Finance

Dia lifts sales in Spain by 11.5% after opening 85 stores through September
Dia closed the first nine months of its fiscal year with an 11.5% rise in sales in Spain, to 4.562 billion euros. The group billed 5.662.9 billion euros, up 7.8%, driven by its Spanish business, while Argentina contributed 1.100.9 billion euros, down 5.3% at current exchange rates. In the third quarter alone, sales in Spain grew 11.3%, to 1.608 billion. The company opened 85 stores in Spain during the year and ended September with 2,432 supermarkets.
FinanceInternationalExpansiónOct 26AI
Volkswagen criticized over Audi chairman's appearance at Trump rally
Volkswagen's works council, unions and the Social Democrats criticized the group over the appearance of Gernot Döllner, Audi's chairman, at a Donald Trump campaign rally in Georgia. Döllner announced there that Audi will open its first US plant, with a 3.57 billion euro investment and 4,500 jobs. The works council called the participation "shameful" and Ig-Metall deemed it "politically unacceptable". The German government declined to comment, calling it a corporate decision.
FinanceInternationalEL PAÍSOct 26AI
BancoEstado to raffle 100 prizes among RutPay users who pay in October
BancoEstado launched a promotion that will raffle 100 prizes among those who use RutPay to pay between October 1 and 31, 2026. Each valid payment adds one chance, and the use of Pasaje QR and a successful transfer grant additional chances only once. Winners will receive refunds on purchases at participating supermarkets during 2027, of up to $200,000 per month and up to $2,400,000 accumulated, credited to their CuentaRUT. Each participant can win only one prize.
FinanceInternationalEl MostradorOct 26AI
Moeve and Galp end talks to merge their downstream businesses
Moeve and Galp ended more than nine months of talks to combine their refining, chemicals and mobility businesses in the Iberian Peninsula. The companies said they could not establish commercial and financial conditions that would support a lasting alliance. The project became public on January 8 with a preliminary non-binding agreement aimed at creating two energy platforms: one industrial and one focused on retail fuel distribution and mobility. Both keep their strategies and investment priorities.
FinanceInternationalInterempresas MediaOct 26AI
European gas nears 100 EUR/MWh after hitting 97.5 EUR, highest since 2022
European natural gas trades at 95.41 EUR/MWh and reached 97.5 EUR/MWh in early trading, its highest level since 2022, with a weekly gain of 8.78% and a 231.28% rise year to date. European inventories stand at around 75% of capacity, the lowest seasonal level since 2009 according to GIE, compounded by Norwegian supply restrictions reported by Gassco and an 80% year-on-year drop in Middle East LNG shipments to Europe.
FinanceInternationalXTB.comOct 26AI
Euribor falls to 3.225% on Monday, October 26
The daily Euribor rate stands at 3.225% on Monday, October 26, 2026, a drop of 0.042 points from the previous day. The October monthly average stands at 3.227%, compared with 3.247% in September and 2.954% in August. The indicator, a benchmark for variable-rate mortgages in Spain, is calculated Monday to Friday at 11:00 and published in the Official State Gazette.
FinanceInternationalEl MundoOct 26AI
Bitcoin hits lows below $80,000
Bitcoin went from nearing its highs since January to more than one-month lows within days, briefly falling below $80,000: it reached $79,300, far from the $85,000 it neared the previous week. Turmoil in financial markets, particularly in AI-linked investment themes, cooled crypto optimism. The fear and greed index has been out of greed levels for nearly three weeks and is approaching the fear threshold. Spot bitcoin ETFs recorded net outflows of $773 million on Thursday and Friday.
FinanceInternationalExpansiónOct 26AI
Wall Street opens higher amid Iran tensions and wait for central banks
US futures trade higher at the start of the week in a context marked by geopolitical tension in the Middle East, with Trump saying it was "time to decide" between a deal with Iran or resuming attacks. The dollar weakens slightly, EUR/USD recovers 1.1200 after Moody's kept France's rating at Aa3, gold is back above $4,000 an ounce and oil retreats. Attention centers on monetary policy decisions and corporate earnings.
FinanceInternationalXTB.comOct 26AI
Experts see Spain's power grid ready for future demand, including data centers
Experts gathered at the Energy panel of the EXPANSIÓN GreenWorld & Sustainability forum said Spain's grid and storage infrastructure is ready to cover current and future demand, including that of new projects such as data centers. Miguel de la Torre of Red Eléctrica said the transmission grid is not saturated, although 96 GW of wind and solar capacity hold access and connection permits without being in service, along with 33 GW of battery storage with permits.
FinanceInternationalExpansiónOct 26AI
Mastercard seeks to expand the use of its payment technologies in Venezuela
Mastercard is seeking to expand its business in Venezuela by modernizing payment methods and developing new consumer experiences. Carlos Quintero, the company's executive vice president of Marketing and Communications for Latin America and the Caribbean, told Bloomberg Línea that optimism in the country opens an opportunity to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies. The firm is pushing initiatives such as tokenization, cybersecurity tools and insurance tied to payments, and is preparing an alliance with the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.
FinanceInternationalBanca y NegociosOct 26AI
Galp and Moeve fail to reach deal to merge refining and distribution
Galp confirmed in a statement that, after several months of negotiations, "it was not possible to reach an agreement" with the shareholders of Spain's Moeve, Mubadala Investment Company and Carlyle, to combine their downstream, refining and distribution businesses. The Portuguese oil company said the outcome does not affect its operations. Moeve CEO Maarten Wetselaar said the combination was an opportunity to accelerate value creation but that it never depended on it. Galp also reported net profit of 682 million euros in the third quarter, up 68% year on year.
FinanceInternationalEuronews.comOct 26AI
Gold holds near three-month lows ahead of the Federal Reserve's next decision
Spot gold rose 0.2% to $4,005.41 an ounce in Monday's Asian session, after falling 4.1% the previous week and slipping below $4,000 on Friday for the first time since mid-July. Markets await the Federal Reserve's meeting on October 27-28 and the release of the PCE index on October 29, amid higher energy prices and 10-year Treasury yields near 5%.
FinanceInternationalRevista ADVFNOct 26AI
Rabbalshede Kraft finalizes details of the Lönhult wind farm in Sweden
Rabbalshede Kraft confirmed that the Lönhult wind farm, in the Swedish municipality of Aneby, is in the stage prior to entering commercial operation. The facility totals 24.8 MW across four Vestas V162 turbines of 6.2 MW and 206 meters in height. Construction began in 2025 and generation was moved up to late November 2026, from the start previously planned for early 2027. One third of its electricity will be sold to NKT Cables under a ten-year PPA.
FinanceInternationalInspenetOct 26AI
Aquí tu Reforma enters Italy and France with a commercial delegate model
Spanish home renovation company Aquí tu Reforma will enter the Italian and French markets with a commercial delegation model linked to its Spanish headquarters, different from the master-franchise strategy used so far. The company expects to sign its first contracts late this year and to close around 15 licences in each country before the end of 2027, with a business volume of 45 million euros over the next three years.
FinanceInternationalInterempresas MediaOct 26AI
Deckers raises profit guidance despite cutting sales expectations
Deckers Brands, parent of Hoka, Ugg and Teva, raised its profit guidance for fiscal 2027, which ends March 31, 2027, while lowering its sales targets. In the second fiscal quarter it posted revenue of $1.481 billion, up 3.5% year on year but below the $1.510 billion expected by analysts. Hoka grew 6.8% and Ugg 3.5%, while the direct-to-consumer business fell 1.8%. Diluted earnings per share rose to $2.31 from $1.82.
FinanceInternationalInterempresas MediaOct 26AI
Revolut to launch Revolut Ventures for investing in private tech companies
Revolut announced Revolut Ventures, a platform created with Carne Group to give eligible investors access to private tech companies, a segment previously reserved for high-net-worth individuals and institutions. The company says the median age of tech firms at IPO rose from 6.9 years in 2014 to 11 years in 2025. The platform is expected to be available in 2027 and integrated into the app alongside stocks, ETFs, bonds and money market funds. Revolut warns these investments are harder to sell and could involve substantial losses.
FinanceInternationalEuronews.comOct 26AI
Bimbo launches Bimbitos, plush keychains of its brands, in a "mystery box" format
Grupo Bimbo launched the Bimbitos, a collection of five charms and plush-style keychains inspired by its brands and products: the Osito Bimbo, a slice of sliced bread, a donut, a chocolate-chip sponge cake from Weikis and a Takis figure. The more than 300,000 units are handed out at supermarkets and convenience stores with the purchase of two company products, until October 31 or while stocks last, under the blind box or "mystery box" format.
FinanceInternationalReason WhyOct 26AI
Brent falls more than 6% from war highs as diplomacy on Iran advances
Brent fell more than 6% on Monday, from about $117.4 a barrel at Friday's close to around $110, as diplomatic efforts to calm the war with Iran gained momentum and Donald Trump signaled he is weighing a deal with Tehran. West Texas Intermediate was down about 2%, to $101.5. Investors also await decisions from the Fed, the ECB and the Bank of Japan and a heavy week of corporate earnings.
FinanceInternationalEuronews.comOct 26AI
Gasoline 95 in Madrid stands at 1.72 euros per liter on October 26
The price of 95-octane gasoline in Madrid stands at 1.72 euros per liter this Monday, October 26, 2026, a 0.53% change from yesterday's figure. Diesel A falls 0.15% in 24 hours to 1.87 euros per liter on average. In Madrid, diesel A ranges from 1.699 to 2.054 euros, gasoline 95 from 1.559 to 1.889 euros and gasoline 98 from 1.729 to 2.039 euros per liter.
FinanceInternationalEl MundoOct 26AI
Telefónica slumps more than 7% after Lula's victory in Brazil
Telefónica shares opened the session down 7.5% after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's victory in Brazil and J.P. Morgan's doubts about its debt. The stock fell to 3.13 euros, its lowest since December 2020, with 1.78 million shares traded, five times the average. Brazil accounts for about 31.7% of the group's revenue and 38% of its EBITDA. JPMorgan cut its rating to "underweight" and lowered its price target to 3.20 euros.
FinanceInternationalXTB.comOct 26AI