"Ethics is the purpose of having people at the center of the business model , which implies that self-regulation goes far beyond what is required by law," defended Eva Piera, global director of Institutional Relations of BBVA at campus of the University of Navarra, in a lecture organized by the high school business and Humanism.

Piera participated as speaker in the Week of update of high school, which takes place between May 2 and 6 under the general topic business and Public Goods.

The executive explained BBVA's "principle-based profitability" model , which is guided by "integrity, transparency and prudence", based on "transparent, clear and manager" communication. The goal is, of course, to provide a better service to customers and society as a whole, but also "to rebuild the trust and credibility lost by the banking sector in recent times," she explained.

The impact of the previous crisis was not only economic for the banking industry. "There will always be crises, but it's about being prepared for them. In the past, families have made bad financial decisions that have caused a lot of suffering. It is not the same going into a crisis over-indebted as not, knowing that jobs are not for life. We will not avoid crises, but we will avoid some of the most serious consequences," he argued.

For this reason, BBVA has deployed a whole battery of communication tools aimed at influencing the Education financial. "It is an issue that is at the forefront of the public agencies of international organizations," he stressed.

This gave rise to initiatives such as the Education financial day in Spainwhich stresses the importance of planning, saving and information in the family economic management . Also the plan My retirement, which has simulated more than 2,400,000 retirements since 2013. "And it is not just to sell pensions, it is a banking model manager : that make informed decisions, and then the customer contracts with the entity that gives you the desire," he stressed.

Along with the financial Education , which also includes SMEs and businesses, where "a bad financial decision can determine the viability of a business project ", BBVA works with "products of high social impact": groups with special needs, socially responsible investment manager and financial inclusion, especially in Latin America. "The idea is to bring the possibilities of this new era to everyone. Universal access to an account and to financial products. It does not have a mercantilist sense, but rather financial aid to better manage their risks: where to save, alternative means of payment to cash, access to credit and insurance, and a regulated system that provides protection," explained Piera.

As could not be otherwise, BBVA relies on the potential of new technologies to reach these audiences: "They make it much easier to meet needs, since we are more efficient. It increases the scalability of costs and allows us to offer services that are more adapted to each case".

This is the origin of realities such as microfinance: "We facilitate access to credit to micro-entrepreneurs who are at the bottom of the pyramid. 6,591,000,000 euros lent and more than 1,700,000 entrepreneurs served in 2015, 83% of them in status of vulnerability; that is social impact," he sentenced.