• Innovation & technology

AI research at BNP Paribas: innovating to reinvent finance

Published On 2026-04-27

Innovation is at the heart of our strategy to reinvent finance. Artificial intelligence research is a key pillar, exploring new scientific and technological approaches to design robust and responsible solutions. Our teams develop agentic systems, trusted AI and adaptive, explainable and sustainable solutions to meet the complex challenges of tomorrow's banking businesses.

Research axes at the heart of tomorrow's finance

Digital transformation and the rise of advanced technologies are redefining the foundations of finance. In a context where speed, reliability and transparency are essential, scientific innovation is becoming a strategic lever for anticipating challenges and creating new opportunities. Our work is part of this dynamic, exploring solutions that combine performance, security and responsibility, in order to build a more resilient and inclusive finance.

Our research areas in artificial intelligence for finance cover the entire value creation cycle and are structured around the following themes:

  • AI against financial crime, fraud and money laundering: leverage advanced AI techniques to detect, prevent and reduce the risks associated with fraud and money laundering activities.
  • Agentic Systems, Foundation Models for Finance: design agent-based architectures and fundamental finance-specific models, including large language models (LLMs), to automate, reason, and improve performance.
  • Trustworthy AI and Risk Management: develop transparent, explainable and compliant AI systems, while ensuring operational resilience and regulatory risk control.
  • Adaptive Models and Continuous Learning for Large-Scale Applications: create models that can continuously scale and integrate effectively into large, complex IT environments.
  • HR and AI adoption: anticipate the skills of tomorrow and promote the acceptability of AI solutions for a successful and human-centered integration. 

This coordinated group aims to develop safe, efficient and responsible solutions, directly applicable to the needs of the business lines.

An open and connected ecosystem 

BNP Paribas relies on an open and connected research ecosystem to accelerate the Group's digital transformation. This dynamic is embodied through several complementary levers:

  • Scientific Digital Council: a strategic body that guides research directions and promotes scientific excellence.
  • Collaborations with laboratories and researchers: active partnerships with renowned institutions such as Telecom Paris-Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Mila (Quebec Institute of Artificial Intelligence) and KU Leuven (Leuven) & Ghent University (Ghent), LPSM at Université Paris Cité, CERMICS at École nationale des ponts et chaussées to pool expertise and integrate the latest scientific advances.
  • Applied research and innovation: researchers  dedicated to applied research and innovation within the various clusters, in particular via BivwAk!, the Group's open innovation hub.
  • Contribution to and participation in AI conferences: an active presence in major scientific events, strengthening BNP Paribas' visibility and impact in the international artificial intelligence ecosystem. (AAAI - Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Conference, NeurIPS - Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, KDD, - Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, ICSE - International Conference on Software Engineering...) 
This integrated approach promotes the rapid transition from idea to impact, on key topics such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud and software engineering. It illustrates the Group's contribution to be part of an open innovation dynamic, relying on partners recognized for their excellence and their ability to transform research into concrete solutions for sustainable finance. 

High-level international scientific partnerships

BNP Paribas relies on a network of joint laboratories and strategic partnerships to structure cutting-edge research, rooted in use-cases and focused on innovation. These collaborations make it possible to accelerate technology transfer and integrate the best global expertise to support the Group's transformation.

  • Together with Telecom Paris-Institut Polytechnique de Paris, the FinAI-LAB joint lab is exploring large-scale artificial intelligence and continuous model learning for finance. The work carried out covers four key areas: banking infrastructure, cybersecurity, responsible AI and fraud detection. This approach promotes the development of robust solutions adapted to the specific challenges of the financial sector.

  • With the ASBL Prometis Lab, a platform composed of a team of post-doctoral and pre-doctoral researchers from UGent University, BNP Paribas Fortis encourages independent research for societal purposes in the field of applied economic sciences. Other collaborative initiatives focused on data and artificial intelligence are also being developed, in close collaboration with the Belgian ecosystem, particularly with KU Leuven as part of a Fraud Analytics Chair. These partnerships promote the pooling of expertise and stimulate innovation to address local and international challenges related to data and AI.

  • With Mila (Quebec Institute of Artificial Intelligence), the collaboration grants BNP Paribas access to Mila’s ongoing scientific developments, enabling early awareness of emerging technologies and fostering dialogue with leading researchers. Collaborative projects will explore the applications of artificial intelligence in areas that support more resilient economies such as environmental, social and governance (ESG), geofinance, risk assessment, and the analysis of potential risk interconnections. The partnership also establishes direct links to Mila’s talent pool comprising over 1,500 students and scholars, through priority access to recruitment events, internship programs, and executive-level AI training designed for senior leaders. Responsible AI – Both organizations are committed to ethical and inclusive AI development, contributing to positive societal outcomes.

  • With ESCP Business School, in particular through resources from our research teams affiliated with the ESCP Tech Institute, working on HR issues, adoption and the future of AI competencies and capabilities.

  • The chair Futures of Quantitative Finance is a partnership between LPSM at Université Paris Cité, CERMICS at École nationale des ponts et chaussées, and BNP Paribas Global Markets. Launched in March 2023 the chair engages in cutting edge research in all areas of modern quantitative finance and market risk modelling.

These international scientific collaborations illustrate BNP Paribas' desire to be part of an open innovation dynamic, relying on partners recognized for their excellence and their ability to transform research into concrete solutions for responsible finance.

A strong commitment to the scientific community 

BNP Paribas actively supports the scientific community, by participating in and contributing to reference conferences. The group affirms its scientific commitment through: 

  • Participation and sponsorship: active presence in major international conferences in artificial intelligence and technology, strengthening the visibility and scientific impact of the Group. 
  • Scientific excellence: the Group's commitment promotes the dissemination of rigorous and open scientific practices, contributing to the excellence and transparency of the work carried out.  
  •  Academic-industry dialogue: interactions between the academic and professional spheres accelerate innovation and the concrete application of technological advances within BNP Paribas. 
  • Contribution to scientific committees: the Group's researchers play an active role in the organization and review of conference papers, strengthening BNP Paribas' expertise and influence in the international research ecosystem. 

A Higher Digital Council to anticipate major challenges 

We have set up  a Scientific Council for Digital Technology, which brings together recognized and independent international experts and academics from institutions such as École Polytechnique, Télécom Paris, Polytechnique Montréal, Télécom SudParis and Polytech Nantes and Hub France IA.  It provides strategic insight into the major digital trends around exchanges dedicated to responsible AI, legal, cybersecurity and industrialization issues. Meeting at least 2 times a year, the Scientific Council and the exchanges that take place there feed our research roadmaps and raise awareness of scientific and ethical issues throughout the organization. 

Our latest publications

As part of its commitment to innovation and academic research, you will find a curated selection of our latest scientific papers and publications stemming from work conducted within our Artificial Intelligence research ecosystem.

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