The General Assembly of CECA has ratified to Antonio Romero as a Managing Director, after being designated unanimously in the Board of Directors of on 9 April and it will take possession on the day 30 of the same month
Similarly, has been ratified also José's incorporation Sevilla, Unicaja's chairman, and Tomás Muniesa, CaixaBank's chairman, such as vowels of the Board of Directors
Foundations of the sector CECA exceed the 900 million euros of investment set aside for social character initiatives in Spain during 2024, overall, the private social further investment of the country
CECA renews its commitment of promoting the improvement of the financial culture of all the company, assigning 5 million euros to “Funcas Educates”, the great amount since this programme was initiated
CECA has celebrated today its 118ª General Assembly, that it has been chaired by Isidro Fainé, CECA's chairman, of the Fundación “la Caixa ” and of the Worldwide Savings Banks Institute and Retail Banks (WSBI, by its initials in English).
The meeting has included representatives of the credit institutions and foundations associated with CECA. The bank and savings bank groups represented by CECA account for 38% of the deposits of the Spanish financial system. In addition, the association groups to thirty-four foundations that in charge of the design and implementation of the Obra Social are found.
During the act, Antonio Romero has been ratified as a Managing Director of CECA, after its appointment unanimously of the Board of Directors reunited on 9 April and in José María's substitution Méndez, at the head of the employers' association from 2011. Romero will take possession of the charge starting from 30 April.
Similarly, the General Assembly of CECA has ratified José's incorporation Sevilla, Unicaja's chairman, and Tomás Muniesa, CaixaBank's chairman, such as vowels of the Board of Directors; this last one also as a deputy chairman.
The chairman of CECA, Isidro Fainé, has enumerated, during its intervention, the gained main achievements for the association in 2024: “the work of representation of interests of the sector, the advances in financial inclusion, the promotion of the financial education and digital and the promotion of the sustainable”finances.
Fainé has put special emphasis in the evolution of the Obra Social of the sector CECA: “during the year, the investment in Obra Social, our seña of identity, ascended to 906 million euros, which consequently it has returned at the top of the private social investment in Spain. This resource allowed carrying out more than 99,000 activities, that have benefited to more than 35 million people, above all belonging to the most disadvantaged sections of society. For 2025, expect a sensitive rise in these figures, with nearly 1,000 million euros and 100,000 activities”.
The chairman of CECA has also made good use its discourse to thank José María Méndez's work at the head of the company in these fourteen years, as well as to give the welcome to Antonio Romero, new Managing Director, and congratulate to Ainhoa Jáuregui, as future chief executive officer of Cecabank.
With respect to the performance of the Spanish economy, Isidro Fainé has emphasised: “this has returned to surprise in positive and stands out by contrast to the European average. The significant thing is that everything points out to that this boost follow lively this year and also the next one. Therefore, are before an excellent occasion to do the pending duties and situate to our economy in superior steps in the worldwide league. Companies of the sector CECA a lot can contribute to achieve it”.
Similarly, Fainé has emphasised the solid collaboration and the shared values, to European level, with the Savings Banks' European Association and Retail Banks (ESBG, by its initials in English) and, to worldwide scale, with the Worldwide Savings Banks Institute and Retail Banks (WSBI).
The strategic objectives of CECA for 2025, for its new Managing Director
The Managing Director of CECA, Antonio Romero, has tackled the challenges and sector opportunities principals before the marked overall uncertainty for the complexity of the geopolitical context and the recrudecimiento of the commercial war, explaining economic and financial current affairs and highlighting strengths of the Spanish financial system.
In the regulatory framework, has emphasised the initiative of the European Commission to move forward in the process of regulatory simplification, emphasising: “from CECA defended because this new European road map for the competitiveness and the simplification is based on the improvement of the regulatory process European, the involvement in the above-mentioned process of European authorities of monitoring and the competent national authorities ”.
With reference to the increase of the resource of the Obra Social, Romero pointed out that: “this investment supposes a line of defense when dealing with the inequality, a guarantee for the maintenance of the historical heritage of our country and a key element of promotion of the research”.
CECA comes back to renew its commitment with the improvement of the financial culture assigning 5 million euros to Funcas Educates, which means duplicate the allocation of 2024 and the great amount since this programme was initiated.
CECA foundations, the private social largest investor of Spain
In 2024, the resource in Obra Social has been of 906 million euros , an increase of 6.5% with respect to the previous year. With this resource carried out 99,483 activities, 22.87% are had more than in 2023, that they have reached to more than 35 million payees. In these eleven years, from the Act of Savings banks and Foundations Banking of 2013, the accumulated investment has exceeded the 8,729 million euros with which put in motion are had more than a million activities.
The Obra Social develops its activity in various areas, that they try cover all sectors of the town, putting the focus especially in the people more vulnerable and the needs that the company demand at all times.
The Social Programs are still one of the great worries of the CECA Foundations. Thus in 2024, this area is that which more investment has received, 332 million euros with which initiatives set aside for reducing have been carried out the poverty and the inequality, as well as to improve the living conditions of people, especially of the communities in situation of vulnerability. Special mention deserve the stock carried out to help to the affected areas for the catastrophe of the DANA.
The CECA Foundations are fully aware of the importance of the Research to improve the quality of life of people. In this area have been invested 187 million euros in 2024. More than half of this investment has been used for research projects in health and science.
Bet for an enriched company for the own traditions and the culture, is one of the major objectives of the CECA Foundations. More than 11 million people have attended the long thing of 2024 to programmes carried out in the area of Culture and Assets.
Promote a quality Education and the promotion of the financial culture is another of the commitments. Thus, have been achieved more than 4.3 million impacts (digital and attendees accesses in person) via activities of the area of Education during 2024.
6,170 initiatives have been developed within the area of Local Development, Enterprise and Employment, aimed at support to SMEs and self-employed workers, to the boost of rural areas, the enterprise and the employment. 4.73 million euros for young entrepreneurs confirm this type of initiatives.
The commitments and new demands around the sustainability have increased the investment in Environment, with an increase of 15% with respect to 2023 for awareness programmes and conservation of natural spaces.
The Sport is a tool of inclusion, social and promotion cohesion of securities. This way, although the most part of the activity is made around the sport base, there is an important work around: vulnerable group' integration, accompaniment of our elders in its active aging and the cultural cohesion with sports specific to the territory.
The Fee of Foundations and Obra Social , principal exchange forum of experiences, cooperation and study with regard to Obra Social, has celebrated today also its annual meeting. This is a statutory and advisory body of the association that brings together representatives of the sector's banking and ordinary foundations.