9 out of 10 European companies already committed to the transition, with real expectations of their bank

Arnaud Algrin: 'The first lesson is that companies have made a breakthrough in their transition commitment. The transition remains a challenge for 84% of SMEs and MidCaps, but 9 out of 10 companies (compared to 4 out of 10 three years ago) have taken action to set themselves on a decarbonisation path.

What is new is that 93% of companies say they are already experiencing the effects of climate change on their business, with 55% seeing consequences on their supply chain, and 54% even incurring financial losses (with a level as high as 70% in Poland).

Lastly, while companies say they are affected by climate, the contrast is striking when we look at other results from the study: only one in three companies consider themselves to be significantly dependent on biodiversity, and the majority of companies do not expect any support in relation to water resources, except for those in the agricultural sector. We must therefore continue to support our clients so that they can develop the most relevant transition plans possible!'

Looking at the countries in detail, we can see, for example, that Poland is less advanced in its energy transition…but Polish business leaders are showing a strong commitment: while 17% do not yet have a target to reduce their carbon impact, 55% have a plan in the process of being adjusted. They also say they are very interested in offers for ESG evaluation or assistance in defining their roadmap in this area.

Finally, in terms of expectations, there is a key difference based on the sector: the manufacturing, construction and transportation sectors are where investment and concerns related to the energy transition are the most pronounced.

Meanwhile, companies in the agri-food sector expect their banks to provide particular support on the subject of biodiversity.

On the CPBS side, we will continue to adapt, develop and implement our offers along these lines. Two examples can already be highlighted: the decarbonisation credit, which has just been launched in France and will be adapted for other countries; and the development of advisory services partnerships to help our clients build their roadmap, as seen in Italy.'

Tania Testa: 'The results are very encouraging: 100% of the surveyed companies with BNP Paribas (BNL in Italy, BGL in Luxembourg, BNP Paribas Fortis in Belgium) as their main bank perceive the Group as a qualified banking partner to support the ecological transition.

In France, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg, companies whose main bank is not BNP Paribas also rank the Group in the top 2 on this point. Furthermore, the Net Promoter Score – a measure to gauge customer satisfaction and loyalty with a company to improve the customer experience – for BNP Paribas is above average compared to its competitors in all countries.

Our conclusion is therefore that BNP Paribas can and must continue to take advantage of its image and keep focusing on the needs of its clients to remain a leader in supporting the transition.'

Tania Testa: 'We interviewed from December 26th 2024 to January 17th 2025 1,500 business executives (CEOs, chief financial officers or strategic managers) in the five countries covered by CPBS’s European banking networks (100 in Luxembourg, 200 in Poland and 400 in France, Italy and Belgium, respectively). To have a representative sample, half of the companies interviewed have BNP Paribas as their main bank and the other half are primarily banked elsewhere. Lastly, SMEs (companies with a turnover of between EUR 5 and 50 million) make up one half of the sample, and the other half is made up of MidCaps (with a turnover of between EUR 50 and 500 million).'

Arnaud Algrin : 'LCTM – Low-Carbon Transition for MidCaps & SMEs – was born three years ago, with the objective of accelerating the support of customers in their transition. We launched a first study at the end of 2022 to ask our SME and MidCap clients about their expectations…'

Laure Matton: 'And three years later, after deploying a plan, expertise and offers across all CPBS countries, it was important to focus on three points: reviewing our understanding of clients’ needs, measuring their interest in the offers offered by banks, and assessing the role clients expect their bank to play – beyond decarbonisation – by also asking them about the effects of climate change, biodiversity or the subject of water resources.'