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The BNP Paribas group is optimizing its trademark portfolio

In May 2000, at the time of the merger that led to its creation, BNP Paribas adopted a single trademark and logo for most of its business lines: retail banking in France and in several foreign countries, corporate and investment banking, private banking, asset management and leasing.

BNP Paribas quickly established itself as a major worldwide trademark for banking and financial services. It is classified as the sixth most successful bank in the world in Fortune magazine's list of the “World's Most Admired Companies” in 2004. According to the classification of the agency Interbrand and the magazine Challenges, it is one of the three French trademarks with the highest value on a worldwide scale, when all branches of activity are taken into account.

The group is now entering a new stage by developing a visual identity system for its subsidiaries which will optimize the group's portfolio of trademarks. This system will leverage both the image of the BNP Paribas group and the quality of its trade names, whether those of the group's community banks with strong local appeal (community banking) or specialized companies that are market leaders. It will allow the subsidiaries to benefit from the strength of the group's image, while at the same time it will permit them to continue developing the strong trademarks that their customers are attached to.


The main developments are as follows:

1. The visual symbol of BNP Paribas (the “taking flight” symbol created at the time of the merger in 2000) will become the logo of the majority of subsidiaries. They will retain their name and specific advertising signatures, but will adopt colors and typography identical to those of the parent company. They will therefore be able to continue to develop their own trademark and their local appeal with regard to their customers, while benefiting from the visual symbol of the Group.


Main specialized trademarks adopting the “taking flight” logo

Arval (vehicle fleet management), Cardif (insurance), Meunier (real estate development), UCB (real estate financing)
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Examples of banking networks adopting the “taking flight” logo

BMCI (Morocco), UBCI (Tunisia),
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Retail Banking in the United States

BancWest, the holding company for BNP Paribas' retail banking activity in the United States, will adopt the “taking flight” logo and will use it in its institutional communications. BancWest's community banking networks (Bank of the West and First Hawaiian Bank) will retain their current logos and colors. They will mention, when appropriate, that they are part of the group.

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2. Some specialized trade names within the Group, that are already very well-known to the general public throughout Europe, will retain their own logo and colors. In their institutional communications and in some of their commercial communications, this logo will be followed by the statement: "A BNP Paribas company” and a small “taking flight” logo in the colors of the subsidiary.
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The Banque de Bretagne will also retain its current logo and will mention, when appropriate, that it is part of the group.

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3. Subsidiaries will implement a policy aimed at phasing out little-known trademarks and logos that still exist, in order to focus group investments on an optimized portfolio of strong trademarks. The Group's trademark portfolio will therefore be comprised solely of the BNP Paribas worldwide trademark and of subsidiary, specialized or local trade names that have a strong appeal.


These various developments will be implemented by the end of 2004 for written, audiovisual and electronic communications, and by Summer 2005 for architectural elements.