MADRID, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — BBVA has crowned DOV-E as its winner in the BBVA Open Talent Global Trends fintech competition winning €30,000 and a spot at the BBVA Open Summit and Immersion Week in October at the BBVA Group headquarters in Madrid.

DOV-E, based in Israel, provides wireless connectivity using audio technology between any consumer’s mobile device and any merchant platform. It won the award after beating strong competition from hundreds of other entries from across the world.

Judges from BBVA said that DOV-E was chosen for its global capabilities and unique audio technology that empowers both companies and customers with personalized interactions across a spectrum of functionalities.

“Open Talent seeks to find the most innovative startups in the fintech ecosystem, those that we think can make a difference in creating opportunities for our customers,” said Head of Open Innovation for BBVA Marisol Menéndez. “The judges all agreed that DOV-E does this and is an extension of BBVA’s own drive to be a positive financial force in our customers’ lives.”

BBVA’s Global Head of Customer Solutions Derek White said, “The BBVA Open Talent Competition is about how we as a business partner with fintech entrepreneurs to help them start, secure funding, grow and connect with potential customers. These are the challenges where we can help the startup sector build their business.

He continued, “For BBVA, it means we get to work with and learn from those at the cutting edge of innovation in the financial services sector, which in the long run will deliver real benefits to our customers and clients.”

The Global Trends final was held at the Next Money Chicago 2017 conference, the flagship event for the global network of fintech innovators. The Global Trends finalists each took the stage at the conference for five minutes and pitched their business to a room full of other startups, fintech innovators and judges.

“Having this competition at Next Money Chicago 2017 provides value to each of the finalists that were able to present today,” Menéndez said. “They had a captive audience of people who could give them ideas that could take them to the next level, or even partner with them. The exposure of this audience, and the potential benefit to their business can not be underestimated.”

In 2017, the ninth edition of BBVA Open Talent offered more fintech startups around the world the chance to compete and win. The competitions focused in seven key areas: Identity, Artificial Intelligence, Fintech for Companies, Global Trends, Women in Fintech, Financial Inclusion and a regional competition for finalists from Spain, Latin America and Turkey. The winners from each of these main areas are invited to the BBVA Open Summit and Immersion Week held in October at the BBVA Group headquarters in Madrid. In addition to time spent networking and collaborating with BBVA executives, there are tens of thousands of euros in award money up for the grabs, with the ultimate winner receiving €50,000.

For more information on DOV-E, click here.

Global Trends finalists included:

Handcheque: Handcheque builds payment devices and on-demand services meeting people’s interests and needs, to bring payment and loyalty one step further.

Ernit: The world’s first smart piggybank.

Bud: Plug and play financial services marketplace for banks. Understand more about your customers and connect them the best services in the world.

AirTM: AirTM is a secure, efficient and legal alternative to save money and send dollars to more than 100 countries where the local currency is losing value.

Nuggets: Consumer blockchain app, a single biometric tool for login, payment and identity verification, without sharing or storing private data.

CerebriAI: We turn data into revenue by helping large companies better understand their customers so they can retain and increase share of wallet, using their own proprietary data.

Novo: A deposit account that uses artificial intelligence technology to simplify cash management for small businesses.

Biowatch SA:  Biowatch transforms your classical watch into a secure source of authentication leveraging the unique vein pattern of your wrist.

Clarity: SaaS tool to optimize social impact of investment portfolios.

Contact Details:
Christina Anderson 
External Communications
Tel. 205 524 5214 
christina.anderson@bbva.com

To learn more about BBVA Compass, visit: www.bbvacompass.com

For more news visit: www.bbva.com and newsroom.bbvacompass.com

About BBVA Group
BBVA [NYSE: BBVA] is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group is the largest financial institution in Spain and Mexico and it has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States; and it is also the leading shareholder in Garanti, Turkey’s biggest bank for market capitalization. Its diversified business is focused on high-growth markets and it relies on technology as a key sustainable competitive advantage. Corporate responsibility is at the core of its business model. BBVA fosters financial education and inclusion, and supports scientific research and culture. It operates with the highest integrity, a long-term vision and applies the best practices. More information about BBVA Group can be found at bbva.com.

About BBVA Compass
BBVA Compass is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 651 branches, including 337 in Texas, 89 in Alabama, 63 in Arizona, 61 in California, 45 in Florida, 38 in Colorado and 18 in New Mexico. BBVA Compass ranks among the top 25 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (2nd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (5th). BBVA Compass has been recognized as one of the leading small business lenders by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and ranked 5th nationally in the total number of SBA loans originated in fiscal year 2016. Additional information about BBVA Compass can be found at www.bbvacompass.com. For more BBVA Compass news, follow @BBVACompassNews on Twitter or visit newsroom.bbvacompass.com.

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SOURCE BBVA