the students of the Koç School in Istanbul. The event analyzed opportunities in fintech as well as technology and digitization´s contribution to the banking sector.

As part of its work around helping people better understand their financial health and make better financial decisions, BBVA USA recently launched BBVA Insights in its online banking and mobile banking app.

Azlo, a provider of digital banking and business services for small businesses, is seeing a surge in new account openings in 2020 in the midst of the “Covid Economy” that is spurring new entrepreneurs into action. The digital business banking service—built from day one to serve the needs of small business owners—today announced it has doubled its customer count, year-to-date, and is launching a new subscription service, Azlo Pro, designed to further meet the needs of entrepreneurs around the U.S. by saving them time and money.

BBVA USA has been honored by Global Finance as one of the World’s Best Corporate/Institutional Digital Banks in North America for 2020.

In early August, BBVA USA announced it would be one of a few early adopter banks collaborating with Google on a digital bank account to be offered via Google Pay and launched in early 2021.

BBVA is the first bank in Spain to allow zero-touch cash withdrawals from its ATMs, called ‘contactless ATMs’. This new way of accessing cash not only streamlines the process, it also provides additional protection to customers during times of pandemic.

solarisBank, the German technology company with a banking license, has today announced a fresh €60 million investment injection to enable it to continue its growth plans.

BBVA USA today announced the launch of two digital updates designed to strengthen financial freedom. The bank launched its new mobile banking app, Mobile 9.0, and expanded transaction detail screen in mobile and online banking, both aimed at leveraging the bank’s technology expertise to provide a better experience and more control for customers.

BBVA in Uruguay has launched its banking application for Apple Watch, another innovation that makes life easier for customers.

Neither Google, Samsung, nor Amazon are banks. Yet they all provide financial services, specifically in the areas of payments and money transfers. Even Facebook is making plans for its own currency, Libra. Financial regulation needs to respond to the challenges of a changing landscape: fintech startups are paving the way for digital ecosystems while the Big Tech are taking steps to penetrate what has traditionally been banking territory.

Collaboration between banks and financial technology startups could be key for finding solutions in the new environment that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about. The digital event ‘BBVA Open Talks Global: Fintech Post-Covid’ included how the innovation ecosystem is reacting in the various countries where BBVA is present. Where Spain is concerned, innovation has accelerated and there are already tech solutions on the table to build a post-pandemic future.

Pablo Inchausti works at BBVA Argentina and is a very special member of the ‘Ninja’ initiative. In 2019, he became the first person to earn a black belt as part of this program designed to promote and give visibility to BBVA’s technological talent. Now he’s willing to help more and more colleagues do the same.