BNP Paribas was created on 23 May 2000 through the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) and Paribas. Now one of the largest international banking networks with strong positions in Asia and a significant presence in the United States, BNP Paribas is the largest bank in the Eurozone by total assets. With 140,000 employees it operates in 87 countries across 5 continents.

BNP was created in 1966 by the merger of Banque Nationale du Commerce et de l'Industrie and Conservatoire National d'Escompte de Paris. Paribas is a historic French banking system, of which its origins can be traced back to the 1820s.

BNP Paribas derives its strength from these two great banks from which it descends and from which it has adopted its twofold objective: to develop its activities for the greater benefit of its shareholders, customers and employees, and to build the "bank of the future" by reinforcing an already major worldwide presence.