What Is the BBVA Logo?
The BBVA logo is the four capital letters BBVA set in a custom sans serif and printed in blue, with no separate symbol. It belongs to Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A., the Spanish bank based in Bilbao whose oldest root, Banco de Bilbao, was founded in the city in 1857.
The bank introduced the present wordmark in 2019, when it also dropped local names such as Bancomer in Mexico and Francés in Argentina. The wordmark is available as the BBVA logo SVG.
BBVA Logo Facts
| Introduced | 2019 |
| Symbol | None; the letters BBVA, with the A known as the Ascender |
| Logo type | Wordmark: the letters BBVA |
| Earlier mark | The BBV letterforms first drawn in 1988 |
| Owner | Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, S.A. |
What the BBVA Logo Means
The four letters are the initials of the banks that merged to form the group: Banco de Bilbao, Banco de Vizcaya and Argentaria. When the 2019 design team started work, it chose to "invest in our wordmark, not a new symbol", so the letters themselves carry the identity.
BBVA calls the A the Ascender and says it stands for opportunity, growth and prosperity. Since 2022 the bank has also drawn themed versions of the Ascender, including a green one for sustainability and a rainbow one for diversity.
The blue has the longest history. It has been the bank's main colour since the Banco de Bilbao logo of 1969, and was made slightly brighter in 2019.
BBVA Logo History
Banco de Bilbao and Banco de Vizcaya agreed to merge in 1988 and adopted the BBV brand in 1989. The distinctive shapes of the B and V were drawn that year.
In October 1999 BBV and Argentaria announced their merger, which added the final A and created BBVA.
On 24 April 2019 the bank told its staff it would unify its brand worldwide and change its logo, and the new wordmark followed in June 2019. Fifty designers from across the group, led by the global marketing team, worked on it with the in-house agency BBVA Creative, the agency DDB and the consultancy Landor. Each letter was custom drawn so that it stays strong at any size on screens. The new logo kept the blue and the capital letters but used a new typeface.
The same change ended the local brand names: Bancomer in Mexico, Francés in Argentina, Continental in Peru and Compass in the United States all became BBVA, while Garanti in Turkey became Garanti BBVA.
On 20 May 2025 BBVA launched a wider visual refresh in its app in Spain, with new typography, icons, illustrations and photography, and swapped its slogan "Creating opportunities" for "Let's move forward".
BBVA and Santander
BBVA and Santander share a birth year: Banco de Bilbao and Banco de Santander were both founded in 1857. They took opposite routes with their marks. BBVA built its identity on lettering alone, while Santander pairs its name with a red flame symbol that dates from 1986 (compare the Santander logo).
For more brands like BBVA, browse our finance logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does BBVA stand for?
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria, after Banco de Bilbao, Banco de Vizcaya and Argentaria.
What is the Ascender in the BBVA logo?
BBVA's name for the A in its logo, which the bank says stands for opportunity.
When did BBVA change its logo?
BBVA announced a new logo in April 2019 and rolled it out from June 2019, alongside the end of local names such as Bancomer.
Why is the BBVA logo blue?
Blue has been the bank's main colour since the Banco de Bilbao logo of 1969; the 2019 redesign made it slightly brighter.