2019 Universal registration document and annual financial report - BNP PARIBAS 5

1Presentation of the BnP PariBas GrouP

1

History

LONG-TERM AND SHORT-TERM RATINGS

Long-term and short-term ratings as at 5 March 2019

Long-term and short-term ratings as at 3 March 2020 Outlook Date of last review

Standard & Poor s A/A-1 A+/A-1 Stable 5 April 2019

Fitch A+/F1 AA-/F1+ Stable 6 June 2019

Moody s Aa3/Prime-1 Aa3/Prime-1 Stable 9 December 2019

DBRS AA (low)/R-1 (middle) AA (low)/R-1 (middle) Stable 12 July 2019

On 5 April 2019, following its review, Standard & Poor s upgraded the long-term rating of BNP Paribas from A to A+, with a stable outlook.

On 6 June 2019, following its review, Fitch upgraded the long-term rating of BNP Paribas from A+ to AA-, and the short-term rating of BNP Paribas from F1 to F1+, with a stable outlook.

On 9 December 2019, Moody s confirmed the long-term rating of BNP Paribas at Aa3 with a stable outlook.

On 12 July 2019, DBRS confirmed the long-term rating of BNP Paribas at AA (low) with a stable outlook.

1.3 History

1966: Creation of BNP The merger of BNCI and CNEP to form BNP represented the largest restructuring operation in the French banking sector since the end of the Second World War.

1968: Creation of Compagnie Financière de Paris et des Pays-Bas

1982: Nationalisation of BNP and Compagnie Financière de Paris et des Pays-Bas at the time of the nationalisation of all French banks

In the 1980s, deregulation of the banking sector and the growing tendency of borrowers to raise funds directly on the financial market transformed the banking business in France and worldwide.

1987: Privatisation of Compagnie Financière de Paribas

With 3.8 million individual shareholders, Compagnie Financière de Paribas had more shareholders than any other company in the world. Compagnie Financière de Paribas owned 48% of the capital of Compagnie Bancaire.

1993: Privatisation of BNP BNP s return to the private sector represented a new start. The 1990s were marked by a change in the level of profitability of the Bank, which had the highest return on equity of any major French institution in 1998. This period was marked by the launch of new banking products and services, the development of activities on the financial markets, expansion in France and at the international level, and preparation for the advent of the euro.

1998: Creation of Paribas On 12 May 1998, the merger between Compagnie Financière de Paribas, Banque Paribas and Compagnie Bancaire was approved.

1999: A momentous year for the Group Following an unprecedented double tender offer and a stock market battle waged over six months, BNP was in a position to carry out a merger of equals with Paribas. For both groups, this was the most important event since their privatisation. It gave rise to a new Group with tremendous prospects. At a time of economic globalisation, the merger created a leading player in the European banking sector.

2000: Creation of BNP Paribas BNP and Paribas merged on 23 May 2000.

The new Group derived its strength from the two major financial and banking lines from which it descends. It has two goals: to create value for shareholders, clients and employees by building the bank of the future, and to become a leading global player.

2006: Acquisition of BNL in Italy BNP Paribas acquired BNL, Italy s 6th-largest bank. This acquisition transformed BNP Paribas, providing it with access to a second domestic market in Europe. In both Italy and France, all of the Group s businesses can now develop their activities by leveraging a nationwide banking network.

2009: Merger with the Fortis group BNP Paribas took control of Fortis Bank and BGL (Banque Générale du Luxembourg).