The .bnpparibas domain extension: a complex and bold adventure
Advertising poster. Historical archives of BNP Paribas, ref. 4AF617EL
When, in 2012, ICANN1 announced it was creating new domain extensions for internet addresses, the BNP Paribas Group – already a pioneer in online banking – took advantage of the potential of this initiative and decided to apply. Ten years later, the Group’s .bnpparibas domain extension is an integral part of its digital strategy, providing confidence and security to its various audiences. A look back on a bold adventure, part of the internet saga of the early 21st century
The internet saga: the bank for a connected world
The advent of the internet in the 1990s led to far-reaching transformations in banks’ information systems, as banks opened up to online commerce and “web” advertising.
At the beginning of 1995, Paribas set up a server and a website offering corporate and financial information (http://www.paribas.com): it was the first French bank on the internet.
(PBI – Internal letter from Paribas in France – Historical archives of BNP Paribas – ref. PER841996093EL)
A few months later, BNP and Fortis Banque Luxembourg launched their own corporate information websites though they did not offer online banking services, preferring to wait until the internet was more secure.
In April 1997, BNP was a pioneer when it launched its online banking offering, the BNP Net website.
(Inauguration of the BNP online service in March 1996 in the presence of Michel Pébereau, Chief Executive Officer of BNP – BNP Paribas Historical Archives, ref. 4FI1005EL)
At a time when the French were still avid users of the Minitel, BNP offered its customers – both individuals and professionals – innovative online banking solutions.
They now havethe possibility of viewing their account balances, obtaining transaction statements or making transfers on BNP Net.
In the first decade of the 21st century, the rise in the number of new internet addresses created was exponential: the digital revolution was under way and banks were part of it.
The new domain extensions programme
A decade later, the internet, driven by its meteoric development, had established itself around the world, becoming a powerful driver of growth. From 2007 onwards, the rise of smartphones provided more and more internet access points.
In 2012, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), the body responsible for managing the worldwide domain name and internet address system, announced a programme to create new domain extensions for internet addresses in addition to .com, .net or .org.
This programme attracted the interest of large companies, including BNP Paribas, which applied to acquire the .bnpparibas domain extension.
For the Bank, having its own extension would not only protect its reputation, but also strengthen the sense of security and reliability for its customers. In addition, this extension would ensure the availability of the domain names it would need in the future. This unique extension would also ensure a more international online presence.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the project, which was experimental at that stage, the BNP Paribas Group saw a great opportunity and joined the race. The IT, Legal and Communication teams worked to apply as soon as applications opened.
Amandine Smulevici
Head of Digital Channels
“When ICANN launched the call for applications for new domain extensions, the programme was due to last six months. But everyone – including ICANN – was surprised by its success and complexity. In the end, it was closed in 2014! This is a great example of complex project management in an uncertain environment.”
BNP Paribas was a global pioneer as an early adopter.
The mabanque.net website: an opportunity arising from the new domain extensions
After signing the contract with ICANN in August 2014 and being awarded the .bnpparibas extension in September 2014, the first major projects were launched in 2015.
The bnpparibas.net website, which was due to be revamped, became mabanque.bnpparibas.
It was then the turn of “mabanquepro.bnpparibas” and “mabanqueprivee.bnpparibas” to adopt the Group’s domain name extension.
These major projects drove wider adoption both internally (Marketing, Communications and IT teams) and externally (among customers, prospects and partners).
To date, more than 250 domain names have been reserved on the Group’s domain extension. These include the corporate website group.bnpparibas, affinity websites such as wearetennis.bnpparibas and welovecinema.bnpparibas, the website of the BNP Paribas foundation fondation.bnpparibas, not forgetting our own website: histoire.bnpparibas!
The Group now fully promotes this domain extension, which is a guarantee of trustworthiness for its customers, partners and business lines.
The Internet saga in 12 founding dates
- ICANN : Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ↩︎
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