HOUSTON, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BBVA
USA continues its strong push to
provide financial education opportunities in the communities it
serves, despite the continuing challenge of pandemic related
stay-at-home orders in many areas.
While the bank's financial education workshops have
traditionally been held in person, its Responsible Business team
has shifted quickly to leverage digital solutions to provide the
same curriculum through virtual workshops led by BBVA volunteer
subject-matter experts. Since the transition to virtual workshops
in April, the program has reached more than 2,000 participants.
"We have always incorporated technology into our workshops,
using iPads and computers in our financial education workshops
across our footprint," said Tony
Moraga, Manager of Social Impact. "Because we already had
the curriculum for our 13 topics on a digital platform, it was
relatively simple for us to adapt the workshops to a remote
setting."
The biggest task in converting to a virtual program was training
nonprofit partners and employee volunteers on the platform, which
was specifically designed to work best on a mobile device or
smartphone. This mobile-first approach was critical to allow as
many community members as possible to participate in the virtual
workshops, according to Moraga. "We know that not everyone has
access to a computer at home, so we wanted to be sure the workshops
were available on tablets and smartphones, as well."
Remote classes are taught on an online meeting platform, which
allows participants to interact with the instructor, ask questions
and participate in real-time surveys and interactive exercises. In
addition to the 13 financial topics covered by BBVA's current
curriculum, two new modules, Mobile Banking and Debt Management,
are in development and slated to be available in late July.
"As part of our vision of creating opportunities for everyone,
BBVA remains dedicated to improving the lives and financial
well-being of the people in our communities, and financial
education is a key part of that," said Rey Ocañas, Director of
Communications and Responsible Business. "During these difficult
times, it's never been more important for people to understand and
control their personal finances, and we will continue to find
creative ways to help them do that."
In 2019, BBVA provided more than 800 adult financial education
workshops on personal finance, small business and home ownership,
reaching more than 12,000 participants. To date in 2020, volunteer
instructors have led more than 250 workshops providing financial
education to more than 4,000 participants through in-person
(pre-COVID-19) and virtual (post-COVID-19) workshops.
Financial education heads the list of the bank's guiding pillars
in its new 5-year global strategic plan, specifically focused on
helping clients improve their financial health as a means to
subsequently improve society's overall health. According to Ocañas,
the elevation of this focus makes sense for customers, business and
society as a whole.
For more BBVA news visit, www.bbva.com and the U.S.
Newsroom.
Additional news updates can be found via Twitter and
Instagram.
For more financial information about BBVA in the U.S., visit
bbvausa.investorroom.com.
About BBVA
BBVA Group
BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) is a customer-centric global financial services
group founded in 1857. The Group has a strong leadership position
in the Spanish market, is the largest financial institution in
Mexico, it has leading franchises
in South America and the Sunbelt
Region of the United States. It is
also the leading shareholder in Turkey's Garanti BBVA. Its purpose is to bring
the age of opportunities to everyone, based on our customers' real
needs: provide the best solutions, helping them make the best
financial decisions, through an easy and convenient experience. The
institution rests in solid values: Customer comes first, we think
big and we are one team. Its responsible banking model aspires to
achieve a more inclusive and sustainable society.
BBVA USA
In the U.S., BBVA is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that
operates 641 branches, including 330 in Texas, 89 in Alabama, 63 in Arizona, 61 in California, 44 in Florida, 37 in Colorado and 17 in New Mexico. The bank ranks among the top 25
largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and
ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (2nd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (6th). In the U.S., BBVA has been
recognized as one of the leading small business lenders by the
Small Business Administration (SBA) and ranked 8th nationally in
terms of dollar volume of SBA loans originated in fiscal year
2018.
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SOURCE BBVA USA