The banking sector advocates simplifying regulations to enhance its contribution to the economy

• The Spanish Banking Association (AEB), CECA, and the National Union of Credit Cooperatives (Unacc) gathered various sectors and institutional representatives this morning to assess the banking sector’s contribution to the economy and society.
• They presented the report “The contribution of the banking sector”, which summarizes the banks’ contribution to economic growth and societal progress, from financing families and businesses to the daily operations that facilitate millions of citizen and government transactions.
• The banking associations also defended their simplification proposals in six regulatory and supervisory areas so that the European banking sector can better finance the economy of the European Union.
• They also reiterated their commitment to financial inclusion and education, announcing in this regard the launch, starting tomorrow, of a cyber security awareness campaign, “In the digital realm, care just as much,” together with ASNEF.
• The event included the participation of Alejandra Kindelán, president of AEB; María Abascal, general director of AEB; Mónica Malo, deputy general director of CECA; and Cristina Freijanes, general secretary of Unacc, along with the presidents of the National Association of Large Distribution Companies (ANGED), the Association of Construction Companies and Infrastructure Concessionaires (SEOPAN), and the Agrarian Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA), as well as the general director of Economic Policy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business, Javier Muñoz Moldes.

Madrid, November 27, 2025. The Spanish Banking Association (AEB), CECA, and the National Union of Credit Cooperatives (Unacc) held the event “Simplifying to Grow. The contribution of the banking sector”, where they assessed the banking sector’s contribution to the economy and society, and the importance of advancing the simplification of the regulatory framework to boost growth and competitiveness.

During the event, the banking associations presented the main lines of the report “The contribution of the banking sector to economic growth and societal progress”, which shows the wide variety of functions of banking in the financial realm and its essential contribution to families, businesses, and administrations.

The report outlines the banking sector’s key role in addressing financial needs, such as providing access to housing for 470,000 families or enabling Spanish companies to receive 400 billion euros in financing, representing a quarter of the national GDP. Bank financing is agile and accessible, with the lowest interest rates in the Eurozone, around 50 basis points below the average, for both housing credit and SMEs. Additionally, the sector channels a significant portion of its financing towards fostering sustainability and innovation, with social, green, and sustainability-linked loans reaching 160 billion euros in the last three years.

Operationally, the sector facilitates thousands of daily transactions for citizens, with over 5 billion direct debits and transfers, and options for immediate payments, with nearly 30 million users on Bizum and 35 transactions per second. This function also extends to collaboration with public administrations, managing over one billion operations and over 10 billion in taxes. Furthermore, the sector allocates 43 out of every 100 euros generated in Spain to tax payments.

In addition to its essential role in family and business projects, the sector demonstrates a strong social commitment. On one hand, it defends financial inclusion by maintaining the second densest network of offices in the Eurozone along with an omnichannel banking model, where digital banking users already make up three-quarters of the total. On the other hand, it promotes financial education through various initiatives that have trained 3.5 million people in financial and digital literacy. In this context, AEB, CECA, and Unacc announced the launch, starting tomorrow, of a cyber security awareness campaign, “In the digital realm, care just as much,” together with ASNEF.

Additionally, during the event, another report on proposals for the simplification of the regulatory framework was presented, avoiding redundancies, improving accountability and ex-post evaluation, and incorporating greater proportionality in regulation.

Alejandra Kindelán, president of AEB, emphasized the importance of simplifying regulation and supervision so that banks can unleash their full financing potential for families and businesses, thereby boosting competitiveness throughout Europe. “We are at a decisive moment, full of challenges and, above all, opportunities that we cannot afford to miss. This is the time to act and build together the future we want.”

Kindelán shared these proposals in a dialogue with Matilde García Duarte, president of the National Association of Large Distribution Companies (ANGED), Julián Núñez, president of the Association of Construction Companies and Infrastructure Concessionaires (SEOPAN), and Pedro Barato, president of the Agrarian Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA). All of them expressed the importance of promoting regulatory simplification as a lever for growth and competitiveness.

The event, held at the Caminos Space in Madrid, concluded with remarks from the general director of Economic Policy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business, Javier Muñoz Moldes.