Few European banks have embedded diversity and inclusion as systematically as BBVA, which ties the agenda directly to governance, culture and business performance. The Spanish-headquartered group formally incorporated D&I into its strategic priorities in 2020 and reinforced this in 2022 with group-wide guidelines, giving local teams a common framework while allowing them to tailor initiatives to regional realities.
Governance sits at the centre of the approach. Senior leadership, including the chair and chief executive, reviews promotion data quarterly to track female progression, and executive remuneration is linked to diversity outcomes: 5% of long-term variable pay is tied to increasing female representation in management.
That accountability has translated into measurable progress. BBVA exceeded its target of 35% women in management in 2024 and reached 36.1% by the end of 2025, with further targets set for 2026. Women account for 47% of board members – seven of 15 directors – and 25% of the first executive layer. The progress is supported by structured talent programmes, visible role models and policies designed to improve work-life balance and career progression.
We found that on more than 50% of occasions, having a panel in the interview process changed the initial hiring decision
Cristina Gabriel
Measurement extends well beyond headline targets. The bank now assesses recruitment application by application, area by area, on a weekly basis, allowing it to interrogate why certain groups are underrepresented rather than simply noting that they are.
Mechanisms such as the Rooney Rule ensure diverse shortlists, while inclusive job descriptions, structured interviews and diverse panels reduce reliance on individual judgement. “We found that on more than 50% of occasions, having a panel in the interview process changed the initial hiring decision,” says Cristina Gabriel, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at BBVA.
Beyond gender
BBVA’s strategy reaches across LGBTQI+ inclusion, disability, generational diversity and ethnicity. Its Be Yourself platform combines policy development, employee engagement and external advocacy, supported by formal equality agreements and transition-support protocols. The bank has endorsed the UN Standards of Conduct on LGBTQI+ inclusion and chaired Spain’s REDI corporate diversity network for three years.
On disability, the focus has shifted from compliance to capability, spanning recruitment, workplace adaptation and awareness. By 2025 BBVA employed 1,169 people with disabilities globally, supported by dedicated recruitment fairs and long-term partnerships such as its agreement with Spain’s ONCE Foundation. Generational diversity is addressed through initiatives targeting age-related bias, with a workforce that broadly mirrors the active population: millennials represent 36%, generation X 25%, generation Z 22% and employees over 50 the remaining 17%.
Underpinning each dimension are employee resource groups, which shape initiatives and ensure policies reflect lived experience. By aligning incentives with representation goals, tracking progress at a granular level and distributing execution across teams, BBVA has built a model that is both scalable and adaptable – one that treats inclusion as a continuous process rather than a fixed target. That combination of governance, data and cultural reinforcement makes it Europe’s best bank for diversity and inclusion.
