Green light from Brussels to the Spanish anti-blackout mechanism, which includes millionaire aid to electricity companies to guarantee the stability of the electricity supply. The European Commission has authorized the Spanish state to compensate with up to 9 billion euros over 10 years (900 million each year) the most stable technologies – such as gas thermal power plants – so that they provide "firmness" to the electricity system and are available when it is necessary to inject more electricity into the system or control demand.

The current pension system, a result of Pedro Sánchez's government's last major reform, gets a barely passing grade in a new examination by the Independent Fiscal Responsibility Authority (Airef). The body, now headed by Inés Olóndriz, confirmed this Friday morning that the system complies with the pension spending rule, and therefore, the Spanish government will not be forced to approve additional measures to adjust spending and income. However, the Fiscal Authority is once again casting doubt on the system's sustainability and, in fact, questions it.

The expenditure of the entire pension system will increase exponentially in the coming years due to the progressive exit from the labor market of the so-called "baby boom" generation, the largest one. It will do so, in fact, from the current 202.607 billion euros to 616.563 billion euros in 2050, when the peak expenditure is expected to be reached. If observed in relation to gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator that measures the economic activity of a territory), expenditure will go from 12.7% of GDP in 2024 to 15.3% of GDP around the years 2049 and 2050.Taking this trend into account, the question of whether the system is sustainable, especially in the long term, has been hovering for some time. In the eyes of the Ministry of Social Security, the answer is affirmative, and the reasons are, in the opinion of this department, mainly three: the delay in the retirement age, that is, the tendency for people to extend their working lives; the fact that more women are working; and, finally, the evolution of the Spanish economy.All in all, both the expenditure projections and the arguments for why it is sustainable are included in the report that Social Security published this Thursday after launching

Spain's largest banks are once again talking about the banking business at financial conclaves. It's not that they haven't talked about it until now, but there was an "elephant in the room" that overshadowed the media spotlight: BBVA's hostile takeover bid for Banco Sabadell. Even though senior executives in the financial sector strived to explain how the business worked, headlines in the media didn't move beyond this framework – it also helped that at these meetings no one hesitated to ask about the operation. But since the majority of Sabadell's shareholders decided not to accept BBVA's offer, that chapter is now history, and the sector's conclaves are witnessing it, as attendees at the first day of the financial forum organized annually by the Iese business school in Madrid were able to verify this Wednesday. The meeting ends tomorrow, Thursday, and will feature the main figures of Spanish banking, but also other players in the sector.

One day after Pope Leo XIV put artificial intelligence (AI) in the spotlight of his first encyclical, the most relevant papal document, the Spanish government has sent the organic law for the good use and governance of AI to Congress. The Council of Ministers this Tuesday gave the green light in a second reading to the text that adapts Spanish legislation to the European AI regulation approved on March 13, which seeks to ensure an ethical, inclusive, and beneficial use of artificial intelligence and to enable users to clearly differentiate which content is real and which is virtual.

The presidency of Anfac, the Spanish association of automobile manufacturers, is on its way to becoming a springboard. Josep Maria Recasens (Girona, 1976) was known in the sector – in 2023 he was appointed president and CEO of Renault Group Iberia –, but he gained visibility when in 2024 he took over from Wayne Griffiths at the head of this organization. Two years later, he becomes number two at Indra, the company that aspires to be the flagship of the defense sector in Spain, or at least that is what the Spanish government intends, which is the main shareholder with 28% of the share capital.

On February 23, 2026, a judge from Madrid sent the case that led to the impeachment of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to the National Court. The case had resurfaced after France and Switzerland sent information about an ongoing investigation in which Plus Ultra appeared as a "client" of a criminal organization dedicated to money laundering. The magistrate pointed out that Rodolfo Reyes – majority shareholder of the airline and in the crosshairs of the United States– and other airline executives allegedly orchestrated a plan since 2020 to "appropriate clean money from public subsidies." As the alleged crimes were reportedly committed outside of Spain, the National Court is competent to investigate them, which is why José Luis Calama is now leading the investigation.

Real Madrid will have elections. Enrique Riquelme officially presented his candidacy to preside over the club this Saturday afternoon, on the last day set by the deadlines, and on Sunday the electoral board decided to validate it. Therefore, he will have to call the members to the polls, 20 years later. The president of the energy company Cox assured that he presents an "exciting and serious" project, which "is not against anyone" but in favor of the entity and asked the members "not to be afraid".

The refusal of the Spanish big banks to back Enrique Riquelme's candidacy for the presidency of Real Madrid has pushed the businessman to knock on the doors of foreign financial institutions, and with only a few hours left before the deadline to present a project with substance expires – he has until this Saturday, May 23, at midnight – negotiations remain open. This is the case of Andbank España – the Spanish subsidiary of the Andorran bank Andbank –, with whom Riquelme was finalizing a guarantee this Friday afternoon, according to financial sources speaking to ARA. However, the businessman has also looked across the Atlantic and has knocked on the door of Scotiabank (Canada), as reported by Expansión. This firm is not unknown to Riquelme, as it was part of the banks that financed the purchase by Cox, the energy company he chairs, of the subsidiary that Iberdrola had in Mexico.

The Spanish economy is holding its ground despite the impact of the war in the Middle East, but it is not without risks. This is one of the main conclusions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) economists in their annual report on the Spanish economy, the so-called Article IV, in which they launch a series of recommendations to the Spanish government, starting with the need to carry out fiscal consolidation to help strengthen public finances.

The Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda has set itself the goal of ending abusive practices in rental contracts. Now, in addition to pursuing large real estate companies –These clauses are those that have been declared judicially or legally abusive and that form part of the complaints usually filed by tenants.

Enrique Riquelme Vives (Coix, Alicante, 1989) is finally taking a step forward and will battle to preside over Real Madrid, as he communicated this Thursday afternoon to the Electoral Board of Real Madrid. The businessman has managed to secure a list of names to contest the presidency against Florentino Pérez, who after 26 years presiding over the club, and for the first time, will have an opponent in the white club's elections, the first since those in 2006, which Ramón Calderón won.

The Supreme Court partially rules in favor of those autonomous communities that filed an appeal against the single registration of short-term housing by the Spanish government, as they believed it encroached on regional competencies. In a ruling published this Thursday, and in response to an appeal filed by the Generalitat Valenciana (Andalusia also filed one), the high court annuls the measure because it considers that the State does not have the authority to create such a tool.

The State and the Generalitat have signed this Wednesday the agreements with ERC for the Catalan budgets at the Bilateral Commission they held in Madrid, which lasted less than an hour. The Republicans set this condition to have a guarantee of compliance with the pacts that depend on Pedro Sánchez's executive, among which is the creation of an investment company, that is, a company that will be approved by the Council of Ministers during this 2026 and will be participated by both administrations. This company will serve to "provide greater agility, flexibility and operational capacity" for the execution of studies, projects and works linked to infrastructures and other public investments, as the Government explained in a press release. In parallel, however, they are not giving up on the possibility of moving forward with a "State-Generalitat parity consortium for investments" which would depend on the Ministry of Transport. For this to prosper, however, it requires the approval of Congress, where the proposal derailed a few weeks ago due to the opposing vote of Junts.

The first seaplane to cross the Atlantic to make the journey from Spain to Latin America was called Plus Ultra. It was the year 1926. Much later, in 2011, businessmen Julio Martínez Sola and Fernando González Enfedaque decided to pay homage to that anniversary by naming the airline they founded themselves Plus Ultra Línea Aérea. Since this Tuesday, the airline is once again at the center of controversy after former Spanish president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been cited as an investigated person within the framework, precisely, of the so-called Plus Ultra case. The case, until now under summary secrecy, investigates an alleged money laundering of public funds that the company received in 2021, when the Spanish government rescued it due to the economic impact of covid-19. But the truth is that the company has always been in the shadow of controversy: it has a past marked by losses, lawsuits, and the specter of dissolution.

The time for aspirants to preside over Real Madrid to present a candidacy is running out. For now, only the Valencian Enrique Riquelme, president of the energy company Cox, is the one who has raised his hand to take the step, although this Monday he was still "working on it". He has until this Saturday, May 23. He needs 187 million euros of his own patrimonial guarantee (15% of Real Madrid's budget) and to have been a member of the white club for at least 20 years. Requirements that would be in order, according to Riquelme himself has revealed.

It is the third time that the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Spain, Carlos Cuerpo, makes an official trip to Canada seeking to strengthen bilateral economic relations, but the first in which the King of Spain, Felipe VI, attends. The monarch's presence on the trip, which starts this Tuesday and will last until Thursday, coincides with the North American country's rapprochement with Europe at a time when relations with the United States, one of its main trading partners, have been altered by the tariff threats of the Donald Trump administration, as well as the threat of turning Canada into an annexed state.

First major change in the technology and defense company Indra since Àngel Simón became non-executive chairman. The company's CEO, José Vicente de los Mozos, is stepping down as number two, as the company reported this Tuesday afternoon through the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV). The departure of De los Mozos represents the second earthquake in the leadership of the company controlled by the State (it is the main shareholder with 28% of the share capital) in a short time. The first was the departure of the until recently chairman, Ángel Escribano.

Mortgage lending continues to circulate – in fact, some financial institutions have warned that it is doing so unsustainably – while housing prices rise month after month. In this context, some are already noticing a difficulty in buying: households where the main residence is rented have a "limited financial capacity" to acquire a first property through a mortgage, according to the Bank of Spain. Be that as it may, the scenario shows no signs of concern in the opinion of the supervisory body, which for some months has been analyzing whether to activate any limitations on the lending criteria for high-risk mortgages that are being granted.

Enrique Riquelme Vives (Coix, Alicante, 1989) is the talk of the town in Madrid since this Tuesday afternoon Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, implicitly mentioned him during the highly commented press conference in which he announced early elections. At one point during the appearance, the veteran white director spoke of a businessman with a "South American" accent, although he later qualified that he had a "Mexican" accent, who was willing to challenge him for the presidency of Real Madrid. He was referring to Riquelme, who this Wednesday night did not hesitate to respond to Florentino Pérez by asking for more time before the elections. "I would like to convey our full willingness to dialogue together in the coming days and agree on a broader process that allows and fosters the real participation of members and madridistas," the businessman expressed in a letter published in Marca.Unlike the tone of the white club president, Riquelme acknowledges the "leadership" of these years and the fact of having "dominated world football". At the same time, he asks for "time, serenity and reflection" and puts the current electoral process in his sights: "It does not correspond with the promotion of participation and listening that modern democracies require".