Annual Report - BNP Paribas

Corporate business
The basis for sustainable growth in profi tability
2007 was a year of far-reaching renovation for the
Corporate business of BNL bc centred around the
following areas:
re-design of the network aimed to improve client service
level also through a new segmentation approach designed
to enhance cross-selling with CIB and introducing
25 senior bankers dedicated to top Mid Cap clients;
introduction of product specialists and risk structures
throughout the entire commercial network;
enhancement of product offer especially in cash management,
trade fi nance and structured fi nance deals with
SMEs;
full integration into BNP Paribas’ international reach, thus
providing client access to 85 countries and strengthening
the presence in the Mediterranean area;
BNL, Roma
This business has achieved signifi cant results in the year,
confi rming BNL bc’s historical role as a reference bank
for both companies and local authorities and leveraging
on the vast synergies potential offered by the international
presence and fi rst-class product factories of
BNP Paribas Group, notwithstanding a challenging market
environment where the introduction of new regulations,
especially penalising on loans’ pricing, coupled with
higher interest rates, has adversely impacted the margins
at industry level.
Corporate Social
Responsibility
In BNL Corporate Social
Responsibility aims
to achieve choices of
sustainable development.
The concept of sustainable
development is based on
three closely interrelated
principles:
1) social equality, in the
sense of fairness and
impartiality between
generations;
2) environment preservation,
meant as maintenance
of the stock of natural
resources and biological
diversity;
3) economic competitiveness,
meant as the ability of
the economic systems to
create wealth assuring
social cohesiveness
and respect for the
environment.
In particular, BNL’s
commitment to social needs
fi nds its best example in the
partnership with Telethon,
the most important fund
raising initiative in Italy
and in Europe. BNL has
been supporting Telethon
Fondazione Onlus for the
past 16 years, raising over
EUR 172 million (about half
the total amount gathered)
for scientifi c research on
genetic diseases. In this way
BNL has supported more
than 2,000 initiatives and
over 460 discoveries of great
scientifi c value. In 2007 BNL
enhanced its support for
Telethon by launching a prepaid
card “MyCash BNL per
Telethon” and a three-year
bond “BNL Step”, whose
transaction fees are devolved
by BNL to Telethon.
Furthermore BNL is an
active supporter of sports,
art, culture, music, theatre
and cinema; as part of this,
BNL is the main partner of
“Cinema Festa Internazionale
di Roma” a major event
for both professionals
and cinema lovers.