For
many years now, BNP Paribas structures its humanitarian aid with the support of
trusted partners. These NGOs and government branches operate locally on the
ground, which leads to the most effective interventions in the face of such
emergencies, particularly when it comes to natural disasters or conflicts. The
Group continues to activate its Rescue & Recover Fund and sign dedicated
partnerships with these humanitarian actors to ensure that local aid is being
provided as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
Providing long-term support to the CDCS
Since
2025, the Group has actively supported the Emergency Humanitarian Fund of
the Crisis and Support Centre (“CDCS”, for “Centre de Crise et de Soutien”)
of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
This commitment helps provide life-saving assistance to vulnerable populations in crisis areas, including Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine. These funds help replenish emergency supplies and essential resources – shelter, access to clean water, hygiene kits and medical care – to meet the most pressing needs of those affected.
In April 2026, BNP Paribas renewed its support with a €900,000 donation to the CDCS, bringing its total commitment to €1.8 million in just one year. On 25 September 2026, the Group signed an agreement to pursue its commitment to its partnership with the CDCS.
This funding enables the CDCS to take concrete action by delivering even more supplies and basic essentials such as tents, hygiene kits, food and jerry cans to meet needs of populations who have been hit hardest by humanitarian crises.
Since the beginning of 2026, the CDCS has rapidly set up 12 aid operations in response to emergency crises including the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the earthquake in Venezuela and the devastating floods in Nepal.
The Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
The Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs is a 24/7 active service dedicated to the protection of French nationals and the emergency humanitarian assistance in the event of a crisis abroad. As the lead for France's humanitarian action, it steers emergency responses in collaboration with embassies, partner NGOs – and supports international and local NOGs' projects through its Emergency Humanitarian Fund (cash or in-kind assistance) – as well as other humanitarian actors. The CDCS also carries out field visits in order to address various types of crisis as effectively as possible.
On the 7th National Humanitarian Conference, organised by the CDCS on 6 October, BNP Paribas also joined the "Club humanitaire France" (or "France Humanitarian Club"). This brings together committed stakeholders from the private sector driven by two priority concepts: innovation (technological and humanitarian) and the need to create a humanist counternarrative. The aim is to identify opportunities for cooperation to strengthen French capacities to respond to emergencies and growing humanitarian needs.
Crisis should never be a common occurrence and disasters should never be met by indifference. To ensure this never happens, we have a duty to ensure that those who have the means to act can do so quickly and locally on the ground. This is the only way to maximise our positive impact, but it requires a collective vision: this is why we are strengthening our support for the Crisis and Support Centre of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Through our dedicated partners, we want to be where we are needed most, as close as possible to the crisis when it happens, as well as afterwards, to continue to support in the long term.
Three emergency campaigns carried out by the Rescue & Recover Fund in 2026
Created in 2012, the Group's "Rescue & Recover Fund" emergency fund collects donations from BNP Paribas employees and retirees, as well as from clients of the Commercial & Personal Banking in France (BCEF), in the case of humanitarian crises and disasters.
The Rescue & Recover Fund's 2026 Emergency Campaigns
When a disaster occurs, the Rescue & Recover Fund can be activated to quickly launch an emergency donation campaign. The Group often matches these donations to double the impact before these funds are given to three partner NGOs: CARE, the French Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.
Since its creation, the Rescue & Recover Fund has made it possible to:
- Launch more than 48 campaigns,
- To donate more than 18.5 million euros to partner NGOs to assist affected populations
In the first half of 2026, the Rescue & Recover Fund was activated three times, resulting in the payment of a total amount of €952,000 (€478,000 in matching contributions by the Group and €474,000 in donations collected from the Group's clients and empoyees). These funds were used to help:
- Displaced populations, especially in the Middle East;
- Populations affected by the two violent earthquakes that hit northern Venezuela;
- Populations affected by the fires in France, Spain, Italy and Portugal.
Faced with the scale of the fires that have ravaged the south-west of France and their devastating aftermath, the Group also mobilised to support affected individual, professional and corporate clients beyond the aid provided by the Rescue & Recover Fund for the affected populations.
Rescue & Recover Fund Development Campaigns
While the Rescue & Recover Fund is typically activated during moments of crisis, the Group also usually carries out an annual "Giving Tuesday" campaign on the International Day of Giving.
This annual campaign supports long-term projects from the Rescue & Recover Fund's partners focused on areas of need such as: violence against women and girls, access to water and water services for vulnerable populations as well as their adaptation to climate change.
The Group triples its matching contribution to donations made on “Giving Tuesday” and typically doubles its matching contribution to donations made throughout the rest of the year.
"When a crisis occurs and we have the green light to activate the Rescue & Recover Fund, we immediately take action."
Head of the Rescue & Recover Fund of BNP Paribas Group
Partnerships with trusted organisations on the field
Two new partnerships signed to address humanitarian crises
As part of its ongoing commitment to Ukraine (where the Group has nearly 5,000 employees), BNP Paribas is stepping up its support for populations affected by war. In partnership with the Pierre Fabre Foundation, the Group has supported the "Health Trove" project since the beginning of 2026 to provide quality medical care to children in rural and remote areas, and particularly those affected by the conflict. Thanks to this collaboration, more than 2,410 children have benefited from care, out of a total of 10,397 since the launch of the program in 2022. Moving forward, this partnership will expand interventions and strengthen the project's sustainable impact on the ground.
The BNP Paribas Foundation and the NGO Elise Care, which has been involved in humanitarian aid for more than ten years, are strengthening their partnership to support the Armenian population, particularly refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh. After supporting the NGO through its charity galas, the Foundation allocated €50,000 in September 2026 to finance three key actions:
A mobile clinic in the Ararat region, where 20 remote villages receive free care;
Psychological support sessions for children in Spitak who are facing trauma related to the conflict;
First aid training along the eastern border.
To date, 73 children are being monitored every week by Elise Care's local teams, while 4,400 refugees – a third of whom are under the age of eighteen – are receiving appropriate assistance in the Lori region.
Support for four NGOs in response to the Ebola epidemic
In May 2026, the Group quickly responded to the resurgence of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo caused by a rare and particularly deadly variant of the virus. A total of €450,000 has been sent to support the three NGO partners of the Rescue & Recover Fund – CARE, the French Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders – and the NGO ALIMA (Alliance for International Medical Action), WHO's long-standing partner in the fight against epidemics.
Overall, this support will contribute to:
Strengthening public health measures (case isolation, contact tracing, quarantine, infection prevention, safe burials, epidemiological investigations);
Providing equipment for medical teams (protective equipment, medicines, bio-secure rooms);
Supporting emergency logistics and the deployment of experts in the field;
Build treatment centres (including in Rwampara), which are essential to isolate cases and limit the spread of disease.
Local action and aid when faced with environmental disasters
In addition to the corporate philanthropic actions coordinated by Company Engagement, BNP Paribas’ various entities also have the means to act. Once again, this year, the Group's countries have mobilised in the face of disasters, particularly environmental disasters. Among the actions undertaken…
... to help the populations affected by the January 2026 Kristin storm in Portugal:
BNP Paribas Portugal has deployed a support system with Arval and Cetelem, allowing affected clients to renegotiate their contracts according to their needs, and donated to the Portuguese Red Cross to help the affected local communities;
In solidarity, BNP Paribas USA activated its internal BNP Paribas Gives Back fund to support emergency relief and reconstruction efforts.
... in the face of this summer's fires around the world:
The activation of the BNP Paribas Gives Back fund in Pan-American solidarity, in response to the Canadian forest fires;
In response to the fires that affected several regions of eastern Algeria, BNP Paribas El Djazaïr signed a partnership with two associations to promote access to water for all affected populations and facilitate the return to school for orphaned children.
After the earthquake in Colombia on 10 August, BNP Paribas and the Group's teams based in Colombia decided to support decided to support local aid efforts starting with food banks.