BNP Paribas Portugal was honoured in Real Estate Awards for its new office in Lisbon – the EXEO Office Hub – winning two of the main categories. The project received the awards for “Best Office Project of the Year” and “Excellence in Efficiency and Sustainability”, recognizing the architectural quality, functionality and strong environmental commitment of the new space.

Located in Lisboa and forming part of a cross-functional, multidisciplinary transformation process launched five years ago, aimed at enhancing not only team collaboration, efficiency and well-being but also the Bank’s ecological and societal footprint in Portugal, the EXEO Office Hub stands out for its integration of flexible workspaces, state-of-art technological infrastructure, and sustainability designed solutions built from the ground up in a “green by design” approach. The jury also highlighted the project’s ability to meet the new demands of hybrid work, promoting employee well-being and productivity.

For BNP Paribas, this double accolade reinforces the institution’s standing as a benchmark in corporate real-estate development and consolidates its commitment to ESG criteria (environmental, social and governance).

It is a great honour to receive these awards in such a demanding and prestigious forum. Beyond technical, architectural or technological excellence, these prizes reflect our commitment to people and to society, recognizing a cross-functional project developed over more than five years with the aim of creating an efficient, sustainable and inspiring workplace.

Xavier Jombart, COO of BNP Paribas Portugal

The project’s lead also points out that the project, managed by BNP Paribas Real Estate, co-developed by Avenue, and involving Broadway Malyan, DDN, Openbook Vetromais, HCI and Silogia, was essentially the result of a joint effort from several internal team – including Facilities Management, Consulting & Transformation, Finance, Procurement, Legal and Communications – as well as the active involvement of employees throughout the entire process

In addition to the awards, the Aura and Echo buildings at the EXEO Office hub have recently achieved LEED Platinum certification, the highest level of this international environmental-performance rating system. The certification recognises the buildings’ performance in areas such as energy efficiency, integration of renewable energy, water management, indoor-air quality and innovative sustainable-design solutions.

After acquiring the Aura and Echo buildings on the EXEO Campus for its new headquarters in Lisbon in 2022, BNP Paribas reinforces its commitment to Portugal and its investment in the operations it runs in the country. In this way, the Group now has three hubs in Portugal, with capacity for its 9700 employees, the EXEO Office Hub and Colombo in Lisbon, and URBO in Porto

• With a 40-year success story in Portugal, the creation of the Foundation stems from the will to give back to a country that has contributed so much to the BNP Paribas Group and is now one of its strategic locations.
• The Foundation reinforces the Group’s commitment to the sustainable and inclusive development of Portuguese society, consolidating all philanthropic activities in Portugal under a single, unified vision.
• The Foundation’s motto is “We give power to those who take action!”, embracing networking as its preferred working method and promoting collaboration among all stakeholders, with a view to achieving systemic change in the areas in which it operates.
• Three strategic areas: Solidarity (inclusion through employment), Environment and Biodiversity (restoration and conservation of marine ecosystems), and Culture (access to culture and support for underrepresented artists).
• The investment in the year of launch includes €1.5 million for study and research projects on the impact of climate change on ocean warming and its consequences for marine species living in the Atlantic Ocean.

BNP Paribas announces the launch of the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal, the 14^th Foundation of the BNP Paribas Group worldwide, with the aim of reinforcing the Group’s commitment to the sustainable and inclusive development of Portuguese society. The Foundation was created to respond to the country’s most pressing social, environmental, and cultural challenges, consolidating all the Group’s philanthropic activity in Portugal under a single vision, in the year in which BNP Paribas celebrates 40 years of activity in Portugal.

At the time of its launch, the Foundation is investing €1.5 million, directly allocated by the parent Foundation under the Climate & Biodiversity Initiative, which supports scientists studying the impact of climate change on marine biodiversity, in two Portuguese winning projects (out of 163 submitted worldwide) — a clear demonstration of the quality of work being developed in this field in the country:

• Gulf of Guinea: Migration of the Pelagic Marine Megafauna (OCEANPATH)

This project aims to establish a protected offshore marine migration corridor between Cape Verde and the Gulf of Guinea for blue sharks, mako sharks and whales. Using innovative monitoring technologies and 3D mapping, OCEANPATH seeks to improve predictions of migratory patterns and contribute to large-scale marine conservation.

• Temperature and Early Development of the small-spotted catshark (SHOW-IT)

Conducted in controlled aquarium conditions, this project studies the effects of ocean warming on the early immune and motor development of small-spotted catshark, comparing Atlantic and Mediterranean populations. Its findings will help inform the design of future marine protected areas.

“Acting for the common good to make the world better, more just, and more sustainable is embedded in the DNA of our patronage actions A major player in corporate patronage since 1984, the BNP Paribas Group has a strong presence in the global philanthropy landscape. Providing innovative solutions, protecting, repairing, inspiring, and upholding these ambitions, particularly with the vibrant forces that make up the BNP Paribas Group teams in Portugal, is essential.”

Anne Pointet, Head of Company Engagement for Group BNP Paribas.

“In a fractured and divided world, seeing the emergence of a new foundation in Portugal with the desire to innovate and support visionary actors in solidarity, the environment, and culture is excellent news. It reinforces a coalition now composed of 14 foundations and endowment funds of the BNP Paribas Group.”

Isabelle Giordano, Head of BNP Paribas Group Philanthropy.

With a 40-year history of success in Portugal, the creation of the Foundation reflects the will to give back to a country that has given so much to the BNP Paribas Group, and which is now one of its strategic locations. For several years, the BNP Paribas Group has defined its ambition as having a positive impact on society (“We are serving our customers and the world we live in”), contributing to sustainable development (using the 17 SDGs defined by the United Nations), through an ambitious social responsibility strategy with a strong philanthropic pillar. A company of BNP Paribas’s current scale in Portugal has the capacity to raise awareness and mobilize other companies and organizations—whether partners or clients—as well as, very effectively, its employees, now numbering more than 9,000, in collaborative work capable of generating real change. The Foundation aims to continue working closely with communities, side by side with those on the ground, supporting projects that create real and lasting impact, thereby deepening the bond that already exists.

“We believe in the power of collaborative work and coalition-building to achieve systemic change in our society and our planet. That is why we have adopted the motto for the BNP Paribas Portugal Foundation: We give power to those who take action! We will support innovative, challenging, well-founded projects capable of producing measurable impact in their areas of activity. For this reason, we are committed to and will invite employees, clients, partners, universities, and other organizations that share our vision — the development of a more inclusive and sustainable society — to join us in long-term investment in the areas and beneficiaries we have identified as priorities.”

Luciana Peres, President of BNP Paribas Fundação Portugal

An integrated approach to a more inclusive and sustainable society

The activities of the Fundação BNP Paribas Portugal are structured around three strategic areas:

1. Social, focused on social inclusion through increased employability, particularly among young people, women, and migrants in vulnerable situations;
2. Environment and Biodiversity, aiming to contribute to increased research capacity and the identification of scalable solutions for the conservation and restoration of marine biodiversity, with a focus on the Atlantic Ocean; and
3. Culture, committed to increasing access to cultural activities for those who usually do not have that opportunity, and to supporting artists from underrepresented groups in revitalizing Portuguese artistic expressions.

These three pillars will guide the Foundation’s activities and reflect its commitment to contributing to a more inclusive, sustainable, and participatory society.

The Foundation will work side by side with associations, institutions and other partners, strengthening the impact of supported projects through the sharing of knowledge, experience, collaborative networks, and the mobilization of the most appropriate resources for the success of each initiative. BNP Paribas employees will be invited to participate, reinforcing their commitment to the Bank’s social responsibility, as well as their role as citizens engaged in the world in which they live.

With a strategy aligned with the BNP Paribas Foundation, its parent foundation, the strategy of the BNP Paribas Portugal Foundation for the 2026–2028 period will greatly benefit from the experience accumulated in Portugal by BNP Paribas’s corporate social responsibility area, particularly in the field of social inclusion, now complemented by projects in the conservation and restoration of marine biodiversity and by the participation in and revitalization of artistic expressions of cultural identity.

• The BNP Paribas Foundation has created Dream Up an educational programme with the aim of contributing to the social inclusion of children and young people through the learning and regular practice of artistic expression activities.
• Applications for the programme, which has already supported more than 50,000 children in 29 countries, are open between 15 January and 29 February.

BNP Paribas in Portugal announces the opening of applications for the 4th edition of Dream Up, which takes place from 15th January to 29th February. This educational programme aims to promote the social inclusion of children and young people at risk of exclusion (whether due to social background or physical condition) by learning and regularly practising artistic expression activities, such as music, singing, dance and drama, as a complement to their formal schooling. For this purpose, an annual donation of 20,000 euros will be made over the next three school years, making a total of 60,000 euros, to which can be added other donations in kind and through Corporate Volunteering, carried out by the Bank’s more than 8,000 employees in Portugal, who are available to support both the associations and the children and young people, through study support, for example.

Learning and practising performative and visual activities from an early age favours self-knowledge, communication, creativity and many other essential skills in the training of each person. Dream Up gives the opportunity to access and develop their potential in areas of artistic expression for hundreds of children and young people in situations of social vulnerability. It’s a programme that plays a fundamental role by achieving our corporate social responsibility objectives in Portugal. To this extent, we are very excited to be launching its 4th edition which, in its 12 years of existence, has already supported more than 3,000 children and young people, thus contributing to a society that wants to be more inclusive

Luciana Peres, head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Diversity and Inclusion at BNP Paribas Portugal.

Launched for the first time in 2015 by the BNP Paribas Foundation, Dream Up is an international programme that covers 29 countries and currently has 30 active projects. Its purpose is to take art, origins, stories and culture as a starting point for structured and sustained educational practice, helping participants to develop critical thinking, storytelling, cooperation, teamwork, as well as project management skills that will help them throughout their personal and professional lives.

The BNP Paribas Foundation’s ambition is to provide long-term support for the talents, innovative projects and personalities who will help change the world, giving them visibility and making their projects sustainable, whether cultural, social or environmental.

Apply here.

Education and technology. Education and creativity. Education and business. Education and family. Education for all.

After the success of the first episode, BNP Paribas presented the second episode of the Challenging the Future cycle, hosted and created by BNP Paribas Portugal.

• Should curricula be adjusted to the needs of companies? 
• What tools are we giving to young people and children?
• Should tablets and technology in general be integrated into our schools?
• Artificial intelligence (and Chat GPT, among others): how can we maintain critical spirit and creativity within automatism?
• What is the role of the family?

Under the topic Education today: new frontiers?, the panel, moderated by João Miguel Tavares, discussed this and much more with recognised specialists: 

• António M. Feijó: Chairman of the Board of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
• Clara Palma: Vice-President of Educational Policy at AAUL – Academic Association of the University of Lisbon
• Miguel Herdade: Associate Director of the Ambition Institute (UK)
• Susana Peralta: Associate Professor at Nova SBE

The session was held in Portuguese, in digital format.

See the full episode below

Lisbon, July 2023 – Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2023 distinguished BNP Paribas as the “Best Investment Bank in Portugal”. This is the second award BNP Paribas won in 2023 in the Investment Banking area, the first being the Dealogic financial market platform rank first place in the Investment Banking Global category, by volume of revenue.

The Euromoney award recognises the commitment that BNP Paribas has been making in the area of the Investment Bank, consolidating its leadership position.

“It is with great honour that we share the news that BNP Paribas received the Best Investment Bank in Portugal, awarded by the Euromoney Award for Excellence. This recognition confirms the efforts of BNP Paribas to create a distinctive market approach through an increasingly wide services platform. We are relying on a recognised and highly specialised team so that the Bank can continue to develop a work of reference“, says Olivier Perrain, Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking for BNP Paribas in Portugal.

In addition to the local award, the BNP Paribas Group also received the “World’s Best Bank” and the “World’s Best Bank for Sustainable Finance” at a global level.

The winners of the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2023 are nominated by magazine publishers, journalists and analysts, who assess criteria’s such as profitability, growth and efficiency, with analyses from magazine readers, covering international financial markets. The Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2023 also recognise institutions offering the best services to their customers, showing leadership, innovation and dynamism in the markets in which they operate, and are awarded locally and globally.

• For the third consecutive year, BNP Paribas Portugal and Nova SBE team up to award CEMS Master’s in International Management students with scholarships.

• So far, 10 students have benefited from this scholarship program.

Lisbon, May 2023 – BNP Paribas Portugal and Nova SBE have just announced the scholarships winners of the third edition of the “BNP Paribas Portugal – Nova SBE Scholarship to CEMS Students” program aiming to cover part of the second-year fees of the CEMS Master’s degree with more than 9.000€ in total. This edition recognizes three students from Germany, Norway, and Portugal who are attending the Master’s in International Management CEMS (CEMS MIM) from Nova SBE. The CEMS MIM prepares responsible leaders to contribute to a more open, sustainable, and inclusive world. The Mission Statement is a reflection of CEMS’ ethical and responsible approach to management education.

The scholarship program reinforces the commitment of BNP Paribas to have a positive impact on Portuguese society while contributing to the development of future leaders, focusing on the values which BNP Paribas stands for.

CEMS is a global alliance of 34 top-tier business schools, such as Nova SBE, more than 70 multinational companies, and NGOs, who together offer the CEMS Master’s in International Management. Considered the eighth-best Master’s in Management in the World by The Economist’s ranking, Nova SBE is the only Portuguese higher education institution that is an academic partner of the CEMS alliance, and BNP Paribas is a corporate partner of the CEMS Alliance.

The scholarship program targets international students enrolled in the first year of the CEMS Master’s in International Management at Nova SBE. Students are selected by a Committee based on academic merit, background, and their need for financial support to complete the program.

Fabrice Segui, CEO of BNP Paribas in Portugal, claims, “We are very happy to enable these 3 students to go further on in their education with a course of excellence that prepares students to be responsible leaders for the sustainable development of organizations in the future. This Master’s is completely in line with the values of the Bank, and we are very proud of this partnership with Nova SBE as we strongly believe that our mission is also about helping to prepare the new generation for a better world while engaging the future leaders for responsible leadership.”

Catherine da Silveira, Academic Director of the CEMS Programme and Associate Dean of International Affairs & Partnerships at Nova SBE says that “Nova SBE and BNP Paribas Portugal have developed over the years a solid and fruitful partnership. We share the same values of diversity and inclusion. We are both committed to the promotion of social mobility. I would like to thank BNP Paribas Portugal for offering this scholarship to our CEMS students.”

BNP Paribas Portugal has ranked number one in Overall Investment Banking category (Mergers and Acquisitions, Equity Capital Market, Debt Capital Market, Loans) by net revenues. The 2022 results were published by Dealogic, a financial markets platform that offers integrated content for firms operating in the financial sector, in its end of year report.

“We are very proud of these results as they illustrate both the confidence of our clients and the excellence of our teams. This position underlines the success of our strategy and the importance of the country for the Group.” explains Olivier Perrain, Head of BNP Paribas CIB Portugal.

Established in Portugal since 1985, BNP Paribas was one of the first foreign Banks to operate in the country, offering a wide range of integrated financial solutions to support its clients and their businesses in its different areas:

• Commercial, Personal Banking & Services (CPBS)
• Investment & Protection Services (IPS)
• Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB)

Today, the Bank has a strong local activity, with nine local businesses and nine competency centres that are paramount to the Bank’s global operating model in Portugal. BNP Paribas Portugal has over 7.100 employees, from 82 different nationalities.

The “BNP Paribas Portugal – Nova SBE Scholarship to CEMS Students” programme, launched last year, has already impacted 7 students from 4 different nationalities.

Lisbon, 7 March 2022 – BNP Paribas Portugal and Nova SBE have just announced the winners of the scholarships of the second edition of the “BNP Paribas Portugal – Nova SBE Scholarship to CEMS Students” programme aiming to cover part of the second year fees of the CEMS Master’s degree. This edition recognises three students (from Morocco, France and Portugal) who are attending the Master’s degree in International Management CEMS (CEMS MIM) from Nova SBE.

Deeply aligned with the commitment of having a positive impact on Portuguese society, the BNP Paribas Group maintains its commitment to this partnership with Nova SBE, through a programme that represents sharing shared values, ambition and commitment to future leaders training, focusing on important foundations such as sustainability, diversity and inclusion.

CEMS is the global alliance of top-tier 34 business schools, 70 multinational companies and NGOs, whom together offer the Master’s degree in International Management CEMS MIM, which is the 8th best Master in World Management, according to the The Economist’s ranking. The CEMS MIM programme prepares students from the 5 continents to work in global organisations and to contribute in a relevant and responsible way in companies and in society. Nova SBE is the only Portuguese educational institution that is a member of the CEMS alliance.

The scholarship programme is aimed at graduate students from all over the world, enrolled in the first year of the CEMS Master’s degree in International Management at Nova SBE. The selection criteria is based on academic merit, background and the need for having financial support to complete the programme. The students’ selection is the responsibility of the Admissions Committee based on the applications received.

For the scholarship students, this is a unique opportunity to invest in their potential and future and focus on learning, without worrying about the financial burden for themselves and their families.

Pedro Santos Ferreira, Portuguese student, claims “few people have the opportunity to be part of this Master’s programme capable of changing the world. This scholarship gives me the opportunity for which I am very grateful”.

Mathis Chikhi, French student, refers that “financing tuition fees is not always easy but thanks to the
BNB Paribas Portugal scholarship I can focus peacefully on my studies. CEMS MIM is an amazing programme and this scholarship allows me to take full advantage of its opportunities.”

Farouq El-Abbass, Moroccan student, feels “thrilled, cheerful and happy to have received this scholarship! As a person from a middle-class Moroccan family, living in a European capital like Lisbon is quite financially challenging. In this way, the granting of this scholarship took a heavy burden off the shoulders off my family as well as mine. Thank you to the CEMS MIM programme from the Nova SBE Office Lisboa and BNP Paribas Portugal. I couldn’t be more grateful!”

“The Master in International Management CEMS is a reference internationally and in Portugal. It is a very broad and diversified course, which prepares students to be responsible leaders for the sustainable development of organisations We are greatly proud to enable these young people to continue their journey in a course of excellence, aimed at today’s and future’s organisations, and in contributing to the leaders of tomorrow having a strategic and responsible vision, in line with the values of the Bank. This is an excellent example of the importance of the diversified strategic partnership we have with Nova SBE and that leaves us with a enormous sense of mission towards the professionals of the future”, says Fabrice Segui, CEO of BNP Paribas in Portugal.

“Nova SBE and BNP Paribas Portugal have a solid and successful relationship. This scholarship award programme is aligned with our academic principles, but mainly aligns with the values of diversity and inclusion so present in Nova SBE, the CEMS alliance, and BNP Paribas. The CEMS Master’s degree in International Management is an innovative programme for its strong multicultural component and social awareness, attributes well present in the selected students nationalities diversity.”, comments Catherine da Silveira, Academic Director of the CEMS Programme at Nova SBE.

BNP Paribas in Portugal joins the largest music event in Portugal and becomes the official sponsor of the 9^th edition of Rock in Rio Lisboa, taking place, in Lisbon, in June 2022. As well as increasing its support for Culture, the Bank intends to foster get together moments with its teams, clients and partners, making the commitment of inviting all of its employees – around 6,500 – to the festival.

Rock in Rio will be taking place on 18, 19, 25 and 26 June and, until then, BNP Paribas and Rock in Rio will be developing different initiatives, both internally and externally, sharing their common journey.

Click here to read the full press release in English and Portuguese.

Five students from Peru, Portugal and French Guiana will be the first to receive the support from the new scholarship program “BNP Paribas Portugal – NOVA SBE Scholarship to CEMS Students”.

Lisbon, 11 March 2021 – BNP Paribas Portugal and Nova SBE have initiated a program of scholarships granting, under the name “BNP Paribas Portugal – NOVA SBE Scholarship to CEMS Students”. The first edition distinguishes five students – 2 Peruvian, 2 Portuguese and 1 form French Guiana – attending the international management master’s program CEMS at Nova SBE.  Awarded in January, the scholarship will cover part of the tuitions of the second year program of the CEMS Master’s program.

 The Master in International Management CEMS is the 8^th best Master in Management in the world, according to The Economist’s rating. CEMS is the global alliance of top-tier 34 business schools, 70 multinational companies and NGOs, whom together offer the Master in International CEMS MIM. The Programme CEMS MIM prepares students from 5 continents to work in global organizations and to contribute in relevant and responsible way in companies and in society. Nova SBE is the only education institution member of the CEMS alliance.

The scholarship program is targeted to graduated students from all over the world, enrolled at the first year  of the international Master’s program CEMS, which, in Portugal, is exclusively taught at Nova SBE. The selection is based in a range of criteria based on academic achievement and clear financial constraints to pursue their CEMS program conclusion. The decision of students’ selection is a responsibility of the Admissions Committee based on the applications received.

“Nova SBE and the Master in International Management CEMS are undeniable referencse both in Portugal and abroad. We know closely the quality of its education and how well-prepared students are, being able to actively contribute to the development of the organisations where they work. Thus, we wanted to expand our partnership, which already counts with different common initiatives, such as training for senior managers or the presence of speakers from BNP Paribas and Nova SBE in events from both parts”, explains Fabrice Segui, CEO of BNP Paribas Portugal. “Therefore, on the genesis of the scholarship program “BNP Paribas Portugal – NOVA SBE Scholarship to CEMS Students” is the support given to the graduate generation of the future, allowing the continuity on an excellency based program targeting students with great ambition to become responsible leaders, in total alignment with the corporate mission and values of BNP Paribas”, concludes.

“It is an honour for us having established this partnership with BNP Paribas, with which we have a solid and fruitful relationship. This program is aligned with our academic principles and, most importantly, with our values of diversity and inclusion present in both our University and BNP Paribas. It is an innovative program for its strong multicultural component and social consciousness, attributes clearly demonstrated by the diverse nationalities of the selected students”, highlights Catherine da Silveira, CEMS Academic Director.

 About BNP Paribas Portugal

Present in Portugal since 1985, BNP Paribas has about 6,000 employees, in the various Group entities established in our country, providing the full range of solutions for customers, in the exercise of their activities. It is also present in Portugal through competence centers that provide added value services to various countries where the BNP Paribas Group is present. www.www.bnpparibas.pt