Is BBVA a subsidiary of another company?

No. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. is an independent publicly traded banking group with no parent. It in turn controls subsidiaries including BBVA México and Garanti BBVA.

When was BBVA founded?

The current group formed in 1999 through the merger of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and Argentaria. Its oldest predecessor, Banco de Bilbao, was founded in 1857 in Bilbao.

No single founder exists; it is a merger entity. Banco de Bilbao was founded in 1857 by Basque merchants and industrialists, while Banco de Vizcaya followed in 1901 and Argentaria emerged from 1991 state bank consolidation.

What is BBVA's market position?

BBVA is the eurozone's second-largest bank by market presence and among Europe's most profitable, with a 19.3 percent return on tangible equity in 2025. It holds the leading retail position in Mexico and top-tier franchises in Spain and Turkey.

Did BBVA acquire Banco Sabadell?

No. BBVA's hostile all-share bid for Banco Sabadell closed in October 2025 with only 25.47 percent shareholder acceptance, far below the 50 percent threshold required. The offer lapsed, and BBVA instead resumed share buybacks and paid record dividends.

Finance & Fintech

Who Owns BBVA?

Q: Is BBVA publicly traded?

Yes. BBVA trades on the Madrid Stock Exchange and other Spanish exchanges under ticker BBVA, with ADRs on the New York Stock Exchange. It is a member of the IBEX 35 and Euro Stoxx 50 indexes.

BBVA is the operating brand of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A., a publicly traded Spanish banking group listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange under ticker BBVA with a U.S. ADR program. The bank is headquartered in Madrid and Bilbao, serves 81.2 million customers across more than 25 countries, and reported a record net attributable profit of €10.51 billion for 2025.

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Parent Company

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.

Founded

1999

Status

Publicly Traded

Headquarters

Madrid, Spain

mass marketGlobalOfficial Website

Who Owns BBVA?

Parent Company: Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.
Ownership Type: Brand division
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock Ticker: BME: BBVA

Brand	Parent Company	Ownership Type
BBVA	Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.	Brand division

History of BBVA

Founded: 1999
Founders: Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and Argentaria (merger)

BBVA formed in 1999 through the merger of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya and Argentaria, a pairing of two banking lineages with deep Spanish roots. Banco de Bilbao was founded in 1857 in the Basque Country's industrial heartland, while Banco de Vizcaya followed in 1901. Those two merged in 1988. Argentaria emerged in 1991 from the consolidation of Spain's state-owned banks, including Caja Postal and Banco Exterior.

The combined BBVA spent the 2000s building a Latin American franchise that became its profit engine. It acquired control of Mexico's Bancomer in 2000, making BBVA México the dominant retail bank in that market, and expanded across South America into Colombia, Peru, Argentina, and Venezuela. In Turkey it began accumulating a stake in Garanti Bank in 2011, taking majority control in 2017 for roughly €2 billion.

The 2010s brought a strategic bet on digital banking that made BBVA one of the most decorated traditional banks for mobile experience. It also restructured its footprint, selling its U.S. banking subsidiary to PNC Financial Services in 2021 for $11.6 billion and redeploying capital toward core markets.

The defining recent event was the failed hostile takeover of Banco Sabadell. BBVA launched a €16 billion-plus all-share bid in May 2024, which became hostile after Sabadell's board rejected it. After 17 months of regulatory and political battles, the offer closed in October 2025 with only 25.47 percent acceptance, far below the 50 percent threshold, and lapsed. The failure was a significant setback for chairman Carlos Torres Vila but freed roughly €5 billion for buybacks and dividends.

Freed from the deal, BBVA reported record 2025 results: net attributable profit of €10.51 billion, gross income of €36.93 billion, ROTE of 19.3 percent, and a record €0.92 per-share cash dividend plus an extraordinary buyback program approaching €4 billion.

About Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A.

What does BBVA own?

The group owns BBVA México outright, approximately 85 percent of Garanti BBVA in Turkey, banking subsidiaries across South America, plus asset management and insurance operations. Its businesses operate across more than 25 countries under the unified BBVA brand.

Is BBVA publicly traded?

Yes. BBVA trades on the Bolsa de Madrid under BBVA and on the NYSE through American depositary receipts also under BBVA. It is a member of the IBEX 35 index.

Who founded BBVA?

No individual founded modern BBVA; it is a 1999 merger entity. Its predecessor Banco de Bilbao was founded in Bilbao in 1857, and the name combined after successive mergers including Argentaria.

Where is BBVA headquartered?

The bank is headquartered at La Vela tower, Ciudad BBVA, in Madrid, Spain. It relocated its registered office from Bilbao to Madrid in 2019, reflecting the group's center of gravity.

How many brands does BBVA own?

BBVA operates essentially one global brand, with Garanti BBVA retaining co-branding in Turkey. Insurance and asset management arms carry the BBVA name in each market.