BBVA is divided into three kinds of areas and units: Business, Support and the Chairman’s Office. The first two are the direct responsibility of the president (COO) and the third comes under the chairman (CEO). The business units are defined as “value-creation centres” with direct responsibility for market approach, growth and their own income statement. This is part of the empowerment plan for business units and part of BBVA’s corporate culture.

The purpose of this structure is to help the Group develop on three fronts:

1. To facilitate the creation of business units that are more capable of operating and taking decisions in an autonomous manner. They are responsible for their own growth strategy within the strategic parameters set by the Group.

2. To boost Customer Outreach. Transformation and innovation are the tools that will provide more people in more markets, with more appropriate and more profitable solutions.

3. To create a management structure that allows every unit to maximise the advantages of being part of a global group with a first-class brand and highly diversified risk, soundly based, profitable and efficient.

BUSINESS AREAS

Business in Spain and Portugal comprises the retail banking business and company & business banking (CBB) in these countries. It covers all business with private individuals, small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs), other companies and institutions, consumer finance, insurance (Seguros Europa) and BBVA Portugal.

Business in Spain and Portugal includes:

• Commercial banking and company & business banking
• Innovation and business development 
• Consumer finance
• Insurance Europe
• BBVA Portugal

Global Businesses is an area of great importance from the point of view of growth and expansion in new parts of the world and for new Group activities at international level. It comprises all market and global customer activities in Europe, the Americas and Asia, as well as business and real estate projects, and investment banking.

This area includes: 

• Global Markets
• Asset management
• Global customers - Investment Banking 
• Asia
• Production Management
• Innovation & Development

Mexico is one of the Group’s main areas of growth. 

South America covers the activity and results of the Group’s subsidiaries in this region and their subsidiary undertakings, including pension-fund managers, insurance companies and the international private banking business.

USA. BBVA’s franchise in the USA consists of five businesses: 1. Banking business in Texas (Laredo National, Texas Regional and State National) with a leadership position in commercial banking and superior ability to develop business with private individuals, SMEs and other companies. 2. BBVA Bancomer USA, a banking franchise in California for first-generation immigrants, based on money transfers (remittances), and financial and non-financial services and products. 3. BBVA Puerto Rico, a franchise with an important range of mortgages and consumer finance, serving private individuals and SMEs. 4. Bancomer Transfer Services (BTS), the leading provider of US-Mexico money transfers, with around 40% market share. It is extending its reach to cover the rest of Latin America, China, India and the Philippines. 5. BBVA Finanzia USA, a company specialising in consumer finance and credit cards.

The Finance, the Risk and the Innovation & Development areas are different to the business units above but they are part of this section because they contribute directly to the creation of value for the Group.

SUPPORT AREAS

HR, IT & Operations comprises the human resources unit; technology & operations; transformation & productivity; purchasing, buildings and services; and corporate security. These units are the drivers of change, transformation and improvement in the Group’s efficiency and service quality.

CHAIRMAN’S AREA

The units under the Chairman's Area are responsible for developing the corporate governance model, supervising internal control and managing the Group’s intangible assets. They are:

• General Secretary
• Special Advisor to the Chairman
• Legal services, tax advice, auditing and compliance 
• General inspection
• Communications & Image 
• The BBVA Foundation
• Institutional affairs
• Corporate Strategy and Business Development