Since 2008, there has been a veritable tsunami in the banking sector. Financial institutions have closed 6,000 branches in Catalonia since then, thus increasing the risk of financial exclusion, according to a report by the Catalan Competition Authority (ACCO). This process has resulted from various consolidation initiatives, such as CaixaBank's acquisition of Bankia. Consequently, Catalonia, along with Andalusia and Madrid—the most populous autonomous communities—has the fewest bank branches per 100,000 inhabitants, according to data from the Bank of Spain. The ACCO analysis, which previously produced a similar report opposing BBVA's takeover bid for Banc Sabadell (a bid that ultimately failed), also warns of the risks of excessive concentration in certain areas and responds to a motion from the Parliament of Catalonia regarding the need to establish a public banking system focused on economic development. The consolidation of the banking sector in Catalonia has been accompanied by branch closures, a decrease in the number of ATMs, and job losses. Between 2008 and 2024, Catalonia lost 6,038 branches, a 74% reduction. As a result, 503 Catalan municipalities (53% of the total) have no bank branches and 435 (46%) have no ATMs. This process has also led to the disappearance of the 10 existing savings banks and a significant increase in concentration: the four largest banks together operate 85% of the branches. According to the study, "the concentration of the retail banking market in Catalonia can be considered high, both in terms of the availability of bank branches and the amount of credit granted." The study adds that "generally, these are markets with an oligopoly structure in which CaixaBank has a significant market share, followed by BBVA, Sabadell, and Santander. Only in a few specific cases do other entities have a considerable market share, such as Ibercaja in the province of Lleida." According to the study, CaixaBank operates 39.22% of branches (828), BBVA 18.85% (398), Banco Sabadell 15.92% (336), and Banco Santander 10.90% (230). The fifth largest bank, Ibercaja, has only 3.27% of branches (69), and the remaining entities, combined, have a market share of 11.84% (250). Currently, only Banc Sabadell, which relinquished its headquarters last year during BBVA's takeover bid, Caixa Ingenieros, and Caixa Guissona have their registered offices in Catalonia. CaixaBank has one in Valencia, although its owner, the La Caixa Foundation, and its investment arm, Criteria, relocated it to Barcelona last year. In total, there are 29 deposit-taking institutions operating in Catalonia.

The Spanish National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) has opened disciplinary proceedings against eleven engineering consultancies for allegedly manipulating public tenders. According to the regulatory body, the firms involved allegedly did so through agreements and the exchange of sensitive commercial information. The CNMC considers these practices contrary to Article 1 of Law 15/2007, of July 3, on the Defense of Competition. The companies under investigation by the agency chaired by Cani Fernández are Alauda Ingeniería, SA, Applus Norcontrol, SLU, Ciesm-Intevia SAU, Estudios y Servicios de Movilidad y Gestión de Infraestructuras, SL, Heymo Ingeniería, SA, Incope Consultores, SL, Ingeniería y Sistemas, SA, Tema Ingeniería, SA, and TPF Getinsa Euroestudios, SL. These companies allegedly divided up engineering consulting and technical assistance contracts issued by various state, regional, and local public bodies. In short, according to the CNMC, they "allegedly submitted fictitious bids in a concerted manner." Analysis of various tenders

The Competition Directorate of the CNMC (National Markets and Competition Commission) has initiated this sanctioning procedure after analyzing several tenders issued by the Directorate General of Highways of the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility for engineering consulting and technical assistance services. The CNMC inspected the offices of AECOM Spain DCS, SL, Alauda, ​​Prointec, SGS Tecnos, SA, and Getinsa between January 30 and February 2, 2024; and of Esmovilidad, Heymo, imesAPI, SA, and Tema between November 25 and 28, 2024. The initiation of the procedure does not presuppose the final outcome of the investigation. A maximum period of 24 months is now open for its resolution.

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For the first time, the National Commission on Markets and Competition (CNMC) has decided to prohibit a merger of companies since its creation in 2013. This is the case involving Curium Pharma Holding Spain, SLU (Curium), owned by Luxembourg-based funds, which planned to take control of the Institute of Radiopharmacy.

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The National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC) published this Monday the conditions imposed on the public takeover bid (OPA) by the Italian group Esseco for the Catalan multinational chemical company Ercros. In a statement, the institution itself considered that there are two markets where the company resulting from the sale would be in a situation close to monopoly.

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Barcelona Commercial Court No. 2 has rejected Just Eat's lawsuit against Glovo for unfair competition. The plaintiff was seeking 295 million euros in compensation. In its ruling, the court finds that the platform always acted "within the law" and that the contracts since 2019 guaranteed the autonomy of the delivery drivers (riders), allowing this service on a self-employed basis.

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The National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) has decided to advance the acquisition of Esteve Teijin Healthcare by Oximesa to Phase 2—a more in-depth analysis in which parties considered affected can submit objections. According to the agency chaired by Cani Fernández, the transaction could lead to excessive dominance of the home respiratory therapy market.

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This is an old dilemma that has endured through many historical vicissitudes, in which the excess of one of the two poles of the equation has generated problems of coexistence. Although digitalization generated a certain resurgence of the spirit and meaning of cooperation and sharing (as expressed in the case of Wikipedia), the truth is that the hegemony of competitive logic, the essence of the capitalist economy, is very evident, and with the arrival of Trump and his followers, it has become overwhelming. In our country, in recent months, and as a result of the debate unleashed by BBVA's attempts to take over Banc Sabadell, the word and the concept competence They have reached levels of a totalizing paradigm. It's not normal for banks to talk to each other through all kinds of media, and for the debate/dialogue about their future to fill, through advertisements, newspaper pages or many minutes of television time. The issue, obviously, doesn't only affect the shareholders of both banking entities, but I don't know if the scope it has ended up having was imaginable.

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In May, it will be a year since BBVA launched a takeover bid for Banc Sabadell, which the Catalan bank's board described as hostile. It is the first such operation since the former Banco de Bilbao (now part of BBVA) attempted to take control of Banesto (now part of Santander) in 1987. and in Alicante in 2017.

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