Using a simple format and plain language, the Banco de España Blog seeks to make our work more accessible to the general public. It allows us to share our analysis of economic and financial issues and the ins and outs of the Banco de España’s tasks and activities with all those keen to learn more.
The Blog series group together posts covering certain similar topics. Further down is a general listing of all Blog posts, with a search function to help readers find the posts they are interested in.
Series: Challenges for the Spanish economy
11/11/2025
Spain faces a structural challenge: the small size of its firms. This limitation curtails productivity, innovation and employment. Why do our firms grow less than European ones? Understanding this is key to building a more dynamic and productive economy.
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11/02/2025
The growth of online banking and how to mitigate the risks of financial exclusion
The use of online banking is becoming increasingly widespread and the digital divide across age groups is showing signs of narrowing. But for some people (particularly the elderly), the digitalisation of banking services and branch closures can be a stumbling block to doing their banking and getting hold of cash.
05/02/2025
Analysing wealth in Spain: 20 years of the Spanish Survey of Household Finances
How is wealth or home ownership distributed among Spanish households? For the last 20 years the Banco de España’s Spanish Survey of Household Finances has provided rich information on Spanish households’ finances and enabled the analysis of these and many other related questions.
29/01/2025
Human capital matters: the challenges and opportunities in Spanish education Series: Challenges for the Spanish economy
Despite the progress made in recent decades, Spain still trails the most advanced countries in terms of educational attainment. Action is required at all levels to improve Spain’s human capital. Prominent measures include reducing early school leaving, modernising universities and vocational training and raising financial literacy.
10/01/2025
The Banco de España’s functions: how do we serve society?
The Banco de España’s best-known functions are banking supervision and contributing to euro area monetary policy decisions. But our public service covers many more areas. In his first blog post, Governor José Luis Escrivá summarises the Bank’s main tasks.
11/12/2024
Beyond GDP: how to measure economic welfare
GDP and per capita income are frequently used as synonyms of welfare. However, the concept of welfare is broader and more complex. As the economic and social developments of recent decades have made increasingly clear, economic welfare and well-being cannot be gauged by GDP alone. However, determining complementary welfare indicators and measuring them accurately is difficult.
02/12/2024
The Draghi report: a plan for the economic future of Europe
The Draghi report proposes a strategy to halt the economic decline of the European Union compared with other global powers. A common European approach focused on growth is needed if the EU is to successfully address the challenges it faces: technological transformation, decarbonisation, economic security and preservation of the European social model.
22/11/2024
How important is cash in our day-to-day payments?
Most of us still use cash to pay for our day-to-day shopping, but digital payment methods continue to gain ground, according to the latest Study on Cash Use Habits published by the Banco de España.
12/11/2024
What makes (official) statistics reliable
In today’s information age, the sheer volume and availability of data is overwhelming. Identifying reliable information is a challenge that we all face as members of the public. Official statistics offer a dependable source of trustworthy information.
29/10/2024
Sandbox: the testing environment for financial innovation
To help the financial sector go digital, regulators have set up testing environments or sandboxes for innovative technological solutions. A sandbox allows supervisors and project promoters to work together in a controlled setting, where both can learn and gain significant benefits.
24/10/2024
Better safe than sorry: how prudent lending standards lead to fewer corporate defaults
Banks implementing more prudent standards when lending to firms helps reduce corporate vulnerability and default risk, strengthens financial stability and supports economic recovery after crises.
