2020 Universal registration document and annual financial report - BNP PARIBAS554
7 a Committed Bank: information ConCerninG the eConomiC, soCial, CiviC and environmental resPonsiBility of BnP PariBas
7
Our economic responsibility: financing the economy in an ethical manner
Funds
Label France Label Belgium
SRI label(1) Greenfin(2) Finansol(3) CIES(4) Towards
Sustainability(5)
Equities 55 certified funds 34 1 1 44
Bonds 25 certified funds 11 1 2 1 24
Diversified 37 certified funds 4 4 2 30
Money market 2 certified funds 2 1 1
(1) The SRI label was created in 2016 and supported by the French Ministry of Economy and Finance, to increase the visibility of SRI products to savers both in France and Europe-wide.
(2) The Greenfin label was created by the French Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, and endorses the green credentials of investment funds.
(3) The French label Finansol identifies investment funds in the solidarity economy and microfinance. (4) The French CIES label (Comité Intersyndical de l Épargne Salariale inter-union employee savings scheme committee) certifies the incorporation of ESG
criteria into employee savings. (5) In Belgium, the Towards Sustainability label, granted by Febelfin, aims to reassure potential investors that financial products are managed with
sustainability in mind.
2020 marked the entry of BNP Paribas Real Estate Investment Management (REIM) in the universe of SRI-labelled funds in France: the BNP Paribas Diversipierre OPCI, managed by BNP Paribas REIM, was one of the first funds to obtain the French SRI certification applied to real estate. To this end, the teams have developed an SRI rating grid to assess a real estate asset through the prism of ESG criteria.
BNP Paribas Wealth Management continued to roll out its sustainable investment approach in 2020: one-third of assets are now invested in a sustainable manner. Among these, assets under SRI management amounted to EUR 21.4 billion, representing growth of 42% per year since 2011.
TAILORED ADVICE AND SUPPORT
Supporting female entrepreneurship
More than 270 million women run or are in the process of starting a business worldwide, which is still low compared to the number of women in the workforce. In France, for example, only 30% of entrepreneurs are women. And yet, women play a major role in economic and social development, particularly in emerging countries. This is why the Group contributes through its entities to accelerate the growth of women- founded start-up and SME, through for example:
■ the ConnectHer programme, which gives French women entrepreneurs access to a network of specialist advisors. It also includes a financing component through a loan budget of EUR 2 billion in 2020 and a commitment to invest at least 10% of the total amount in companies managed or founded by women;
■ the launch of the programme Women in Business in Ukraine, which provided more than 400 women entrepreneurs with practical information on how to develop their businesses and networks;
■ the continuation of the Agrifed project (Agriculture, Women and Sustainable Development). Structured by UN Women, one of the objectives of this project is the financial independence of women in northern Senegal through climate-resilient agriculture.
Start-up and innovative companies
BNP Paribas continues to strengthen its ecosystem designed to promote the development and support of innovative companies. In France, this includes:
■ 65 Hubs (WAI WeAreInnovation), including one dedicated to FinTech , composed of specialised employees. More than 3,500 start-ups and innovative client companies are supported in this system;
■ an investment activity in venture capital coordinated by a dedicated team that enabled three new investments in disruptive health and innovation funds in 2020, bringing the total number of innovation investment funds supported by the France network to 32.
In addition, Retail Banking networks have developed connection events and open innovation programmes, enabling collaboration between start- ups and clients of SME, medium-sized companies and large companies. For example, TEB has supported nearly 90 Turkish entrepreneurs in one of these programmes.
