Better Health for All

The provided articles do not contain specific, quantifiable data points to assess BNP Paribas against the 'Better Health for All' ethical value. While the company is noted for its healthcare financing services

and its involvement in social bonds that can support initiatives like gender equality, there is no direct evidence detailing the health impact of its core products or services, its specific investment share in health innovation, the reach of its programs to vulnerable populations, or any other metrics that align with the provided rubric KPIs for a financial institution.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

BNP Paribas Personal Finance was found guilty by a French court in February 2020 of misleading commercial practices and concealing risks related to 'Helvet Immo contracts', resulting in a €187,500 fine and damages awarded to consumers and associations.

The court found the loan offer unintelligible and misleading. The company supports 21 microfinance institutions (MFIs) with €345 million in loans and investments as of end-2023, and has a cumulative microfinance loan total of nearly €900 million. However, SME loans represent under 2% of the portfolio, as 4.3% of the total balance is for renewable energy, not the overall loan book. Nickel, a BNP Paribas product, provides real-time account access to customers and does not offer overdrafts. The company reached 60,000 people through financial literacy actions in 14 countries. BNP Paribas Cardif partners to provide financial literacy to 12,000 young people annually in 18 French regions, with programs also in Italy, Taiwan, and the Netherlands. The company operates in 30 countries.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

BNP Paribas demonstrates strong collective bargaining coverage, with a new four-year global agreement signed in November covering 183,000 workers in 63 countries.

Given the Group's 193,000 employees, this represents approximately 94.8% coverage. However, the company exhibits significant gender pay gaps. In Australia (December 2024), the median total remuneration pay gap was 20.6%, and the mean total remuneration pay gap was 23.3%, with approximately 67% male representation in the two higher salary quartiles. In the UK (2024), the mean hourly pay gap was 35.8% and the median hourly pay gap was 28.8%. For health insurance, all 193,000 Group employees were set to benefit from health, life, and disability insurance in 2021, and the company aims to offer counselling and psychological support to 100% of employees, up from 84% today.

Honest & Fair Business

BNP Paribas Securities Corp received a $600,000 fine from Nasdaq Phlx LLC for manual options order recordkeeping violations between February 2019 and October 2023.

BNP Paribas is also under investigation by the US SEC and CFTC for employee use of unapproved messaging applications, with proposed resolutions reached but not yet approved. The company has a comprehensive whistleblowing framework for employees and external third parties, offering multiple reporting channels including a NAVEX platform, ensuring confidentiality, protecting whistleblowers from retaliation, and providing updates on report progress. The 2024 Universal Registration Document includes a report by statutory auditors on certain sustainability statements. An independent audit of BNP Paribas Asset Management's remuneration policy in 2021 received a "Satisfactory" grade. The company's anti-corruption program adheres to French Sapin II law, UK Bribery Act, and US FCPA, with mandatory biennial training for all employees and specific training for high-risk roles. Corporate governance criteria for ESG analysis include the independence of the Board of Directors and an anti-corruption policy, though a specific percentage of conflict-free board members is not provided.

Kind to Animals

BNP Paribas Asset Management has written to 14 pharmaceutical companies to encourage them to switch to a synthetic alternative to horseshoe crab blood for laboratory testing.

As a service-oriented company, BNP Paribas does not have in-house or contracted animal testing operations, animal husbandry, or captive operations under its control, nor does it have R&D relevant to animal-free substitution. The company's core business model does not involve animal agriculture operations or sourcing of animal products. BNP Paribas does not participate in multi-stakeholder initiatives to develop industry-wide animal-free testing and sourcing standards, nor does it engage in animal welfare policy improvement and advocacy.

No War, No Weapons

BNP Paribas' exclusion policy applies to all business lines, subsidiaries, and joint ventures where it has operational control.

However, it only covers financing agreements concluded after 2017, with older agreements reviewed upon renewal. The company updated its defense and security sector policy in 2025, relaxing a previous policy from 2010 that barred financing 'controversial weapons'. The updated policy excludes weapons governed by international prohibitions (anti-personnel mines, cluster munitions, chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons) or where human rights risk is severe. Despite this, the policy does not cover companies contributing to nuclear weapon programs in NATO Member States recognized as nuclear weapon states under the NPT, and BNP Paribas has investments in the nuclear weapons industry. The company also updated its defense and security sector policy to exclude weapons where human rights risk is severe, but it has investments in arms producers that sell weapons to countries with high risks of human rights violations. BNP Paribas Asset Management states it invests in line with UN Global Compact principles 1 and 2, but a third-party audit notes major gaps in the company's overall UNGP alignment.

Planet-Friendly Business

Total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions for 2024 were 104,418,862 tCO2e, representing an increase of 36,496.72% compared to 2023.

The company has set SBTi-aligned targets for 6 sectors in 2022 and 2023, with new targets for 3 additional sectors in 2024. In 2024, 44% of the company's energy consumption was from renewable sources, with 56% from non-renewable sources. BNP Paribas joined the UN's Net Zero Banking Alliance in 2021, but a specific net-zero target year is not stated. The company has fully adopted TCFD recommendations, and its climate scenario analysis includes 1.5°C, 2°C, and 3°C+ pathways, which are explicitly linked to strategic planning. The company provides growing disclosure of climate-related assets at risk, with a qualitative discussion of transitional risks and an outlined management approach. BNP Paribas received the highest score (A) from CDP in 2023, indicating zero major environmental compliance violations.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

BNP Paribas disengaged from an infrastructure project between 2016 and 2017 due to concerns about a lack of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) consultation with local populations.

The company's sector policies for palm oil and wood pulp mandate that clients obtain FPIC from affected communities for new plantations on land owned or occupied by local communities. BNP Paribas's policies also prohibit the conversion of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Ramsar wetlands.

Safe & Smart Tech

BNP Paribas is committed to ethical AI deployment, supported by corporate policy documents, a Data Platform User Charter, and a Women's Forum pledge.

The company has implemented an eLearning training module for all employees on AI bias and a technical training module for data scientists. It emphasizes transparency in data collection and processing and states it gives individuals control over their data, including rights to access, correct, and delete. The company also stresses privacy-by-design and privacy-enhancing products. However, data retention is for periods required by law or operational needs, without specific limits, which suggests a 3-5 year retention period for most data. The company complies with EU sanctions and other banking and financial regulations. It focuses on mitigating bias in AI algorithms and signed the Women's Forum pledge for inclusive AI, but there is no evidence of broader digital rights advocacy.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

BNP Paribas has implemented several waste reduction initiatives, including avoiding 17 million disposable cups company-wide.

The company also established an IT refurbishment and recycling facility, which aims to process 100,000 devices by the end of 2025. Additionally, BNP Paribas has implemented the 'Too Good To Go' program for food waste for almost a year. The target to process 100,000 IT devices by the end of 2025 is a company-wide waste reduction target with a specific timeline.