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BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP, TYO: 8665) is one of the largest global banking groups in the world, headquartered in Paris with its second global headquarters in London. It was created through the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) and Paribas. In 2008 it was ranked as the 13th largest company in the world by Forbes and the largest in France. In April 2009, BNP Paribas purchased a 75 percent stake in Fortis Bank, the Belgian banking business making BNP the eurozone's largest bank by deposits held.

BNP Paribas escaped the 2007-09 credit crisis relatively unscathed reporting a €3.1bn net profit for the first half of 2009 boosted by profits from fixed income trading in its CIB (Corporate and Investment Banking) division. BNP Paribas has one of the highest credit ratings in its peer group with the long term debt of the group currently ranked AA by S&P, Aa1 by Moody's and AA by Fitch. On 9 August 2007, BNP Paribas suspended three funds Parvest Dynamic ABS, BNP Paribas ABS Euribor and BNP Paribas ABS Eonia worth 2bn euros (£1.35bn), citing problems in the US sub-prime mortgage sector and stated it was "impossible to value certain assets" in an uncertain market; in response to which the European Central Bank pumped 95 billion Euros into eurozone banking markets to allay fears regarding a subprime credit crunch. BNP Paribas said the valuation of the three suspended funds could resume "as soon as liquidity returns to the market".