BBVA - Press Room

• BBVA was also named best bank in Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela and Paraguay
• Euromoney acknowledged BBVA’s lead role in Latin American banking and the good earnings it has posted in the region
• According to the head of BBVA South America, Vicente Rodero, BBVA has the best market position in the banking business in Latin America. He noted that the awards are the result of the strategy the Group has implemented in the region for the purpose of generating greater efficiency and profitability

BBVA has been recognized as the Best Bank in Latin America in the 2009 Euromoney Awards for Excellence, one of the most prestigious awards in the financial industry each year. The prize recognizes BBVA’s leadership in the region’s banking business and the good earnings it has generated in an environment  complicated by the international economic crisis. Vicente de la Parra, Innovation and Development manager for BBVA South America, accepted the award on behalf of the lender.   BBVA was also named best bank in Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela and Paraguay.

According to Euromoney, BBVA stands out for the strength of its earnings at the Latin American business. The publication also praised BBVA South America General Manager Vicente Rodero's statements on the need for prudence and for gauging risk in the current international crisis in conjunction with a firm commitment to continue boosting market share in the markets in which it does business. 

“BBVA is the best-positioned bank in Latin America, its lenders are sound and have significantly grown their customer bases, with more than 27 million clients in the region, thanks to our focus on banking penetration, and we are well on the way to posting excellent earnings for 2009,” said Vicente Rodero. The awards are the result of the strategy BBVA has implemented in the region, a strategy which aims to improve efficiency and profitability, he said. 

The best bank in Mexico, Argentina, Venezuela and Paraguay

BBVA also received a Euromoney award for being the best bank in Mexico.  The international publication emphasized BBVA Bancomer’s strategy for strengthening its lead role in the country’s banking business, which saw the lender open 20,000 points of sale in 2008 and install 761 new ATMs.   Additionally, Euromoney noted BBVA Bancomer's position as the Group’s best franchise in the region.

Similarly, Euromoney honored BBVA Banco Francés as the best lender in Argentina, praising its excellent results and its 36.8-percent earnings increase in 2008. This growth rate, which continued in the first quarter of 2009, quadrupled that registered in the same quarter a year earlier, giving the bank an edge over its biggest competitors.

Meanwhile, for the third consecutive year BBVA Banco Provincial was named best bank in Venezuela, with Euromoney highlighting its ability to best navigate the development of its business in that country while remaining a benchmark for soundness, efficiency and profitable growth.

Also for the third straight year, Euromoney honored BBVA as the best bank in Paraguay, noting that its growth strategy continues to generate very good earnings which are cementing its position as the leader of a range of market segments.

The awards were distributed Wednesday night at a ceremony in London attended by the leading figures in the global financial industry.

BBVA is a global financial services provider with a solid leadership position in Spain, where it was founded more than 150 years ago.  It has a leading franchise in South America; it is the largest bank in Mexico, has a significant position in the US and is one of the few major international groups present in China.   BBVA has 112,400 employees in over 30 countries worldwide, more than 47 million customers and 900,000 shareholders.