BNP Paribas top European bank in Vigeo Eiris ratings for 2017

20.01.2017

With an overall score of 64/100, BNP Paribas takes top spot in the diversified banks (Europe) category in the sustainability ratings compiled by Vigeo Eiris for 2017.

BNP Paribas has improved its overall performance in this year’s ratings, achieving especially good scores on criteria including Human Rights, Human Resources Management and Corporate Governance, which all gained 3 points versus the ratings compiled in 2015.

Vigeo Eiris ratings: changes in BNP Paribas scores (out of 100) versus sector average – 2011 - 2017

The Group maintains a listing in all EURONEXT/Vigeo Eiris indices: World 120, Eurozone 120, Europe 120 and France 20.

Vigeo Eiris & BNP Paribas

Created through a merger of two leading European agencies that specialised in rating companies and organisations on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance, Vigeo Eiris is a world-reputed extra-financial analysis agency.

BNP Paribas has been taking part in the Vigeo Eiris (formerly Vigeo) ratings process since 2003. The Bank is required to fill out a questionnaire detailing its business and its corporate ESG policies.

The questionnaire comprises six sections covering the six major domains which Vigeo Eiris sees as having major extra-financial impacts on a bank such as BNP Paribas, namely: Environment, Human Resources, Human Rights, Community Involvement, Business Behaviour and Corporate Governance.

BMCI ranks first

The BNP Paribas Group’s Morocco subsidiary BMCI also responds to the Vigeo Eiris questionnaire in accordance with its scope and businesses. In 2016, BMCI’s laudable performance secured the bank a listing in the EURONEXT-Vigeo Eiris Ranking Emerging 70 index. With an overall score of 58/100, BMCI ranks first in the sector of diversified banks (Emerging Countries) in the 2017 ranking of the agency Vigeo Eiris.

Extra-financial ratings

‘Extra-financial’ analysis consists of assessing companies, sovereign states and other kinds of issuers of financial securities on their environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies. Based on this analysis, the agency then draws up a rating that enables a comparison to be made between different issuers – whether or not they are listed companies – on their ESG practices.

This type of rating is based on ‘declarative’ information rather than mandatory disclosure, and the rating agency is not remunerated by the company itself. Extra-financial ratings agencies are paid by investors looking to orient their investments to ‘sustainability’ or long-term considerations.

“ We are very proud to have taken first place among European banks in these very demanding Vigeo Eiris ratings. The continuous improvement shown by BNP Paribas since we began to take part in this ratings process back in 2003 bears witness to the efforts the Bank has made to help finance sustainable economic development and have a positive impact on its stakeholders and on society as a whole. ”

Laurence Pessez

BNP Paribas Group Head of Corporate Social Responsibility

The latest BNP Paribas scores

BNP Paribas shares are currently listed in the following indices: Bloomberg Financial Services Gender-Equality and Pax Ellevate Global Women’s Index Fund.

BNP Paribas is also in 42th place among the ‘Global 100 most sustainable corporations in the world’ in the 2017 rankings published by Canadian specialist sustainability magazine Corporate Knights.
BNP Paribas was named ‘Best Bank for Climate Change and Sustainability’ at the Investment Banking Awards 2016 organised by The Banker magazine. This title had previously been held for the last five years by Bank of America.