“Can a 165-year-old global bank become the embedded finance infrastructure layer for fintechs and corporates across its 15+ country footprint through a self-operated API marketplace?”
BBVA is a 165-year-old Spanish multinational bank that has repositioned itself as a 'digital bank with a banking license,' making technology and data core strategic pillars. Beginning in 2015, BBVA became one of the first incumbent banks globally to launch a public API marketplace, offering open banking APIs as a product rather than purely a compliance exercise. The bank has built a Digital Ecosystems layer (BBVA API Market) that allows fintechs and corporates to embed BBVA banking, lending, accounts, and payments capabilities directly into third-party platforms — essentially operating as a BaaS provider under its own charter rather than white-labeling through a third-party BaaS layer.
BBVA discloses Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (in-house) as its banking provider, according to the Embedded Finance Index 2026.
BBVA does not disclose a bank charter of its own; its banking services are provided through Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (in-house).
BBVA processes payments through BBVA Payments (self-operated) and Redsys Servicios de Procesamiento S.L. (PSD2 platform partner).
BBVA's cards are issued through BBVA (self-issued).
BBVA's crypto products run on Ripple.
The Embedded Finance Index 2026 maps 6 layers in BBVA's stack: Payments / PSP (BBVA Payments (self-operated) and Redsys Servicios de Procesamiento S.L. (PSD2 platform partner)); Banking / BaaS (Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. (in-house)); Card issuing (BBVA (self-issued)); Lending (Click&Pay SME financing API (line of credit), Online Credit Account (working capital, €3k-€25k, Spain), POS Terminal Loan (merchant cash advance / revenue-based repayment), Negocios Credit Account (branch-based, >€25k) and 1 other); Crypto (Ripple); Spend / AP (Emburse).
BBVA is founded in 1857 and headquartered in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain.
Get a read on where your own stack stands against BBVA and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.