Escrivá outlines conduct supervision priorities for banks
Banco de España Governor José Luis Escrivá has presented the central bank's supervisory priorities for entity conduct in 2026. He emphasized responsible credit granting and fair customer treatment at the annual Forum for the Supervision of Entity Conduct.
Supervisory agenda for responsible conduct
The Banco de España's Governor, José Luis Escrivá, today closed the fourth annual Forum for the Supervision of Entity Conduct.
This forum serves a dual purpose: to convey the central bank's supervisory guidelines on conduct and customer treatment to financial institutions, and to offer the sector a direct channel to communicate its concerns.
The event began with a review of the Conduct of Entities Department's main activities in 2025, some of which will translate into formal supervisory expectations and public communications.
Subsequently, the supervisory priorities for 2026 were presented.
These priorities, consistent with the previous year, will focus on the principles of responsible credit granting and the requirements for prior information on consumer and mortgage loans.
Furthermore, the internal governance models of entities, particularly those related to conduct, will be a key area of supervisory attention.
Cultivating fair customer treatment
In his address before the forum's closing debate, Governor Escrivá emphasized the critical role of appropriate customer treatment.
He highlighted this as a vital ex-ante protection mechanism, beneficial for both clients and financial institutions.
Escrivá urged entities to move beyond mere compliance with regulations, good practices, and supervisory expectations.
He called for a proactive cultural evolution within their organizations to achieve a balanced approach.
This balance, he explained, must reconcile the sector's legitimate profitability goals with its obligation to provide honest and fair treatment, effectively addressing customer interests and needs.
A necessary cultural shift
The Banco de España's persistent focus on conduct supervision is a welcome, albeit overdue, push for deeper cultural change in the banking sector.
While regulatory compliance is a baseline, Escrivá's call for an ethical evolution correctly identifies the core challenge.
True customer protection demands more than ticking boxes; it requires embedding fairness into the very fabric of institutional operations.