1. There has been a successful placement of an issuance on the international markets. On April 8, 2013, BBVA Continental completed its third international issuance (United States, Europe and Latin America) of a 5-year USD 500m bond at a fixed coupon of 3.25%. The issuance was oversubscribed by 5.9 times, proving the continued confidence of investors in Peru and the soundness of BBVA in the country.
2. BBVA has received various awards and recognitions:
- BBVA Venezuela has for the seventh year in a row received the “Best Bank in Venezuela” award from the prestigious international publication Euromoney at the 2013 “Excellence Awards”, among the most important for the global financial industry.
- BBVA Venezuela has also received for the second time the “Great Place to Work 2013®” award, ranking second out of 18 companies providing the best place to work in Venezuela, and first among financial institutions in the country.
- In social responsibility, the Chilean government has honored the Group’s company Forum with the “Más por Chile” (More for Chile) seal for its “Niños Adelante” (Forward, children) program, which has been recognized for its contribution to the self-improvement and social integration of the most vulnerable people in the country.
- BBVA Colombia has for the third year in a row received the PCI Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard certification. This is a security standard required from organizations that process, transport or store the data of card users. BBVA Colombia is the only bank in the Colombian market with this recognition.
- BBVA Continental has been recognized as the best financial institution for quality of customer service, according to the analysis by Ipsos Apoyo among the main banks operating in Peru.
3. The area continues to be very active in social responsibility initiatives. Outstanding in this respect in the quarter have been:
- BBVA Colombia’s membership of the National Reading Plan, which aims to provide over 2,500 educational institutions across the country with seed libraries.
- In Peru, BBVA Asset Management Continental has launched the BBVA “Leer Es Estar Adelante” (Reading Means Keeping Ahead) fund, the first of its kind set up in the country to support a social cause: helping to improve children’s education.