Household debt stood at 729 billion euros in the second quarter of this year, 1.5% more than twelve months ago, but its weight in the gross domestic product (GDP) fell to 41.9%, the lowest level since the third quarter of 1999. According to the financial accounts published by the Bank of Spain, companies also reduced the weight of their liabilities relative to the state's total wealth during this period, between April and June of this year. In this case, it stood at a total of 1.077 trillion euros, 2% more than a year ago, but at 61.9% of GDP, the lowest level since the third quarter of 2001.

Not everyone can save. In fact, 70 out of every 100 Catalans do so, while 30% claim they cannot put money aside with what they earn per month. And among those who do save, the most common amount is about 150 euros per month, while the average is 292 euros. In any case, of all those who can save a monthly sum, only 13% account for about half of all savings, with an average of over 300 euros. At the Spanish level, those who hold half of the saved money, which is 21%, set aside an average of 400 euros.

The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who initially did not plan to participate in the family business congress, which was held this Monday and Tuesday in the capital of Spain, finally intervened and warned the business owners that the Spanish government has "called elections to prop up communist ideas".

Banc Sabadell, with the new stage under Marc Armengol as CEO and with the BBVA takeover bid in memory, is pressing the accelerator. The French BPCE, which groups entities such as Banque Populaire and Natixis and is the second-largest banking entity in France, has entered the capital of the Valles-based bank with around a 7% stake, valued at approximately 1.2 billion euros.

"We must all ensure that moderation is sexier than polarization." This was one of the statements by Eloi Planes, president of the Family Business Institute (IEF), at the 29th edition of the congress that brings together this type of company. Consensus is not the solution to everything, but it is essential, he added, to build with solidity.

After eight years, Pedro Sánchez, in the midst of a housing and legislative crisis – partly due to the rejection by the Congress of Deputies of the two housing decrees approved by the Spanish government – and with rumors of an early election, returns to the annual event that brings together the major family businesses. After avoiding it since the last time he participated, in October 2018, in Valencia, a few months after winning the motion of no confidence that toppled Mariano Rajoy (PP), the head of the executive committed to opening this Monday the 29th edition of the national congress organized in Madrid by the Family Business Institute (IEF). This organization brings together a hundred of the main family businesses, from Mercadona to Fluidra, Puig, Hotusa, Mango, Occident, Pikolín, Banca March or Banco Santander, among others.

Having a powerful residential stock at an affordable price requires not only financial resources, which it does, but also consistency and continuity in policies, according to the different models and strategies regarding housing in the European Union (EU). Paris, the city of light, has 17 times more social housing per 1,000 inhabitants than Barcelona, according to data on this type of property in both cities. Maintaining this proportion, since the municipality of the French capital has around 22% more inhabitants than the Catalan capital, in the former there are 127 social apartments per 1,000 inhabitants compared to 7.6 in Barcelona, although in recent years the drive for this type of housing has increased.

Catalonia is about to put an end to the anomaly of more than a decade of being practically the only autonomous community without its own chamber of commerce law. A curious differential fact. During this time, stages such as Quim Torra's as president of the Generalitat have been experienced, with an attempt at interventionism that brought unions and employers' associations together against it. Or the most recent controversy over the memberships obtained by large companies by paying (the so-called silver chairs).

Many small landlords, who make up the largest proportion of the housing market, are skeptical about the decree approved by the Spanish government, which faces a vote in Congress this Friday. Of the two housing decrees, the one including measures for the protection of vulnerable people was, in principle, the one that seemed most likely to move forward, especially after the 'yes' announced by Podemos and the PNV. But the rejection by Junts —which is asking the Spanish government to withdraw it or they will vote against it— has disrupted the possibility of it passing. The second one, which incorporates automatic lease extensions and compensation for tenants, had no chance, because the PNV will also vote against it.

BBVA will distribute a dividend of 37 cents per share to its shareholders, the highest in its history. According to the entity, the operation will be effective on October 15 and will involve a total payout of 2 billion euros. This increase, 16% more than the interim remuneration of the previous year, will be charged against the 2026 results, a fiscal year that, for now, is breaking all records. During the first half of the year, BBVA achieved a net profit of 6.051 billion euros, 10% more than in the same period last year.

Pimec has held its annual event in the midst of the housing crisis. And the president of the business organization, Antoni Cañete, has taken advantage of the presence of the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, and the Minister of Social Security and spokesperson for the Spanish government, Elma Saiz, to warn of the risk of the housing crisis for competitiveness.

The Metropolitan Council, the governing body of the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB), has given the green light to the offer from the French multinational Veolia to supply water service to eight towns in Barcelona, with a contract worth more than 1 billion euros.

Noelia Acosta is the second vice president of the Association of Chartered Accountants (auditors) and a partner at Baker Tilly. Acosta, 49, asserts that her profession, to which she has been dedicated for 25 years, is subject to many regulatory changes that often arise in the wake of financial scandals. An expert in measuring the sustainability of companies and entities, she receives Companiesat the collegiate headquarters, the Torre Moré, a modernist mansion in the Barcelona neighborhood of Pedralbes, remodeled by the architect Òscar Tusquets, whom this organization, with some 2,000 members, will pay tribute to next Wednesday. Precisely on that day, they will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the creation of the association and its headquarters with challenges such as artificial intelligence (AI) and improving the balance between men and women. In the group as a whole, there is still a significant gap: 80% men and 20% women among the members. Among practitioners, the difference is reduced among those at the base: 65% men and 35% women. On the other hand, regarding executive partners, the presence of women is below 30%.

Maricarmen Abascal in Madrid; Olga, the 54-year-old woman from l'Hospitalet who committed suicide after being evicted... The list is terribly long. Although the total number of judicial evictions is lower than it was a few years ago, it remains a problem, a scourge. And what is most serious is that when a measure has been attempted to be applied, even if temporary –such as the decree to prevent the eviction of vulnerable people–, a group of parties, such as the PP, Vox and Junts, opposed it.

The average compensation that directors of companies listed on the stock exchange receive for the termination of their contractual relationship stood at 3.7 million euros last year. The amount, far exceeded by some multi-million euro settlements, especially in companies on the Ibex, the major stock market benchmark, is extremely far from the average of 9,000 euros received by laid-off workers. In any case, there is a lot of variability depending on the sectors, from about 2,400 euros in hospitality to more than 32,000 in banking and the financial sector, according to data from the Ministry of Labor.

Significant step for Salvat laboratories. The Catalan family pharmaceutical company has decided to concentrate its entire production capacity at the factory it has in Alcalá de Henares, in Madrid. The move from the Esplugues de Llobregat plant will be progressive until 2030, according to its new strategic plan approved in July. The company is open to negotiating possibilities of geographical mobility for its staff "responsibly, maintaining dialogue with the legal representatives of the workers during the different phases of the transition".

After starring in a certain withdrawal, families are once again entrusting their savings to the stock market. Last year, the weight of households in the Spanish stock market rose to 16.7%, the highest level in the last four years, according to Bolsas y Mercados (BME), the operator of the Spanish trading floors, a subsidiary of the Swiss firm Six. Its historical low occurred in 2024. Another relevant fact is that foreign investors accounted for a historical record of 50.4% of the total.

The average remuneration of directors of listed companies who held the position for the full financial year increased last year by 12.2%, to 477,000 euros per year. That of executive directors, who have management responsibilities, grew more than double that of non-executives, with a rise of 26.3% and an average of up to 2.4 million, according to the report by the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) on corporate governance and remuneration of directors of listed companies in 2025. These documents include information from 113 companies listed on the stock exchange.

Receiving a home as an inheritance, especially from parents to children, is no longer an anecdote or a cyclical phenomenon, but a structural one, related to the generational turnover in a society where the number of retirees and elderly people who own properties is growing, and a youth that does not earn enough to be able to own a home is losing weight. Until June, this type of transmission has continued at high levels, although with more force in the State as a whole than in Catalonia, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE).

No one likes to go where they believe they will not be well received or where an ovation is not a given. That is what the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, must have thought, as he last attended the Family Business Institute (IEF) congress in October 2018 in Valencia. From 2019 to 2025, he stopped attending, even though this powerful lobby had invited him. It includes some of the main companies controlled by families, from Mercadona to Banco Santander, Barceló, Banca March, Mango, or Amancio López's Hotusa, which joined last year.