Articles by Fernando Barciela

About the Author

Fernando Barciela
Fernando Barciela has been a regular collaborator for Spain's leading daily El Pais' business section since 1994. He is also a regular collaborator on foreign policy. For Grupo Consejeros he interviews the top executives of Spain's listed companies. He was a correspondent with Diario de Noticias, Portugal's leading daily newspaper, in 1987-2004. He has a degree in Business Science and Journalism from the Complutense University.
“Spain’s weight in the luxury market increases

“Spain’s Weight In The Luxury Market Increases: It Grows 8% Compared To World Average Of 3%”

Fernando Barciela | “While Spain today is smaller than other European countries in terms of luxury market, it is growing faster. For example we are very well placed with a hospitality and luxury gastronomy infrastructure, which has the potential to be the platform to lead in experiential luxury. Spain is fifth in the world in luxury gastronomy. We have 187 restaurants with Michelin stars”, says María Eugenia Giron, director of the IE MasterCard Premium & Prestige Observatory.



Education sector in Spain needs collaboration with business

“Neither The Business Nor The Education Sector In Spain Have Collaborated Sufficiently”

In Spain, companies should “express their future needs in the medium and long-term and transmit them to the education system. At the same time, the education sector has to contribute and help young people to get a job tomorrow. If this is not perfectly in sync, like a watch, it doesn’t work,” explains Francisco Belil, a Gas Natural board member and deputy chairman in Spain of the Bertelsmann Foundation.


Carlos Slim relaunching FCC

Carlos Slim Is Finding It Difficult To Relaunch FCC

When Carlos Slim agreed to take a stake in FCC in 2014, which was at that time controlled by Esther Koplowtiz, and in a lot of difficulties – sales on the decline, losses, debt…- a lot of people breathed easy thinking the Mexican businessman was going to put the builder back on the straight and narrow. But he is finding it difficult to relaunch the company.


caixabank2

Catalan banks in the eye of the storm: investors start to get the jitters

At the moment, the biggest losers in the Ibex 35 index after Sunday’s referendum vote in Catalonia are the banks, particularly the Catalan lenders. Both Sabadell and CaixaBank have acknowledged that if independence were to happen, they would move their headquarters to another autonomous region in Spain. In this way they would keep their access to the ECB’s liquidity and their clients would remain under the protection of the national and European Deposit Guarantee Fund. But perhaps it’s too soon to ring the alarm bells: while the Ibex dropped, other European bourses rose. This shows that Catalonia is still far from becoming a systemic risk for the EU.

 






Socimis' boom

Socimis in Spain are experiencing a boom which is unparalleled in Europe

Almost 10 years after the big property bubble burst, Spain is once again showing how emotional it can get it with bricks and mortar in all its forms. And emotional is the word, because the ‘revival’ of the real estate sector – something which nobody was betting on three or four years ago – is so spectacular that not a day passes when there is not some sort of euphoric news emerging about it. Of course figures are figures and these are more than amazing. If we focus on the Socimis, the protagonists of the property market in this current phase, the truth is the numbers are really impressive.