The sixth edition of BNEW emerges as a major showcase of the productive economy

• Organized by the Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona, the event will feature 320 speakers, 100 hours of content, 66 panels, and 120 startups showcasing disruptive solutions in the new economy.

• The CZFB also presented the 3rd New Economy Observatory, which reveals that 46.7% of participating companies will expand their workforce through digital transformation, while only 5.2% plan to reduce it.

Barcelona, September 25, 2025 – The Consorci de la Zona Franca de Barcelona (CZFB) held a press conference this morning to present the sixth edition of the Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW), which will take place from September 29 to October 2 at DFactory Barcelona. This edition will feature 320 speakers, 100 hours of content, 66 discussion panels, and over 25 experiential activities. It will connect seven sectors under the umbrella of the new economy to generate opportunities. The sectors featured in BNEW 2025 are Digital Industry, Sustainability, Mobility, Aviation, Talent, Health, and Experience.

Blanca Sorigué, the CEO of CZFB, explained during the press conference: “BNEW is an event that connects and links different sectors because today we live in a global and interconnected society and economy, both geographically and sectorally. What sets BNEW apart is that it connects different worlds—sectors that seemingly have nothing to do with each other—but thanks to the new economy, they interrelate and create synergies to generate opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise arise.”

BBot, BNEW’s New Virtual Assistant

The event, which has become the benchmark for the new economy and a forum for discussing the main challenges and transformations driven by digitalization and sustainability, maintains its hybrid format: both in-person and online. While in-person participation continues to grow, in line with previous editions, all content will also be available remotely from anywhere in the world via a next-generation digital platform. This platform enables networking through messaging and meeting requests among users. New this year, the BNEW 2025 digital platform will feature BBot, a virtual assistant powered by artificial intelligence, designed to enhance interaction, networking, and personalization of the attendee experience.

Participation of 120 Startups

Blanca Sorigué stated: “BNEW is a B2B event aimed at decision-makers in companies. It’s highly useful because it allows them to interact with professionals from other sectors, with whom they might otherwise struggle to connect. BNEW expands their opportunities and collaboration possibilities.” Sorigué also noted that “this year, startups will continue to play a prominent role at BNEW 2025, with 120 emerging companies presenting the latest technological innovations revolutionizing key sectors such as health, sustainability, talent, aviation, digital industry, and mobility.”

BNEW 2025 will also present its traditional awards to the best startups in each vertical on Wednesday, October 1 at 7:30 PM. From the 120 participating startups, a committee of experts has selected the top five in each vertical. These finalists will pitch their projects on October 30 as part of the BNEW Talent program. The winners will be announced at the ceremony that will take place on the afternoon of October 1st.

Following the success of last year’s edition, sessions for the Talent, Mobility, and Sustainability verticals will take place on September 29 and 30, while panels for Aviation, Health, and Digital Industry will be held on October 1 and 2. The only vertical running all four days in person will be BNEW Experience, offering attendees a taste of Barcelona’s leisure, cultural, and gastronomic scene. The BNEW Experience program will include over 30 activities designed to foster networking in a more relaxed atmosphere.

III New Economy Observatory – BNEW 2025

At this morning’s press conference, Blanca Sorigué, presented the III New Economy Observatory of BNEW 2025. This study, conducted by the CZFB, involved 473 participating companies and startups (76% companies and 24% startups).

Among the most notable findings, the BNEW New Economy Observatory highlights that 46.7% of participating companies believe they will expand their workforce through digital transformation, while only 5.2% expect to reduce it. The remaining 48.1% anticipate maintaining their current number of employees.

Regarding hiring, 83.3% of participating startups stated they plan to recruit staff in the coming year: 45.7% will hire between 1 and 2 people, 12.5% between 3 and 5 people, and 25.1% plan to hire more than 5 people over the next year.

In terms of AI application usage, 71.5% of companies confirmed they are already using AI tools in their daily operations, and 15.6% plan to adopt them soon. Among startups, this figure rises to 79.2% already using AI applications, with 9.3% planning to implement them shortly.

The BNEW New Economy Observatory also confirms that sustainability is fully integrated into business practices. A total of 98.8% of companies report they are already developing sustainable initiatives, while the figure stands at 91.7% for startups.

Finally, 70.3% of companies participating in BNEW 2025 stated they are working on collaborative projects with businesses from other sectors, and 26.9% expressed interest in collaborating but don’t know how to initiate it. Additionally, 46.7% of participating companies confirmed they are already collaborating with at least one startup, and 41.6% are considering doing so in the near future.