BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas is France's largest bank by assets and one of the biggest banking groups in Europe, offering retail accounts and cartes bancaires.

BNP Paribas operates in the French Retail Banking segment.

Visit BNP Paribas

Full guide: Open a Bank Account

Compare:ACPR

BNP Paribas: Core Facts

Entity Type: Retail and investment bank
Headquarters: Paris, France
Formed: 2000 (merger of BNP and Paribas)
Online bank: Hello bank!
Cards: Carte Bancaire (CB) co-badged with Visa or Mastercard
Prudential regulator: ACPR (Banque de France)
Deposit guarantee: FGDR, up to EUR 100,000 per bank
Status: Active Definition
Verified: 2026-06-20

How BNP Paribas compares

BNP Paribas is NOT the same as its online bank Hello bank!, nor the same as Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, or LCL. Hello bank! is BNP Paribas's digital-only offering on the same banking infrastructure.

BNP Paribas: Frequently Asked Questions

What is BNP Paribas?

BNP Paribas is France's largest bank, offering current accounts, savings, and cartes bancaires to residents. BNP Paribas also runs the online bank Hello bank!.

Can a newcomer open a BNP Paribas account?

BNP Paribas can open an account for newcomers who provide ID, proof of address (justificatif de domicile), and residency status. Requirements vary by branch.

Is BNP Paribas the same as Hello bank!?

Hello bank! is BNP Paribas's online-only bank. It uses BNP Paribas infrastructure but is managed entirely through an app with lower fees.

Related Entities

Other entities covered on the Open a Bank Account page:

ACPR
French Government Regulator

For a full practical guide, see our Open a Bank Account page.

Where BNP Paribas is mentioned on How to France

Guides and reference pages on this site that mention BNP Paribas:

Banking

Maintained by Jules de Bruin (How to France). This page follows the Grounding Page Standard v1.5. Last verified: 2026-06-20.