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.

With or without a radical change of approach by the new president, France’s markets are surprisingly open to overseas companies.Geraldine Lambe reports.

Following the French elections, the markets are returning to normal, with plenty of activity predicted, especially in state-involved sectors. Geraldine Lambe reports on how the pace is picking up.

It is high time France was given some credit for operating an economy that is more open than most to foreign companies.

Georges Pauget, CEO of Crédit Agricole, and Gilles de Margerie, the French bank’s CFO and head of strategy, speak to Brian Caplen and Nick Kochan about their designs for a more international and diversified group.

Société Générale
Daniel Bouton, CEO