BNP Paribas CIB Unveils Global Prime Brokerage Platform

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - Jul 27, 2011) - BNP Paribas Corporate and Investment Banking unveils its global Prime Brokerage platform, which utilizes the bank's footprint worldwide, financial strength and market-leading technology to provide clients with a global approach to financing, execution and servicing. This platform will enable the bank to clear and custody assets in nearly every market as well as offer margin financing in 31 markets and in 13 currencies.

This new development by the Global Equities and Commodities Derivatives team, draws on BNP Paribas' established risk expertise and innovative culture and brings sophisticated products to a broader range of clients. BNP Paribas Prime Brokerage clients, from multi-strategy funds to emerging mid-size specialists, can now trade in non-US securities, receive non-US reporting and gain access to financing in non-US jurisdictions.

"We wanted to come to market with a multifaceted platform that is global in nature and seamless in execution so we've designed it from the bottom up," said Sam Hocking, Global Head of Prime Brokerage Sales. "In looking at the bigger picture, we have created a platform that will anticipate the global needs of our clients. The on-boarding process is efficient and straightforward and the overall platform is simpler for our clients to use."

BNP Paribas' Prime Brokerage platform encompasses five main activities: Financing Solutions, Technology and Reporting, Global Securities Lending, Global Execution Services and Capital Introduction. The platform also features global securities lending, a global order management system, real-time Profit & Loss and 24x5 trading capabilities.

BNP Paribas has 350 employees dedicated to the Prime Brokerage platform. The Bank has plans to grow its Prime Brokerage staff in the US, Asia and Europe over the next year.

"We are growing our business and utilizing the global resources of the bank and plan to introduce additional capabilities throughout the year," said Jeff Lowe, Head of Equities Product Development. "By building our systems from scratch, we are able to offer a sophisticated platform which employs the latest technology and is distinctively different from what is presently offered in the market."

BNP Paribas Corporate and Investment Banking
BNP Paribas Corporate and Investment Banking employs around 20,000 people in over 50 countries and services 14,000 corporate and institutional clients worldwide.

BNP Paribas CIB excels in:
Derivatives -- where it is one of the leading global players in rates, credit, forex, commodity and equity derivatives
Capital markets -- where it is one of the top European houses in both ECM and DCM (bond, securitization, convertibles and equity issuance)
Structured finance -- where it is amongst the leaders in acquisition, export, project, energy and commodity finance globally

www.cib.bnpparibas.com

About BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) is one of the strongest banks in the world*. The Group has a presence in more than 80 countries and more than 200,000 employees, including more than 160,000 in Europe. It ranks highly in its three core activities: Retail Banking, Investment Solutions and Corporate & Investment Banking. In Europe, the Group has four domestic markets (Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg) and BNP Paribas Personal Finance is the leader in consumer lending. BNP Paribas is rolling out its integrated retail banking model across the Europe-Mediterranean zone and boasts a large network in the western part of the United States. In its Corporate & Investment Banking and Investment Solutions activities, BNP Paribas also enjoys top positions in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas and solid and fast-growing businesses in Asia.

*Rated AA by Standard & Poor's i.e. 3rd rating level on a scale of 22.