Trump threatens Spain
SPEAKING at the NATO summit in The Hague on June 25, U.S. President Trump criticised Spain for refusing to commit to the alliance鈥檚 proposed 5 per cent of GDP defense target. He warned that Spain would 鈥減ay twice as much鈥 in an upcoming trade deal as retaliation.
Barclays Bank crypto ban
UK bank Barclays will begin banning crypto transactions made with its credit cards on Friday, June 27, 2025, citing the dangers associated with cryptocurrency volatility. The bank said in a statement, 鈥楾here鈥檚 no protection for crypto assets if something goes wrong with a purchase, as they鈥檙e not covered by the Financial Ombudsman Service.鈥
Aviva and Layetana launch 鈥楶ropia鈥
LAYETANA Living and Aviva Investors have launched Propia, a new real estate company focused on Spain鈥檚 Build-to-Rent market. The move follows Aviva鈥檚 latest acquisition of 207 rental units in Madrid. The partners aim to invest 鈧500鈥痬illion by 2027 across five developments.
Grupo Apex acquires SuperMex
SPANISH snack giant Grupo Apex has acquired C谩diz-based Chavez y Clark, maker of the SuperMex tortilla brand. The firm operates a 1,300鈥痬虏 facility with 36 staff and posted 鈧5.3鈥痬illion turnover in 2024. Projected sales for 2025 stand at 鈧6鈥痬illion.
BBVA鈥慡abadell merger blocked
SPAIN鈥橲 government vetoed the 鈧11鈥痓illion BBVA鈥慡abadell banking merger for at least three years, requiring both to maintain independent operations amid antitrust and regulatory concerns. It also put a stop to planned redundancies. BBVA is reported to be reassessing.
National Insurance hike
A RECENT survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), a third of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the UK have laid off employees or intend to do so as a result of the recent rise in National Insurance Contributions.
British Business Bank鈥檚 growth
THE British Business Bank (BBB) is relaunching with an investment mandate, ramping funding from 拢15.6鈥痓illion (鈧18.1鈥痓illion) to 拢25.6鈥痓illion (鈧29.7鈥痓illion) to support clean energy, AI, life sciences, and more. Louis Taylor, chief executive of the BBB told The Guardian, 鈥淲e鈥檙e building on an already strong reputation. And we鈥檙e going to jealously guard that reputation.鈥
Spain鈥檚 trade deficit widens sharply
SPAIN鈥橲 trade imbalance has expanded dramatically. In the first four months of 2025, it increased by 48.8 per cent over the same period previous year, reaching 鈧18.98 billion. This surge is mostly attributable to a more significant increase in imports than exports.
Bit2Me and Cecabank platform
BIT2ME and Cecabank have launched a new platform enabling Spanish banks to offer crypto services, including buying, selling, and custody, within MiCA and local CNMV/Banco de Espa帽a regulations. The solution aims to simplify secure, compliant crypto integration for traditional financial institutions.
Statistic of the week
IN the Annual Industrial Products Survey, 2024, the largest decrease was in the Wood and Cork industry (-9.8 per cent).
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