Many countries are bidding to build Islamic finance hubs; France and Canada are no exception, but each is taking a very different course.

The no-nonsense style of France’s finance minister has won her many admirers. She tells The Banker of how she intends to tackle the hardest task of her tenure, that of regulating France and Europe’s post-crisis banking landscape. Writer Silvia Pavoni

BNP Paribas' acquisition of Fortis has considerably increased the size of the bank's Corporate & Investment Banking arm's balance sheet. The French bank says now is the time to use it to win advisory business.

Although France's banking sector has been dealt a few blows during the past two years, its retail sector remains strong compared with its European peers. Writer Wendy Atkins

Are French banks in a stronger position than others to weather the economic crisis? Probably yes, as their model, which is more stable and highly diversified, differs appreciably from that of other international players.

Unlisted French financial institutions have demonstrated the merits of their conservative strategies, which have made them more resilient than their listed competitors in the face of market pressure. Karina Robinson reports.

BNP Paribas has been expanding its businesses globally, both through acquisition and organic growth, and the previously predominant French operations are slowly but surely decreasing in significance. In an interview with Brian Caplen, CEO Baudouin Prot says that the anchor to all the bank’s business remains its retail base.

Gilles Denoyel, deputy CEO of HSBC France, details the advantages Paris offers over other locations including an internationally renowned school of maths and finance and its access to the Eurosystem.

Given the Euronext/NYSE merger, Paris now has massive economies of scale to add to its world-renowned expertise in areas including derivatives and risk-based modelling. Arnaud de Bresson explains.

French finance minister Christine Lagarde talks to Courtney Fingar about the tax and labour reforms being pursued by the Sarkozy administration.