A prosperous history

Since 1881, BNP Paribas has been by Australians’ sides through thick and thin.

“The key thing I took note of when I arrived here is just how much the history of Australia’s economic journey and the development of this nation go hand in hand with the history of BNP Paribas in Australia,” CEO of Australia and New Zealand Nicolas Parrot explains.

“We are the only foreign bank to have such a long, continuous history in Australia – marking 145 years in 2026 – and we have been a witness to all of Australia’s key milestones.”

The company has successfully weathered the seas of change inevitable during such a long period, as well as the various economic phases, starting with agriculture and industrialization, then moving into mining and construction and now incorporating services, which now account for more than 60 percent of GDP.

“BNP Paribas has been here to support our clients and contribute to the Australian economy through all of this history,” Parrot says. “The key to our success here has been our ability to pivot as the Australian economy changed, offering tailored products and services to our clients to meet their ever-evolving needs.

“It’s a legacy I need to continue, working to anticipate what comes next and ensuring our business continues to effectively evolve and be there for our clients through these changes. It’s a responsibility I take very seriously and one for which I look to the successes of our long history for inspiration.”

International influence

With a degree in civil engineering, Parrot stepped into the role of CEO of Australia and New Zealand in March 2025, having already been with BNP Paribas Group since 1997, working in Tokyo in the aviation finance team, moving across to the Transportation Sector for Asia–Pacific from Singapore, before taking on the position of CEO of BNP Paribas in Indonesia.

“Given my familiarity with the market, the sophistication of the players here and the ease of creating positive working relationships with clients, I really liked the idea of being able to lead the bank in Australia and New Zealand and make a difference,” he says.

In terms of his leadership style, Parrot believes in approachability combined with a no-nonsense approach and straight thinking.

“The international exposure throughout my career has definitely made me a better leader – more intuitive and better at stakeholder engagement and has given me the ability to work collaboratively,” he continues.

“Agility is also important – one needs to evolve to the context and the situation you are in and ensure that you provide support, inspiration and clarity.”

Long described as a bridge to Europe and the world, BNP Paribas is able to utilize European insights and contacts to support asset owners with investments in offshore stocks, bonds (government and corporate), infrastructure and commodities.

“From the early days with our original focus on supporting the wool trade, it was easier for us to provide lines of credit to French importers who were already our clients in France, compared with Australian banks, which were less well placed to analyze the related risks,” Parrot explains.

“Fast forward to today. There are significant opportunities in the Australian financial landscape, especially for rapidly growing Australian asset owners, to successfully invest offshore. With tightening opportunities in Australia to invest ever-growing available funds, asset owners (including superannuation funds, insurance companies, asset managers and sovereign wealth funds) are increasingly looking for offshore investments.”

BNP Paribas also boasts a dedicated Australian and New Zealand-focused Energy, Resources and Infrastructure team to help both global and local investors.

“We have deep expertise in large-scale Australian renewable-energy finance,” Parrot says.

“We design flexible structures that adapt to the frequent shifts in project milestones and commercial contracts that can be typical of Australia’s renewables sector – maximizing debt capacity while safeguarding sponsor equity.”

Innovating for the future

And now, with an enhanced focus on delivering renewable energy and digital infrastructure, BNP Paribas is increasingly tailoring their offerings to suit this market-wide shift.

“The build-out of energy infrastructure in Australia is lagging demand – there’s a need for about A$200 billion [US$142 billion] of capital investment into the sector over the next five years, and there are a large number of mega-projects, valued at more than A$10 billion [US$6.7 billion] each, expected,” Parrot explains.

“Our long-term commitment to sustainability and supporting our clients, and the globe, in the journey towards net zero is part of the bank’s DNA and a strong part of our core values, and we are playing a very important role in realizing this ambition in Australia.”

Innovation has always been key to BNP Paribas’ success, which is why they are wholeheartedly embracing digitalization across all areas of the business.

“Banks today are big data factories – we manage a lot of data, analyze it and package it up,” Parrot says.

“Today, AI is the next version of digitalization in our industry, and we’re still scratching the surface of this – working to ensure it’s done in a safe way, in a way that benefits our clients and that they are receptive to our ideas.”

The reach of BNP Paribas is immense, extending far beyond the banking industry to help the broader Australian and New Zealand community in myriad ways. As well as financing Australia’s infrastructure and energy transition across tolls, roads and transport, renewable energy and data centers, BNP Paribas Australia and New Zealand provides funding for a number of causes and charities within the cultural space – from The Australian Chamber Orchestra’s youth programs to the French Film Festival.

The company also targets poverty and healthcare, working with the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation, Redkite, OzHarvest, Bush Children’s Education Foundation of New South Wales, and Make-A-Wish New Zealand. And BNP Paribas employees are actively encouraged to volunteer through the global 1MillionHours2Help program, offering a paid volunteer day to every staff member each year, thus ensuring that this cycle of giving back has an even wider impact.