Over the past year, BBVA Open Innovation, the area of the bank that works to connect with the FinTech ecosystem, has generated 310 interactions between entrepreneurs and business areas. Thanks to these contact points, BBVA successfully carried out 16 pilot tests with startups in 2019 alone, one third of which are now in the marketing phase. In addition, a further 38 collaborative initiatives are in the process of being defined and implemented.

A European Commission (EC) expert group has called on regulators to respond to the changing nature of fintech to ensure customers can continue to see the rewards the sector brings.

Last week, BBVA officially opened its latest Open Space, in Bogotá. Located in the heart of the Colombian capital, it is the third such space opened by the bank. The site, which led a previous life as a BBVA Innovation Center, has been under construction for the past year in preparation for its relaunch as Open Space Bogotá. Jaime Espinosa, Director of BBVA Open Innovation in Colombia, explains why the bank decided to launch a new Open Space, and the impact he hopes it will have on the local fintech community.

In mid-September, BBVA Open Platform announced that it was working with Catch to provide banking and payment services for gig workers.

What were the hottest digital transformation trends in banking in 2019? Which ones should we keep an eye on in 2020? The banking sector’s interest in the latest developments in cyber security, computing or gamification grows day by day. For disciplines such as 'pentesting', quantum computing or development with the Unity engine, the future looks bright.

With the advent of big data, banks like BBVA are better able to harness the power of information to improve customer experience and provide advice, products and services - all personalized to your unique situation.

As part of BBVA’s commitment to improving its products and value proposition for customers, the bank continues reinforcing its love story with fintech startups. With its Open Marketplace platform, the group has challenged the startups to solve four technological challenges its business units have identified in process automation, energy efficiency, international transactions and corporate financing.

Business Insider today named BBVA USA as a leader in its Business Insider Intelligence 2019 Mobile Banking Competitive Edge study, the third year the financial and business news company has conducted the proprietary research and the second year BBVA has been evaluated.

BBVA has returned today to the markets with an issuance of 1,000 million euros of senior debt with maturity in November 2026. Demand has exceeded 2.4 times the initial offer, which has allowed reducing the initial price indication by around 20 basis points, to mid swap plus 52 points. The coupon was 0.375%, a historical minimum reference for a seven-year preferred debt issue. No issue premium has been paid, which demonstrates the quality of the price reached.

Prosper, a leading online marketplace lending platform connecting borrowers and investors, together with the U.S. subsidiary of Madrid-based BBVA, announced their collaboration in providing a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) available through Prosper’s website (www.prosper.com).