2 November 2026
For our Strategic Management course at TBS Education in Barcelona, my group analyzed the strategy of Spanish banking group BBVA. Through external and internal analysis, we examined the bank’s competitive position, strategic challenges, and opportunities for growth, then presented our recommendations for its future.
Instead of a traditional presentation, we turned our analysis into a podcast. We wanted something more engaging, and a format that more people could access.
🎧 Listen (6 min 44 s)
📊 Explore the slides
The slides go beyond the audio with supporting data, frameworks, and sources. Use them alongside the episode or on their own for a visual walkthrough of the analysis.
Our Strategic Question:
– How can BBVA speed up its digital transformation to improve customer experience, boost efficiency, and drive sustainable growth?
Key Takeaways:
– Digital is BBVA’s strongest asset, but it isn’t enough on its own. 66% of new customers joined digitally, yet rivalry from neobanks and other incumbents is intense, so BBVA has to differentiate beyond digital channels.
– Our main recommendation is to replicate the branchless model selectively in similar European markets. With Italy and Germany already live, this would diversify BBVA’s earnings geographically, but only where demand and economics are validated first.
– Two moves support it: scaling AI with purpose, and converting single-product digital users into multi-product customers.
We also proposed tracking customer acquisition cost, digital retention, cost-to-income, and return on equity, so BBVA can tell whether the strategy is sustainable.
Team: AJ Hymiller, Federico Rolle, Giorgio Amedei, Ethan Birre Buczkowski, and Manon Castela
My Role:
– Project Coordination: managed meeting schedules, expectations, and deadlines for a five-person international student team
– Research and Analysis: researched BBVA’s annual reports and led the external and internal analysis
– Script: wrote the podcast script and edited it for clarity and accessibility for non-native English speakers
– Production: edited the podcast and designed the slides
– Team Support: helped teammates with definitions and pronunciation of key terms
Accessibility: a transcript is available on request, email hymilleradrien@gmail.com.