Deeply anchored in the start-up ecosystem, BNP Paribas has steadily developed its leadership in open innovation and is now the benchmark bank for start-ups and innovative businesses. A position that will enable us to accelerate our transformation and enhance the value proposition of our products and services to meet the expectations and needs of all our customers.
In 2003, Henry Chesbrough, professor at the University of Berkeley in the United States, first defined the term Open Innovation as “the sum of knowledge inputs and outputs designed to accelerate a company’s internal innovation process”. Source
The result is collaboration between a multitude of players within a vast ecosystem of companies, institutions, start-ups, fintechs, entrepreneurs, networks and associations. In practical terms, the approach brings together startups that are inherently agile and innovative, and companies (such as large groups, banks, fintechs, etc...) that are more financially solid, but which innovate more slowly.
For BNP Paribas, Open Innovation is a win-win approach. We encourage and develop collaborations with startups to increase the value proposition of the product or service we want to imagine, develop and create. Open Innovation enables us to respond to the growing need for digitisation in our sector and to remain competitive in our current competitive environment, and even to conquer new markets, but also to position ourselves in extra-banking offers such as beyond banking.
The introduction of Open Innovation is having a significant impact on our working practices. It is instilling a culture of innovation and a spirit of initiative in our teams, while also bringing in new skills. The collective creativity of the teams involved is greatly stimulated, in particular thanks to design thinking (which places customers and their needs at the centre of the thinking process).
Our Open Innovation strategy focuses on working with startup companies in a variety of ways. Disruptive innovations, deeptechs, fintechs, insurtechs… BNP Paribas is an active and constant supporter of all startups.
Since 2017, BNP Paribas, the only financial group to represent Fintech/Insurtech themes, has been present at Station F Paris , the world’s largest startup incubator. The Group operates the B! UP accelerate programme powered by Plug&Play, aimed at mature and international start-ups. This is a programme where they can work with the Group’s business lines to develop a POC (Proof of Concept) or MVP (Minimum Viable Product) over the course of seasons (or batches) lasting from 3 to 6 months.
“Thanks to our partners and access to Station F, we’re at the heart of the Fintech Insurtech ecosystem, supporting start-ups and entrepreneurs. This is how we’re creating value for the Group’s business lines.” Marie Maffre, Head of BivwAk!, Open Innovation, BNP Paribas.
This hybrid space (physical and digital), located in Paris, brings together all the Group’s entities and business lines around two main goals:
Since its creation in 2015, more than 150 startups have benefited from WAI Paris support. This 24-month programme offers access to a network of BNP Paribas customers, partners and experts. WAI Coverage’s 100 account managers, working in 62 WAI centres across the country, specialise in innovation. They are familiar with the specific needs of startups in the growth phase, helping them to scale up and provide support in raising funds.
Our support model for fintechs is based on 4 pillars:
BNP Paribas offers banking solutions to support startups in their development, both in France and abroad. Thanks to our network of retail banks and our Corporate and Institutional Banking activities, these young companies have access to a comprehensive range of products and services, from the day-to-day management of their banking needs to the most advanced financial expertise.
In France, this support is provided by the WAI network of specialist business centres dedicated to innovative entrepreneurs and startups. In Belgium, BNP Paribas Fortis supports startup entrepreneurs in innovative areas through The Innovation Hub.
BNP Paribas is developing the co-creation of new solutions for its customers based on the technological building blocks provided by the fintechs in its ecosystem. Several new payment solutions, in particular, have already emerged in recent years. Several projects have already been launched in recent years.
As Carlo Bovero, Head of Innovative Payment Methods at BNP Paribas, explains: “Fintechs work on verticals in a specialised way. Integrating a specific solution into our customer pathway via a partnership enables us to shorten our time-to-market.”
We support the development of fintechs through incubators and accelerators. One example is our partnership with Plug and Play, a major, established Silicon Valley player with a strong international footprint. Plug and Play is considered to be one of the world’s leading open innovation platforms, having forged partnerships with many major groups and over 8,000 start-ups worldwide.
Housed in Station F Paris, the international B! UP accelerate programme powered by Plug&Play puts the Group’s business lines and functions in touch with international start-ups that have the potential to respond to their needs. The package includes 6 months’ accommodation and support at Station F, and is aimed at early-stage fintechs and insurtechs.
BNP Paribas invests in start-ups, either directly through full acquisitions or equity interests, or indirectly through third-party funds. Opera Tech Ventures, part of BNP Paribas Asset Management, is a venture capital fund whose mission is to support startups and entrepreneurs with the potential to transform the world of finance.
Our insurance subsidiary BNP Paribas Cardif, in partnership with Cathay Innovation, has created the C.Entrepreneurs investment fund, a structure that supports start-ups developing technologies or services that will help invent the insurance solutions of tomorrow.
Two examples of recent acquisitions: Kantox and GAMBiT
Our various acceleration programmes are ideal breeding grounds for our investment vehicles. These acquisitions also demonstrate our ability to forge long-term partnerships with fintechs in order to offer our customers advanced technological solutions.
To anticipate the trends that will impact the uses and needs of our customers, several of the Group’s business lines and entities have “laboratories” dedicated to monitoring, innovation and forecasting:
