In February, BNP Paribas Cardif (formerly Cardif) announced its new brand name in combination with its growth ambition in Netherlands. The campaign is part of the growth strategy and focuses on acquiring brand recognition amongst a wide audience. The emphasis is on the product category ‘doorleefverzekeringen’; products that temporarily help in case of loss of income and allow the customer to take the next step in his or her life.

Marieke van & Zuien, Director customer & Corporate explains: “In the campaign people are portrayed who have a positive attitude, despite their difficult situation because of illness or job loss. They see setback as something temporary and use the period that their life is a bit different than they were used to, to form their own new path. This way our products are optimally used and offer the safety net that really supports our customers.”

More information can be found onwww.doorleefverzekeringen.nl

Parvest Bond World Inflation-Linked and BNP Paribas L1 Equity USA Growth received a vwd Cash Fund Award 2012 for their performance in the ‘Bonds Regular EUR Government’ and ‘Equity United States’ categories, respectively.

The vwd Cash Fund Awards, the result of the unique collaboration between vwd group and CASHCOW.nl, were presented in the Westerunie in Amsterdam on 26 April 2012.

The awards are based on the vwd diamond rating. The fund with the highest vwd diamond score in its category is the winner. The vwd diamond rating rewards the best-performing funds across all economic cycles.

One major determinant of the rating is the return: both the absolute return over the past five years and the consistency of the annual returns of the past five years. Another important factor is the level of risk exposure, which is measured using volatility rather than risk-adjusted return. Only actively managed funds are eligible, which makes us even more delighted with these two awards.

Alongside the two winning funds, five other funds of BNP Paribas Investment Partners were nominated in various categories. More information can be found at www.fundawards.nl.

Parvest Bond World Inflation-Linked and BNP Paribas L1 Equity USA Growth received a vwd Cash Fund Award 2012 for their performance in the ‘Bonds Regular EUR Government’ and ‘Equity United States’ categories, respectively.

The vwd Cash Fund Awards, the result of the unique collaboration between vwd group and CASHCOW.nl, were presented in the Westerunie in Amsterdam on 26 April 2012.

The awards are based on the vwd diamond rating. The fund with the highest vwd diamond score in its category is the winner. The vwd diamond rating rewards the best-performing funds across all economic cycles.

One major determinant of the rating is the return: both the absolute return over the past five years and the consistency of the annual returns of the past five years. Another important factor is the level of risk exposure, which is measured using volatility rather than risk-adjusted return. Only actively managed funds are eligible, which makes us even more delighted with these two awards.

Alongside the two winning funds, five other funds of BNP Paribas Investment Partners were nominated in various categories. More information can be found at fundawards.nl.

This month of May, the subjects are:

ECB : The Art of reform
Philippe d’Arvisenet, Chief economist

French growth: desperately seeking for a new model
Hélène Baudchon, OECD economist

Slow start of year in China
Christine Peltier, Deputy head of the country risk

About …

The BNP Paribas Economic Research department brings together economists in the banking sector from financial markets across the world. The website offers different publications: macroeconomic analysis, monetary and financial reports of OCDE countries, country risks for emerging countries and the evolution of the financial and banking world.

GOOD PERFORMANCE ACHIEVED WHILST IMPLEMENTING THE GROUP’S ADAPTATION PLAN

Against a backdrop of economic slowdown in the euro zone, the BNP Paribas Group achieved
good performance all the whilst rapidly implementing its adaptation plan. Eighty percent of the
target of improving the common equity Tier 1 ratio by 100 basis points is achieved.

Revenues totalled 9,886 million euros, down 15.4% compared to the first quarter 2011. Three
exceptional items had an adverse impact on revenues this quarter for a total of
-1,059 million euros: own debt revaluation (-843 million euros), losses from sales of sovereign
bonds (-142 million euros) and losses from sales of loans (-74 million euros). Excluding these
items, revenues came to 10,945 million euros, a decline of only 6.3% compared to the first quarter
2011, which was marked by very good business activity.

Operating expenses, which were 6,847 million euros, edged up 1.8%. Excluding one-off adaptation
costs at CIB and Personal Finance which totalled 84 million euros, they inched up 0.5%, confirming
good cost control.

Gross operating income was down 38.7% for the period at 3,039 million euros. Excluding
exceptional items, the decline was 15.6%.

The Group’s cost of risk, which was 945 million euros or 55 basis points of outstanding customer
loans, edged up only 2.8% compared to the first quarter 2011 and still remains low, illustrating the
good risk controls.

Non-operating items totalled 1,844 million euros due to 1,790 million euros of exceptional income
booked after the Group’s sale of a 28.7% stake in Klépierre SA. This sale was part of the plan to
adapt BNP Paribas’ balance sheet in preparation for Basel 3.

BNP Paribas posted 2,867 million euros in net income (attributable to equity holders), up 9.6%
compared to the first quarter 2011. The average corporate income tax rate was thus 24% due to a
lower tax rate on the capital gain from the sale of the stake in Klépierre. Excluding this effect, the
average rate was 30.9%.

Adjusted for the exceptional items, net income amounted to 2,038 million euros, down 22.1%
compared to the first quarter 2011.

This good performance and the Group’s rapid implementation of its adaptation plan helped further
strengthen solvency with a common equity Tier 1 ratio under Basel 2.5 (CRD 3) of 10.4% (+80bp
compared to 31 December 2011).

Read the press release “BNP Paribas Group: Results as at 31 March 2012″

View the slides of the presentation

Press Contacts:

Antoine Sire
Tel: + 33 1 40 14 21 06
antoine.sire@bnpparibas.com

Carine Lauru
Tel: + 33 1 42 98 13 36
carine.lauru@bnpparibas.com

Isabelle Wolff
Tel : +33(0)1 57 43 89 26
isabelle.wolff@bnpparibas.com

During a festive get-together at the HAN University of Applied Sciences on 26 April 2012, the students of the HAN Hydromotive team announced the name of their fully hydrogen-powered vehicle: the Arval Inspire I. For the team, this name symbolises the innovative capacity of its members and their fellow engineering students. Over the next three years, the contract hire company Arval will be serving as the main sponsor for the HAN Hydromotive team.

In 2014, the new vehicle will obtain vehicle approval from the Dutch registration authority. What is particularly interesting is that so far, no similar vehicle has ever achieved this – not even those produced by the automotive sector.

Continue to innovate
Marc de Leeuw, Director of HAN’s Automotive Institute: ‘The students are extremely motivated to continue innovating in the design of the vehicle. The name Arval Inspire I connects seamlessly to this ambition. Sustainable mobility is high on the agenda of our politicians and the automotive sector. HAN is in full support of this development. We believe it is important to raise enthusiasm among our students for sustainable fuels such as hydrogen and the related methods to develop sustainable vehicles. A project like this forms a good opportunity for them to put theory to practice. In effect, they stand at the cradle of future automotive engineering.’

Main sponsor stimulates sustainable mobility
Arval’s General Manager Jeff Bolders: ‘Arval works to stimulate sustainable mobility and sets great store by the innovative capacity of these engineering students, who form the future professionals of the automotive sector. This makes sponsoring the HAN Hydromotive team a logical move for us. The Arval Inspire I is a splendid example that can be developed further into the car of the future. Which is actually a distinct possibility if the car obtains vehicle approval in 2014. As a ‘green’ contract hire company, we are extremely pleased with this result.’

The HAN Hydromotive team
The HAN Hydromotive team is made up of students from HAN’s Automotive Engineering bachelor’s degree programme. They work together in specialised sub-teams to arrive at tangible results like the Arval Inspire I. The team constantly works to achieve further innovations in the Arval Inspire I. The goal is to drive as many kilometres as possible while consuming the lowest possible amount of fuel. The HAN Hydromotive team aims to break the old record (627 to 1) during the Shell Eco-marathon, which will be held over Ascension Weekend, from 17 to 19 May. During this event, they will be competing against other student teams in the UrbanConcept class.

Meta Xionis, Press Officer Technical Faculty of the HAN
M: +31 (0)6 53 91 66 57
E: Meta Xionis

Jade Meijer, Press coordinator Arval
T: +31(0) 30 602 44 44
E: Jade Meijer

BNP Paribas Real Estate UK released the first edition of the Retail Risk Index. This is the first piece of research of its kind in the UK market, and is designed to guide investors in developing their investment strategies for retail property.

The report looks at the financial health of retailers and then analyses where those retailers are located within the top 100 towns to form an index of the most and least risky towns.

The national picture shows that 10% of units in the top 100 towns are at very high risk of collapse or closure, 20% are either charity shops or vacant and a further 25% of units occupied by retailers which pose ‘high’ or ‘borderline’ risk. Less than half of the units analysed are occupied by retailers considered ‘secure’.

Despite having a most and least risky top 10, there are opportunities throughout for investors. It is important for investors to know where to invest and where, perhaps, they need to manage their portfolios or change their strategies.

Even the most dominant towns are not immune to risk and within the most risky towns there are thriving areas – if you know where to look.

Read the Retail Risk Index (2,564 Mo)

At the grand final’s in Paris, five teams competed for the 2012 Ace Manager title. These five teams had emerged as finalists following the preliminary online contest, which took place between 20 February and 20 March.

The final five teams, each made up of three students, were set a dual challenge, with the opportunity to impress a jury composed of the President of the University of Paris Dauphine and senior managers from the BNP Paribas Group(1). In the morning, the fifteen contestants worked on a Financial case study linked to the Group’s three major business fields – Retail Banking; Corporate & Investment Banking; and Investment Solutions (asset management). In the afternoon, they were asked to imagine the ‘bank of tomorrow’ and present their vision of how the banking profession will have evolved in five years’ time.

The prize-giving ceremony, held at the Group’s Offices in Paris, was presided over by François Villeroy de Galhau, Chief Operating Officer of the BNP Paribas Group.

The final ranking order was as follows:

1. Kinetic , composed of three students from Singapore, pursuing studies in National Univesity of Singapore.
2. Olivbergen, composed of three students from Sweden, pursuing studies in Stockholm School of Economics.
3. 75/25, composed of three students from the Ukraine, pursuing studies in Kviv School of Economics.
4. Fusion and SW&P, 2 Russian teams tied for 4th place. Each team was composed of three students, coming from « Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation » and « Higher School of Economics » respectively.

Ace Manager – The Fourth Set this year attracted over 14,205 contestants from145 countries.

The top three teams were awarded EUR9,000, EUR3,000 and EUR1,500 respectively and all fifteen contestants received tickets for tennis events. In addition, for the second year running, BNP Paribas offered each of the finalists a wide choice of international internships in the Group’s three business divisions.

Ace Manager – The Fourth Set was designed by a team of BNP Paribas experts. The contest is part of BNP Paribas’ overall strategy for enhancing brand recognition and employer-brand appeal among students. The competition is particularly useful for this purpose outside France. While the Group brand is extremely well-known among corporate clients in a number of countries, it is less well-known among students. BNP Paribas has therefore set itself the target of becoming one of the most attractive employer-brands among students worldwide.

The competition sets out to highlight, in the form of a serious game, the central role of the professional banker in financing clients’ projects, in full accordance with economic realities.

To help enhance brand recognition and increase the Group’s appeal to students from top universities and colleges all over the world, BNP Paribas chose to base the Ace Manager contest on the world of tennis, a sport with which the Group already has strong links through its worldwide sponsorship of the game for almost 40 years. Moreover, the Bank is well-placed to offer exciting career prospects to new recruits. Today some 68% of all Group customers and staff are located outside France, and BNP Paribas is constantly looking to recruit talented people from highly diverse backgrounds all over the world for a range of over 300 different job-types.

Ace Manager – The Fourth Set in figures

14,205 contestants

145 countries represented
Countries with the highest representation were: lndia (2,812 contestants), Italy (2,112 contestants), France (799 contestants), Turkey (694 contestants), the UK (685 contestants), Singapore (523 contestants), Indonesia (513 contestants), Ukraine (495 contestants), Russia (484 contestants) and Poland (469 contestants). Last year, the third annual round of the contest attracted some 12,832 contestants, from 140 countries.

The contest website – www.acemanager.bnpparibas.com – has received a total of a 374,159 visits, including 178,132 unique hits, with over 4.3 million pages viewed, since its launch on 20 October 2009.
20,911 fans of the Ace Manager Facebook page
635 Twitter followers

BNP Paribas works in close collaboration with the TBWACorporate agency on this high-profile international competition.

Careers at BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas hires a large number of talented new colleagues each year. In 2012, the Group is planning to recruit around 13,000 new staff worldwide, including 1,500 to 2,000 people in France. As part of our pre-recruitment process, BNP Paribas also offers more than 1,100 internships per year in France to students approaching the end of their course.
A key recruitment principle at BNP Paribas is long-term career development. Staff benefit from individual career management counselling with the support of dedicated teams who are there to assist every employee with his or her career path, job moves and/or new directions. The Group also has highly effective talent development and skills development programmes in place.
As BNP Paribas engages in a wide variety of business activities, there are numerous opportunities to build a career at the Group, with regular job moves within a given business, from one business area to another, or by moving between geographical locations. For more information, have a look at the websites listed below:

http://www.recrutement.bnpparibas.com/
http://backstage.bnpparibas.com/
http://careers.bnpparibas.com/
About BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) has a presence in 80 countries with nearly 200,000 employees, including more than 150,000 in Europe. It ranks highly in its three core activities: Retail Banking, Investment Solutions and Corporate & Investment Banking. In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the leader in consumer lending.
BNP Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail banking model across Mediterranean basin countries, in Turkey, in Eastern Europe and a large network in the western part of the United States. In its Corporate & Investment Banking and Investment Solutions activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas and solid and fast-growing businesses in Asia.

(1) Laurent Batsch, President of the University of Paris Dauphine
Muriel Atias, Corporate and Investment Banking, Corporate Finance
Olga Semenenko, Brand Manager, Europe Mediterranean
Virginie Fauvel, Head of Online Banking
Laurence Pessez, Member of the Corporate Social Responsibility
Jean-Francois Boutringain, COO for the Group Brand, Communications and Quality .
Press contact:
BNP Paribas Loubna Sebti – loubna.sebti@bnpparibas.com ; 0033 (0)1 40 14 66

Taborn plays music in a broad context, ranging from straight-ahead jazz to beyond (ver daarbuiten): he plays with both young jazz musicians as with established jazz veterans and even with techno-producers. According to juror Ken Pickering of the Canadian International Jazz Festival in Vancouver, Craig Taborn is without doubt one of the leading pianists of his generation: “The much-requested Taborn gives each band in which he plays a quality boost, whether on piano or on keyboards. A complete musician and a great talent!” According to Frank van Berkel of Jazz International Rotterdam, Taborn creates a connection between jazz and contemporary music (art). “More artists do that, but Taborn finds a way of adventurous traditionalism with James Carter, to ‘great listening’ in the concerthall and a release on ECM label.”

The Paul Acket Award Foundation has been supported by BNP Paribas since 2011. Jean Jacques Goron, deputy director of the foundation: “A longstanding partner of jazz music, the BNP Paribas Foundation has been helping numerous musicians to forge their career. This is why, as a main partner of the Paul Acket Award, we wish to congratulate Craig Taborn. A piano, organ, and Moog synthesizer player primarily in jazz, Craig Taborn is also a great composer and talented improviser. As in his last album, Avenging Angel, released in 2011, which is a distinguished contribution to the great solo piano tradition and shows a very personal approach to his instrument. We wish him all the best “

Craig Taborn will receive the award at the festival, where he will perform on July 7th with the formation PRISM.

Paul Acket Award
With the Paul Acket Award, the organization of the festival wants to draw attention to talented jazz musicians who are at the beginning of their careers. These artists are already known in the jazz scene, but not to the general public. The “Artist Deserving Wider Recognition” will, next to the trophy, receive a voucher worth EUR 5,000, – meant to strenghten his or her career. Previous winners of this award include Arve Hendriksen (2011), Christian Scott (2010), Stefano Bollani (2009), Adam Rogers (2008), Gianluca Petrella (2007), Conrad Herwig (2006) and Ben Allison (2005).

North Sea Jazz Festival 2012
July, 6th, 7th and 8th
Ahoy Rotterdam
Day tickets: EUR 89,- (excluding service costs)
3 day tickets: EUR 209,- (excluding service costs)
Plusconcert Lenny Kravitz: EUR 30,-
Single tickets Lenny Kravitz: EUR 56,-

Ticket sales via www.northseajazz.com,www.ticketmaster.nl and 0900 – 300 1250 (45 cpm).

BNP Paribas Real Estate Investment Management has jumped from 14th to 4th ranking with close to EUR1.6 bn invested in 2011 versus EUR664 m in 2010.