BBVA, a Group concerned with key issues that impact society
BBVA wants to find out what the key issues of concern to society are in the different countries where it operates. To do so, it makes use of a variety of research tools. The Bank regularly determines whether the key issues are still current, or there have been any changes to them. BBVA also identifies any other new aspects of relevance to society.
As a result of the economic crisis, society’s main concern is unemployment…
This year, due to the persistent crisis, public opinion is giving increasing importance to the economic situation and unemployment, which are the two most important problems for citizens in most of the analyzed countries. The third most important is crime/safety (in Mexico, it is the greatest concern).
…the priority in the financial sector is for banking functions to be carried out with integrity
The issues that citizens consider a bank should address as a priority are related to carrying out the normal financial business correctly. Specifically, the main demands are related to the ethical behavior of financial institutions (mainly in Europe), their real focus on customers (in particular greater demands with respect to prices, especially, in Latin America) and access to credit as a way of boosting economic growth and employment in the current crisis.
Bearing in mind these factors, the list of relevant issues for both BBVA and its stakeholders is as follows:
| Ranking | Issue | Main increases in importance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Working in accordance with the highest ethical standards | ▲ |
| 2 | Value for money (fees, interest rates) | ▲ |
| 3 | Quality of products and services | ▲ |
| 4 | Access to loans (individuals and companies) |
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| 5 | Contribution to a strong economy/job creation |
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| 6 | Financial profitability and sustainability of the Institution |
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| 7 | Transparency/accountability |
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| 8 | Clear and transparent language |
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| 9 | Banking penetration into the low income population |
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| 10 | Support for governments regarding most significant issues for the population |
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| 11 | Marketing products with complexity adapted to target audience |
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| 12 | Financial literacy |
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| 13 | Responsible project finance |
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| 14 | Remuneration for executives and board members |
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| 15 | Fraud prevention measures |
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| 16 | Working on employee development and motivation |
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| 17 | Promoting equality and diversity |
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| 18 | Community involvement actions |
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| 19 | Using technology to benefit people: multi-channel banking |
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| 20 | Protecting privacy |
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| 21 | Work-life balance |
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| 22 | Ecoefficiency |
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| 23 | Design of socially and environmentally responsible products |
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| 24 | Humanitarian aid |
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BBVA has worked intensely in 2012 to prepare a new Strategic Corporate Responsibility and Reputation Plan designed to integrate stakeholder expectations into the Group’s key management processes.