BNP Paribas S.A is a French international banking group. It is the world's 8th largest bank by total assets. It was formed through the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) and Paribas in 2000, but has a corporate identity stretching back to its first foundation in 1848 as a national bank. It organizes its businesses into two main fields of activity: Retail Banking & Services (RBS) and Corporate Institutional Banking (CIB). BNP Paribas is headquartered in Paris - France.