Innovating in digital assets
At the forefront of the digitisation of financial markets, BNP Paribas is participating in the European Central Bank’s (ECB) experimentation programme by testing three wholesale digital settlement solutions using Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). By engaging in real transactions and tests with Banque de France, Deutsche Bundesbank and Banca d’Italia, our Corporate & Institutional Banking division used its proprietary platforms to strengthen expertise on the connectivity between the Eurosystem’s payment infrastructures and the market’s DLT platforms. This exploratory work contributes to the modernisation of European markets, the development of the economy and the maintenance of financial stability.
ARRANGING AND PLACING DIGITAL BONDS
BNP Paribas reached a decisive milestone by issuing and settling a digital bond in euros through blockchain. Worth €10 million, with a maturity of two years and a fixed interest rate, it marks the first step in a series of digital bond transactions. Its execution as part of the ECB’s Wholesale Central Bank Digital Currency experimentation programme confirms our commitment to innovation in the field of digital assets. This pioneering transaction was carried out by ALM Treasury as issuer, Global Markets as arranger, Securities Services as cash portfolio manager for the investor and BNP Paribas Asset Management as sole investor. The transaction was executed using Neobonds, Global Markets’ private tokenisation platform. The latter then issued the first sovereign digital bond in the eurozone for the Republic of Slovenia, again using Neobonds, for an amount of €30 million. BNP Paribas Asset Management and ALM Treasury were among the investors in the transaction.
1 million clients for Hello bank!
This was the symbolic milestone reached in France in 2024. Hello bank! also consolidated its position as the leader in digital customer relations for the fifth consecutive year(1). In 2024, 280,000 clients - private individuals and small businesses - joined, including 106,000 from Orange Bank through the onboarding and account opening system created specifically for them. Among the other major advances of the year, Hello bank! expanded its “Pro” offering for legal entities, upgraded its website to provide its clients with a user experience as intuitive as on the mobile application, and optimised the relevance of its chatbot responses through generative AI. Building on the high number of recommendations from clients who aspire to make their digital bank their main bank, Hello bank! is continuing to speed up its development.