Top Stories

In Spain

spain brand

Spanish economy 9th September 2020

Spain Ranks 30th In the UN Global Innovation Index and 21st In The New Brand Value Indicator

Spain is ranked 30th in the UN’s Global Innovation Index (GII) and 21st in the new brand value indicator. For the first time in its 13-year history, the renowned GII includes brand value as one of its main indicators. With a score of 33.29 out of 100 on the Global Innovation Index (GII) global brand value indicator, Spain is among the countries whose brand value to GDP ratio is lower than expected for the size of the economy. 

Naturgy Australia

Ibex, Markets, Spanish economy 8th September 2020

Naturgy Increases Its Current Presence In Australia By More Than 50% With Two New Contracts

Naturgy signed last week with Snowy Hydro its first energy sales contract with a retailer in Australia to build a 218 MW wind farm in Victoria. Some days later, the company has increased its presence in the country with the award by the Australian Capital Territory of 107 MW wind farm and a battery energy storage system of 20 MWh. With both operations, Naturgy doubles its presence in the region, reaching a renewable capacity of near 600 MW and becoming the Top-3 independent wind energy producer.

Puerta del Sol Square, Madrid, Spain

Spanish economy 8th September 2020

Spain’s Full Recovery Will Come In 2023

Intermoney | There are important reasons for maintaining a prudent attitude with regard to the Spanish economy, situating its full recovery in the year 2023. This would mean that we would lose more than a decade of the fledgling 21st century. On the other hand, there are also reasons to hope the recovery will eventually take shape and not be too far off. These include the encouraging development of the COVID-19 vaccines, the decisive response from the ECB and the EU, and a lesser impact of the crisis than feared on large European partners and customers.

european union flag

Spanish economy 7th September 2020

Spain Expects To Receive The First Tranche Of The SURE Fund Before 2021

Banca March | Pedro Sanchez’s government hopes that the European Council will approve the Commission’s proposal on the SURE fund this September, in order to access the first tranche of financing this year. Spain’s request for financing in the first tranche is valued at 21.325 billion euros and is already approved by the European Executive. This will be used to cover the expenses associated with employment until September 30th.

Bankia

Ibex, Markets, Spanish economy 4th September 2020

Bankia And Caixabank Will Create The Largest Bank In Spain, Streets Ahead Of BBVA And Santander

Bankia and Caixabank have communicated that they are at a preliminary talks stage for a possible merger that would be carried out through an exchange of shares. For the time being, no agreement has been reached. The merger would create a lender with total assets of €664 Bn (according to data from Q2’20). So it would be the leading Spanish bank by volume of assets. It would combine a network of offices (including those of CaixaBank’s Portuguese subsidiary) with 6,700 branches and staff of over 51,000.

unemployed august

Spanish economy 3rd September 2020

Spain Manages To Create Jobs In August For The first Time In The Historical Series

The Social Security affiliates increased in August by 6,822 on a monthly average after rising by 161,217 in July. This is the first increase in an eight month of the year since the historical registers started in 2001. “In August there is usually a sharp drop in affiliation due to the destruction of many seasonal jobs at the end of the month, but this year jobs have recovered due to the progressive re-opening of companies”, says Funcas.

Telefonica 5G networks

Spanish economy 3rd September 2020

Telefónica To Extend The 5G Network To 75% Of The Population This Year

As of today, Telefónica’s 5G network is available in all the autonomous communities, with outstanding hyperconnectivity in European terms as a result of its combination with fibre optics. According to Telefónica chairman José María Álvarez-Pallete “5G will bring huge benefits for Spain. This is a golden opportunity for our country to lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution”. This move will enable 75% of the Spanish population to obtain access to this new technology by the end of the year.

balearic islands palma

Spanish economy 2nd September 2020

International Tourism In Spain Plummets 75% In July With A Drop In Spending Of Almost 80%

Dramatic. This is the best way to describe the decline of foreign tourism in Spain. The figures for international visitors between June and July showed that Spain has lost more than 16 M foreign tourists and over  €19 Bn in tourist spending. In the month of July specifically – the first full month since the end of the State of Alarm – 2.46 M foreign tourists arrived in Spain, 75% less than in July 2019. Meanwhile spending stood at €2.45 Bn, down 79.5% from a year earlier.