Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. : BBVA joins the Startup Europe Partnership and the European Digital Forum initiatives

Participation in the European digital agenda

BBVA joins the Startup Europe Partnership and the European Digital Forum initiatives

• BBVA joins the Startup Europe Partnership and the European Digital Forum as founding partner to promote and speed up the creation of digital businesses in the EU
• Both initiatives are the result of the European Commission's plans to help European startups to grow and compete globally
• The program to support entrepreneurs and the innovation think tank have been announced at the Davos World Economic Forum

BBVA has joined as founding partner the European Commission's two main initiatives to drive innovation and leadership in Europe's digital economy. The Startup Europe Partnership aims to support entrepreneurs and their technology-based projects, while the European Digital Forum is the think tank where entrepreneurs, politicians and legislators will work together to define a series of common actions and goals to drive digital initiatives in Europe.

BBVA, together with EIB/EIF, Telefónica, Orange, IE Business School, Cambridge University and Humbolt University, are the first members of this new pan-European alliance, the Startup Europe Partnership (SEP). Its aim is to support European startups so they can grow and find the funding they need to become global corporations.

"At BBVA we are fully committed to the development of digital businesses. We are pioneers in their application in the financial sector and this is why we support these initiatives, so that European projects become global realities," BBVA President and COO Ángel Cano said.

The SEP, which will start operating in March 2014, will carry out its activities in three areas: encouraging meetings between entrepreneurs and large corporations to attract the investments needed to enable the successful execution of the most promising projects; identifying the main European startups, so they gain international visibility; and promoting the exchange of best practices among companies, venture capital funds and entrepreneurs.

European Digital Forum

BBVA has also joined the European Digital Forum (EDF), where Investment Bank Group, Telefónica and Orange are also taking part. This working group was set up with the aim of executing the 22 actions described in the Startup Manifesto, an initiative where nine of the leading European entrepreneurs linked to the Internet, as members of the so-called Leaders Club, have described the basic principles for Europe to stand out in the digital world.

The new think tank will convene an annual Digital Forum where Internet entrepreneurs will participate alongside political leaders and legislators. In addition, one of its first actions will be to publish an annual European Digital Economy Index with the ranking of the most digitally active European countries which have the largest ecosystem of innovative entrepreneurs. 

Both initiatives are an essential part of the European Commission's digital agenda, which is aimed at driving the digital economy in Europe. The digital agenda's commissioner and Vice-President of the European Commission, Neelie Kroes, made the official presentation at the Davos World Economic Forum.

Innovation is one of the strategic pillars of BBVA, which it combines with an open knowledge-exchange model where interaction with entrepreneurs plays a fundamental role. Being a founding partner of the Startup European Partnership and the European Digital Forum is a natural extension of BBVA's vision and commitment to the future.

Contact: 
Corporate Communication
Tel. [phone]
[e-mail]

For more financial information about BBVA, please visit:
http://shareholdersandinvestors.bbva.com

About BBVA

BBVA is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a solid position in Spain, it is the largest financial institution in Mexico and it has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States. Its diversified business is biased to high-growth markets and it relies on technology as a key sustainable competitive advantage. BBVA ranks among the leading Euro zone banks in terms of ROE and efficiency. Corporate responsibility is at the core of its business model. BBVA fosters financial education and inclusion, and supports scientific research and culture. It operates with the highest integrity, a long-term vision and applies the best practices. The Group is present in the main sustainability indexes.