This article was originally published in the Brand Finance Banking 500 2025 report
BNP Paribas’ brand value has increased 19% to $14.6 billion in 2025. As a leader in banking and financial services in Europe, and a first-tier international player, BNP Paribas continued to invest in its brand across 64 countries, now reaching an A+ brand rating.
Elise Hermant, Head of Group Communications at BNP Paribas, shares insights about the brand's growth and future direction in a new spotlight.
Interview with Elise Hermant
Head of Group Communications,
BNP Paribas
What have been the key factors influencing BNP Paribas’ reputation in the past few months?
As a leading European bank, we support all economic sectors and, subsequently, embrace all their challenges. From this perspective, 2024 was a success - our businesses remained closely connected to their clients and delivered real value, achieving unprecedented results across all our divisions.
We celebrated that with our corporate clients with our new international campaign showcasing “Those who move the world”.
This year also marked greater recognition of our commitment to sustainability. Our general management highlighted our progress in this field in front of the French Senate, at our General Assembly, and beyond.
Symbolically, our global financing for energy production reached a proportion of 75% dedicated to low-carbon solutions.
There was a general feeling that 2025 started on a more challenging note, with growing concerns on societal topics.
BNP Paribas has been questioned about this situation, offering us the opportunity to reaffirm our position: as The Bank for a Changing World, we stand by our clients and our society in a way that is both inclusive and supportive of the ecological transition.
Meanwhile, The BNP Paribas Foundation has been empowering those tirelessly working to create a better, more sustainable society, by giving them power to act.
To mark its 40th anniversary, the foundation honored difference-markers through a series of street art murals celebrating their impact. The first mural features the French conductor Zahia Ziouani, who successfully bridged two seemingly contrasting worlds: low-income neighborhoods and classical music.
How is BNP Paribas dealing with emerging technologies?
AI, and particularly Generative AI, has been at the center of discussions over the past two years. This game-changing technology raises many challenges in terms of investments, sovereignty, ethics, and environmental impact.
Our top priority is to support the tech sector, from emerging AI start-ups to unicorn companies, whether to help them scale internationally, finance their investments, or raise funds.
We are also integrating these technologies to transform our bank itself. As a native data-driven business, we have a two-century track record of leveraging the cutting-edge technology to enhance client servicing and improve efficiency. Today, close to 1,000 AI use cases have already been implemented.
This includes innovations in promoting BNP Paribas: audio, text and video content production are progressing, whether through externalised solutions or in-house tools. We also encourage change through an ambitious acculturation program available in eight languages for our 183,000 colleagues.
In an increasingly fragmented world, how are you engaging with various communities and audiences?
We are increasingly positioning ourselves as a connector brand. Actively listening to different perspectives, creating conversation opportunities, and explaining our position have become key elements of our communication strategy.
This approach is even more relevant as we find ourselves navigating a space where perspectives are often polarised, under the close scrutiny of adversarial parties.
That’s why we are strengthening our ties with the creator economy, collaborating with next-generation media, and exploring innovative engagements formats through social media, and even in real life!
After all, meaningful interactions happen beyond screens, whether it is experiencing the energy of Vivatech, attending an exclusive movie premiere, or feeling the excitement of a Roland Garros final!
"We are increasingly positioning ourselves as a connector brand. Actively listening to different perspectives, creating conversation opportunities, and explaining our position have become key elements of our communication strategy."
