5532019 Universal registration document and annual financial report - BNP PARIBAS
7 a Committed Bank: information ConCerninG the eConomiC,
soCial, CiviC and environmental resPonsiBility of BnP PariBas
7
Our civic responsibility: being a positive agent for change
➤ BNP PARIBAS' SUPPORT TO MICROFINANCE AT 31 DECEMBER 2019
Others 0.2%
10.8%
Client savings
16%
70% Direct Lending
Employee savings
3% Equity
BNP Paribas celebrates 30 years of involvement in microfinance
In 1989, the Group launched its first microfinance partnership by financing Crédit Rural de Guinée. Some 30 years later, microfinance has become one of the Bank s flagship commitments, indirectly benefiting more than 2 million people worldwide. This action was made possible thanks to the aggregated financial support given to 84 MFIs in 33 countries, with a total of nearly EUR 900 million cumulated loans. To commemorate this 30-year commitment, in 2019 the Group created a digital exhibition, Little Big Movement(1), which illustrated the impact of microcredit on women entrepreneurs.
(1) https://group.bnpparibas/en/microfinance30years
(2) http://unepmeba.org/en/
(3) http://mfc.org.pl/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/2019_paris_europlace_whitepaper_on_microfinance_july_2019.pdf
The Group was also involved in major events and helped to define microfinance best practices. For example:
■ the Group contributed to the drafting of the European Microcredit whitepaper(2) published by Paris Europlace and the European Microfinance Network (EMN);
■ BNP Paribas helped to train the Managers and CEOs of African MFIs on financial and social issues during the Afican Microfinance Week (SAM 2019 - Semaine Africaine de la Microfinance).
Climate risk adaptation: alliance to strengthen the resilience of smallholders farmers benefiting from microloans
BNP Paribas contributed financially to the UN Environment program MEbA Microfinance for Ecosystem-based Adaptation(3) and was involved in rolling out the project to Senegalese micro-borrowers (women farmers financed by Caurie Microfinance) and Colombian micro-borrowers (financed by Fundacion Delamujer) to improve the resiliency of these populations against the effects of climate change. The aim is to contribute to the emergence of green microfinance.
PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO FRAGILE CUSTOMERS BNP Paribas pays particular attention to customers who are in difficulty, for example because they have a disability or because of their financial situation, and ensures that they have access to banking services.
Customers with disabilities or fragilities
The Bank has made special arrangements for customers with disabilities or reduced mobility by facilitating access to its products and services and making branches more accessible for the elderly, for people with disabilities or those who are marginalised in society. In Belgium, BNP Paribas Fortis is continuing to improve the accessibility of its premises. At end-2019, 36% of its branches were accessible to people with reduced mobility. In Poland, BNP Paribas Bank Polska has converted some of its branches and signed several partnership agreements on accessibility. The result is that the President of the Republic of Poland gave the Bank the Award for Accessibility Leader 2019 in the category 'branch network'.
BNP Paribas Cardif also has various initiatives with respect to disabilities:
■ in Germany, a specific support for temporary disability, that helps customers in their day-to-day lives (advice and names of healthcare providers, etc.);
■ in Turkey, Engelsiz Hayat Değer life insurance, which is aimed at families who have children with disabilities, and includes support services to make life easier (hospital discounts, physiotherapy, etc.);
■ BNP Paribas Cardif has also supported the start-up Tangata (see Investments and financing with a positive impact, Commitment 1), a platform designed to simplify everyday life for people with disabilities and caregivers by making it easier for them to access leisure activities and services.
Customers experiencing financial difficulties and the access to credit facilities
The Group is not only committed to making its loans more accessible, but also to preventing its customers from overindebtedness.
As an example, French Retail Banking has set up a scheme for individuals who find themselves in financial difficulty and thus may obtain the expertise of 300 advisers specialised in budgeting solutions. In 2019, a customised path enabled in-branch advisers to be even more proactive: the aim is to avoid a degradation of the situation that could lead to overindebtedness. The advisers can suggest the deferral of monthly loan repayments, the use of insurance solutions, or referral to an organisation specialised in budgeting solutions.
BNP Paribas Personal Finance has also put in place a system to find and support customers in difficulty, with a tailored solution in the 32 countries where it operates. Overall, in 2019, 45,000 customers were contacted, 17,000 of whom received specific solutions (a 78% increase on 2018).
On the same topic but a different angle, the Group s subsidiary Nickel offers a bank account accessible to everyone from the age of 12, without discrimination, conditions or minimum income requirements, and provides a fresh start to people who have been barred from having a bank account. At the end of 2019, nearly EUR 1.5 million Nickel accounts had been opened (an increase by 32% on 2018), 78% of them are opened by persons earning less than EUR 1,500 per month.
