BNP Paribas is a French international banking group with a presence in 75 countries.[4] It was formed through the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) and Paribas in 2000, but has a corporate identity stretching back to its first foundation in 1848 as a national bank. It is one of three major international French banks, along with Société Générale and Le Crédit Lyonnais. The group is listed on the first market of Euronext Paris and a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index[5], while it also included in the French CAC 40 index. read more