A nonprofit organisation based in Murcia, Bomberos por Bomberos (Firefighters for Firefighters), has launched a critical humanitarian operation in Venezuela, delivering safe drinking water to populations severely impacted by the devastating recent earthquakes. As the organisation’s first international mission, the dedicated team has successfully completed complex technical installations to link a water well to a specialised purification unit located at the Caribe fire station in the Venezuelan city of La Guaira.

Local nonprofit’s first international mission delivers vital water supplies

This water treatment plant, a compact, high-capacity unit funded by the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM), can process up to 3,000 litres of clean drinking water every hour. The team constructed PVC pipelines to carry unpurified water from the well directly into the filtration system and out to an accessible distribution hub.

Bomberos por Bomberos is also coordinating tanker trucks equipped with large holding tanks to transport clean water directly into camps and remote settlements, where vulnerable local people are currently taking shelter.

Dedicated mobile distribution teams tackling a growing health crisis

Access to uncontaminated drinking water across the regions affected by the earthquakes has become critically scarce. Humanitarian workers warn that the deficit will worsen as other relief organisations phase out bottled water distributions in temporary camps. Without access to safe supplies, many desperate residents have turned to untreated well water, sparking widespread gastrointestinal illnesses and health complications.

Community awareness drives demand at local fire station

Local creators and Venezuelan social media channels have actively spread news about the new purification plant, driving a steady increase in daily demand at the Caribe fire station. With this effort, Bomberos por Bomberos continues to expand its logistics footprint to keep pace with the growing need for clean, fresh water.

Working tirelessly to provide water for displaced people, the Murcian firefighters are playing an essential role in stabilising public health and supporting vulnerable families through this devastating crisis. It is just one of the ways Murcian emergency responders and nonprofit organisations are working to spread humanitarian aid in light of the earthquake disaster in Venezuela.

More than six million people in Spain now bank with Revolut, yet not one of their euros is protected by the Spanish deposit fund. A licence granted in Paris on Monday August 10 could change which country stands behind that money.

The €100,000 guarantee that comes from Lithuania 

Revolut has served Spanish customers since 2023 through Revolut Bank UAB, Sucursal en España. Their branch registration brought Spanish IBANs, direct debits for utility bills and Social Security, and access to Bizum.  What it didn’t bring was a Spanish guarantee. Revolut’s own deposit insurance information for Spain states that money held with Revolut Bank UAB is insured by the Lithuanian public institution Deposit and Investment Insurance, up to €100,000 for a single depositor.

That is the same figure the Spanish deposit guarantee fund covers, although the difference is whose fund would pay out, and which country’s process a saver in Almería or Málaga would have to follow to get the money back. 

France goes first while Spain is kept waiting

Revolut Bank S.A. received its full licence on Monday August 10 after a joint assessment by the French prudential regulator (ACPR), and the European Central Bank, with the decision adopted by the ECB Governing Council. The company said the new entity will “progressively begin serving customers across Europe, starting with France, with other European markets including Germany, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain to follow in subsequent phases”.

No timetable has been published for any market beyond France. The Lithuanian entity remains, in Revolut’s words, a cornerstone of operations, and both banks are supervised by the ECB in what the company calls a dual-hub model. 

For customers in France, eligible deposits will come under the Fonds de garantie des dépôts et de résolution (FGDR), the French scheme, as accounts transfer across. If Spain follows the same route, Spanish balances would shift from Lithuanian cover to French cover. 

Mortgages are the prize Revolut wants in Spain

Revolut closed 2025 with 6.3 million customers in Spain, its third-largest market, and has said it wants eight million by the end of this year. It began installing its own cash machines in Madrid and Barcelona last year and plans 200 across Spain during 2026.

The obvious gap is lending. Revolut has said it intends to launch mortgages in Spain, the product that generates much of the profit at Santander, BBVA and CaixaBank, using the fully digital model it already runs in Lithuania. 

A full licence in a large euro-area market gives the group firmer regulatory footing to widen lending and savings products across the region. In France that includes the Livret A and other tax-free regulated savings accounts. Spain has no direct equivalent, so the practical benefit there is more likely to arrive as credit.

The ECB curbed Revolut’s product launches only last year

Any Spanish rollout depends on supervisors. In July 2025 the ECB told Revolut’s European board that its Lithuanian bank could not launch new products across the European Economic Area until it addressed deficiencies in governance, risk, compliance and legal controls, according to details first reported by the Financial Times in June 2026.

The regulator ordered an independent review of the product approval framework and required the board to assess the capital and liquidity impact of new launches. Revolut said it had strengthened its internal controls and was in “continuous and constructive dialogue” with its regulators.

The Bank of Lithuania separately fined Revolut Bank €3.5 million in April 2025 over shortcomings in monitoring transactions and business relationships. It said it found no confirmed cases of money laundering.

What account holders in Spain should watch for

Nothing changes for a Spanish account today. Balances, IBANs and card details stay as they are, and Revolut has said existing customers will be told directly about any changes. The signal to watch is the deposit information inside the app and in the terms sent by email. When the entity holding the money changes from Revolut Bank UAB to Revolut Bank S.A., the guarantee moves with it, and so does the office a saver would need to contact if anything went wrong.

Local athletes connected to the RafaPuede Foundation received a warm reception at San Javier Town Hall following their extraordinary performance at the Spanish Championship of Autonomous Communities in Extremadura. As part of the Murcian Orienteering Federation’s Inclusive Sports team (ODI), these talented young competitors brought a gold, a silver, and two bronze medals home in the junior category. 

Champions return home with national medals: Excelling in maze and sprint events

In particular, the athletes stood out in the high-stakes maze and urban sprint events, where participants must quickly decipher complex maps and navigate landscapes to locate checkpoints in record time.

Words of wisdom from young champions

Among the celebrated team members was the newly crowned Spanish champion Adrián Martínez, who, at the welcoming ceremony, encouraged others to “set their minds to it and always pursue their dreams.” Bronze medalist Enrique Miquel González also highlighted the transformative power of inclusive athletics, sharing that “there is always a way, and there will always be people willing to support you to get where you want to be.”

Regional sports authorities praised the team of young talents for demonstrating the tremendous potential of inclusive competition and proving that sports can be accessible to all, without exception.

RafaPuede: Building a foundation from a personal mission

The RafaPuede Foundation behind these athletes was established in 2015 by the parents of Rafa, a boy born in San Javier in 2009 with Moebius Syndrome, a rare neurological condition that stops part of the face from moving. The organisation was founded in his name, inspired by his determination to overcome physical limitations and live life to the fullest: Rafa puede, Rafa Can.

The organisation’s primary aims are to collect resources, develop adaptive technologies, and foster true social inclusion within the local community for those affected by rare diseases or conditions. What began as a personal mission quickly evolved into a vital support system for many families facing similar challenges.

Today, the non-profit organisation works endlessly to support autonomy for individuals with diverse needs through technology, educational workshops, awareness campaigns, and inclusive sports programmes. The foundation enables young individuals to participate actively in activities that might otherwise seem out of reach, including major events like Spanish sports championships.

Empowering athletes to achieve their full potential

This recent national championship success stands as a prime example of real inclusion in action, clearly showcasing how dedicated community-driven partnerships can empower young athletes to overcome physical boundaries, succeed on the competitive stage, and reach their full potential, no matter the difficulties.