WIDE ANGLE
Embark for a journey at the heart of BNP Paribas’ 200-year history and explore the main elements and values that made the Group over the years. International culture, innovation, financing the real economy, cultural sponsorship, sports partnerships… These 11 thematic sections invite you to relive the history of BNP Paribas in all its dimensions thanks to various formats. Zoom in on two centuries of adventures around the world.
Supporting the real economy
FINANCING THE ECONOMY
In the course of their history, BNP Paribas forerunners have supported numerous industries, participated in the financing of France’s purchases during the First World War, progressively boosted investments after the war as well as reconstruction, and developed major projects such as the Caracas Metro! All these actions contributed to financing the national and global economy. Discover dozens of contents on this central dimension of banking history!
TWO CENTURIES OF INNOVATION
Throughout its 200-year history, the bank has constantly innovated in the field of technology, communication and solutions offered to its clients. In this chapter, you will find content relating to the development of office automation within the bank, the advent of remote banking, the bank’s innovative communication and the evolution of payment methods.
THE BANK IN DAY-TO-DAY LIFE
Machines, bank branches, customer relations, credit: the bank is all this and much more. Alongside its clients on a daily basis since its creation by offering them ever more advanced services, using increasingly sophisticated machines and within branches designed to welcome these users.
Committed/invested in society
THE BANK AND ITS COMMITMENTS:
A major player in the economy, the bank is also heavily involved in French society. Within the sports sector, it has formed lasting partnerships with the French Tennis Federation and the French Open tournament to democratise the practice of tennis, but also with athletics and French cycling. To develop the arts, the bank has increased its sponsorship of museums and financed exhibitions. In parallel with the collective awareness of sustainable development, BNP Paribas has gradually developed specific actions in favour of the ecological transition.
BANKING, SPORT AND FILM
Throughout its history, the Group, its subsidiaries and its forerunners have made numerous investments and partnerships in the 7th art and sports sectors. From the development of Italian cinema to the ball boys at Roland Garros and the Tour de France, discover these stories of loyalty.
A dynamic brand and communication
BRAND AND LOGOS
BNP Paribas, like its forerunners, has created a genuine brand universe through an emblematic logo, a timeless signature, iconic communication campaigns and emblematic visuals. A look back at 2 centuries of speaking.
BANK AND ARCHITECTURE
A key element and vector of the Group’s image, but also a symbol of prestige and of the past as well as the future, the architecture of the bank’s buildings bears witness to our history. Through a web series on the emblematic buildings of BNP Paribas and its forerunners banks or by listening to our podcast on the unfinished project of the Grand Hôtel d’Orsay, here is an overview of the buildings that have marked the history of BNP Paribas.
BNP Paribas, a witness to and player in two centuries of history around the world
AT THE HEART OF HISTORY
The history of the bank is inextricably linked to the history of the world. Fully involved in society and its economy, it has taken part in the great historical advances and changes. Financial institutions took part in the setting up of national loans during the Great War and mobilised for reconstruction. In the second half of the 20th century, they contributed to the financial emancipation of women and then accompanied the changeover to the euro. Click to find out more about these and other topics on banking at the heart of history.
THE BANKS THAT MADE BNP PARIBAS
Although the BNP Paribas group was born in 2000, its roots go back much further. The study of their operations and the major events through which they have passed is essential in order to sketch out the journey between that past and our present. In this chapter, you will discover a wealth of content highlighting the archives of BNP, CNEP, BNCI and the other banks that made up BNP Paribas.
ON THE FIVE CONTINENTS
As early as 1860, the Group began its international development. To learn more about the Beirut-Damascus railway, the Bank’s history in the United Kingdom or its establishment in Japan, climb aboard and head for the world!
MEN AND WOMEN
Each of the Bank’s major projects has been made possible by the men and women who have supported or been involved in them, both employees and clients. In this section, you will relive the destiny of some of them, from the emblematic personalities who reached the head of an ancestral bank like Horace Finaly, to the anonymous mechanographers who accompanied the office automation revolution. It is also an opportunity to discover the stories and memories of bank employees.
