Argentina's S&P Merval index closed August with a 12% decline, marking its worst monthly performance since February. ^[1] The country risk index for Argentina rose by 80 points to 512, representing the largest monthly jump since February. ^[2] BBVA launched a new grant program called 'Becas Leonardo' to support projects in scientific research, technological development, and artistic creation. ^[3] Ten finalists competed in the 'Atrapa tus Sueños' campaign finale held live on BBVA's YouTube channel on August 28. ^[4] Pablo Lazzati, CEO of Insider Finance, stated that the market deterioration was driven by second-quarter balance sheets showing a new rise in delinquency rates. ^[5] The Financial Services sector led the market decline, dropping 13.2% in August, with BBVA Argentina falling 21.4% and Banco Macro down 15.3%. ^[6] Eligible applicants must be individual researchers or cultural creators aged between 30 and 45, excluding companies and associations. ^[7] The application deadline for the BBVA grant program is September 21 at 14:00 hours Mexico time. ^[8] The grant program covers areas including basic sciences, biology, clean technology, engineering, computer science, data science, artificial intelligence, social sciences, humanities, and the arts. ^[9] All ten finalists won cash prizes ranging from S/ 50,000 to S/ 500,000 each, resulting in a total distribution of more than S/ 1.1 million soles. ^[10] BBVA announced that the next season of 'Atrapa tus sueños' will be a special edition marking the bank's 75th anniversary in Peru. ^[11] The upcoming 75th-anniversary edition will feature 75 total winners and include a new prize of S/1 million soles. ^[12]