The BNP Paribas Group is born of successive mergers between several banks that were created during the industrial revolution early in the 19th century. From the start, these banks’ missions were to finance the economy and serve their customers worldwide. This long-standing purpose and history over two centuries is now deeply embedded in the Group’s fabric.
BNP Paribas was officially established on 23 May 2000 at the merger between Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP), France’s leading deposit bank, and Paribas, an international investment bank. But its features and values have been forged, transmitted and acquired over 200 years of history marked by developments, transformations and challenges – in a word, BNP Paribas represents two centuries of a bank at the service of the global economy.
BNP Paribas, the European leader in banking and financial services, is present in 64 countriesand territories and employs nearly 178,000 people. The Group holds key positions in several areas of banking and financial services that are structured around three operating divisions:
Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB), connects companies needing financing and institutional clients looking for investment opportunities;
Commercial, Personal Banking & Services (CPBS), brings together all our commercial banks and several specialised businesses;
Investment & Protection Services (IPS), unites our protection, savings, investment and real estate services activities.
BNP Paribas’ operating divisions are organised to intensify cooperation between the business lines: a global and joint approach makes it possible to enrich the expertise offered to our clients, to advise and support them throughout a long-term relationship.
A diversified and integrated business model
With the strength of a solid diversified and integrated model, the Group supports all its clients (individuals, professionals, companies and institutions) in their development and the success of their projects through financing, investment, savings and protection solutions.
To this end, the Group leverages leading platforms and businesses in Europe as well as a strong international presence, particularly in the Americas and Asia-Pacific.
BNP Paribas also implements a Social and Environmental Responsibility approach in all its activities, enabling it to contribute to the construction of a sustainable future, while ensuring the Group’s performance and stability
Since the 19th Century BNP Paribas’ forerunner banks have operated in Africa, creating a strong banking history on the continent.
In the Middle East, BNP Paribas began to lay the foundations of a commercial network in the Gulf region from the late 1950s followed by opening an office in Abu Dhabi in the UAE in 1973. During the following years, a large number of BNP Paribas Group businesses were also rolled out across the Gulf region in geographies such as Bahrain, Dubai in the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which remain strong platforms to this day.
