Madrid- Spain's second-biggest bank BBVA saw its net profit plunge by 18 per cent to 5.02 billion euros (6.5 billion dollars) in 2008, the bank said Wednesday.
Recurrent profit, however, rose by 0.2 per cent, despite the global financial crisis.
The result was influenced by factors including early retirement payments at its Spanish operations valued at 602 million euros and losses caused by alleged Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff valued at 302 million euros, BBVA said.