Financial Sector & Digitalization
The Financial and Digitization Area monitors the situation of the financial system, with special attention to the banking sector and groups of savings banks, and its digital transformation.
In this area, research of international diffusion in the financial system is carried out, developed by the researchers that form it and also through collaborations of the same with other world-renowned researchers. Among the topics that are most developed are financial and banking regulation and its effects, the competitive structure of the banking sector, the means of payment for business financing and the role of finance in economic growth.
The digital transformation of the Spanish financial system is analyzed through the Observatorio de la Digitalización Financiera (ODF). The objective of this Observatory is to generate, accumulate and disseminate information on the progress of the digital transformation in the Spanish financial system.
Highlighted
Artículo
Spanish non-financial corporates’ balance sheets: Asset growth and deleveraging in the euro era
Fecha:
July 2025
Since entering the euro area, Spain’s non-financial corporations have doubled their real asset base while significantly reducing leverage, particularly bank debt. This structural shift from debt-financed expansion to self-funded investment reflects broader changes in corporate behavior amid evolving economic and financial conditions.
Artículo
Revolving credit in Spain: Between financial inclusion and consumer risk
Fecha:
July 2025
Revolving credit plays a growing but still limited role in Spain’s household borrowing landscape, offering flexible financing to consumers with limited access to conventional credit. However, its complex structure and high associated costs raise concerns around transparency, education, and regulatory oversight.
Artículo
Bridging the financial literacy gap: Structural, cognitive, and situational disadvantage in adolescence
Fecha:
July 2025
In recent years, adolescent financial literacy has gained prominence as a critical skill, yet large gaps persist across academic and socioeconomic cohorts, as well as across varying degrees of exposure to financial education. These disparities reflect deeper structural and educational inequalities, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions that equip all students for real-world financial decision-making.
Artículo
Bank bond spreads after the Global Financial Crisis: From fragility to fundamental strength
Fecha:
July 2025
Once seen as safer and cheaper than corporate debt thanks to its regulated profile and implicit government backing, since the 2008 financial crisis, bank-issued debt has carried a risk premium, driven by regulatory shifts, sovereign exposures, and profitability concerns. Recent improvements in capital generation, liquidity, and diversification suggest that the premium may no longer be justified on fundamental grounds.