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The founding of BNP Paribas in its modern form dates to May 23, 2000, through the merger of two of France's foremost financial institutions: Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) and Paribas. This culmination was the result of a 1999 stock market battle, where BNP successfully acquired Paribas. The roots of the predecessor banks are significantly older, with one of the key ancestors, the Comptoir National d'Escompte de Paris (a forebear of BNP), having been established in 1848, and the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas (later Paribas) tracing its origins to 1872. BNP Paribas is a public company, a French multinational universal bank headquartered in Paris and traded on Euronext Paris as a component of the CAC 40 index.

As a leading European bank and a globally significant financial institution, BNP Paribas holds a key position in the international financial system. Its significance extends deeply into the Indian financial system, where the bank’s presence is one of the longest for any foreign bank, beginning in 1860 when a predecessor, the Comptoir d’Escompte de Paris, opened a branch in Calcutta. The Group has supported India's economic development and modernisation over more than 150 years. Following the 2000 merger, the bank in India pursued extensive expansion, notably through strategic joint ventures in various sectors, including insurance (with State Bank of India), asset management, and equity brokerage, establishing itself as a prominent and diversified foreign player in the country's financial markets.