BNP Paribas S.A. is a global banking group, headquartered in Paris, with its second global headquarters in London. It was formed through the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) and Paribas in 2000. In April 2009, BNP Paribas purchased a 75 percent stake in Fortis Bank, the Belgian banking business, making BNP the eurozone’s largest bank by deposits held. In 2011, BNP Paribas was the world’s biggest bank, as measured by total assets of US$2.670 trillion.
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