Covid-19: BNP Paribas supports employees and customers

Ensuring business continuity

Like most banking institutions, BNP Paribas is prepared to deal with exceptional situations. The Group has thus set in motion its Business Continuity Plan, a specific system for it to best protect the health of employees while maintaining essential tasks and services both to private and professional customers. Building on a diversified and integrated model that bolsters financial strength and resilience, the BNP Paribas Group is able to support all clients in overcoming these extraordinary circumstances in every countries it operates. 

Prevent and regularly inform

To avoid travel and minimise contact between individuals, BNP Paribas encourages the use of digital tools whenever possible. The bank also prefers digital communications to inform, reassure and interact with its customers. In the United States, Bank of the West sent an information notice to each client and created a dedicated website area (‘Here to help’) with a summary of hygiene and prevention measures, and the Covid-19 telephone helpline. More broadly, in each country the Group operates, client advisers and all BNP Paribas employees are being mobilised to help and respond to the challenges of this crisis. 

Support our clients, particularly in most-affected countries

Economic actors need strong support to limit the impact of the ongoing crisis, particularly in some highly affected areas. BNP Paribas supports all clients in order to offer them a maximum of flexibility and exceptional solutions throughout the crisis, and to ensure as much economic recovery as possible.

In Italy, BNP Paribas announced a six-month moratorium on corporate lending (40,000 customers), while Artigiancassa, a BNP Paribas subsidiary dedicated to craftsmen, has granted additional credit lines to support these businesses, and established a dedicated advisory centre to inform and help clients.

Advice through regular monitoring and analysis of markets

The Group offers in-depth economic analyses that anticipate the impacts of decisions taken at a global level by central banks and governments. These analyses serve clients, particularly those of BNP Paribas Asset Management and BNP Paribas Wealth Management. As such, the asset management and investment business lines can offer an ‘advisory’ approach that relies on an analysis of financial markets to draw lessons and make recommendations on asset allocations.