AXA vs BNP Paribas: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
AXA reported ~$131.1B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$11.1B of net income. BNP Paribas reported ~$57.9B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$13.8B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
AXA
- Latest revenue
- ~$131.1B (FY2025)
- Net income
- ~$11.1B
- Net margin
- 8.4%
- Revenue growth
- +1.7% a year, FY2016–FY2025
BNP Paribas
- Latest revenue
- ~$57.9B (FY2025)
- Net income
- ~$13.8B
- Net margin
- 23.9%
- Revenue growth
- +2.6% a year, FY2021–FY2025
Financial summary
AXA
AXA's results combine large, slow-moving premium income with investment income on the reserves it holds. In 2025 gross written premiums and other revenues rose 6% to ~$131 billion (EUR 116 billion), underlying earnings rose 6% to ~$9.49 billion (EUR 8.4 billion), underlying earnings per share rose 8% to EUR 3.86 and net income rose to ~$11.1 billion (EUR 9.80 billion), helped by the gain on the sale of AXA Investment Managers. The property and casualty combined ratio improved 0.3 points to 90.6%, so underwriting itself was profitable before investment income. The Solvency II ratio ended 2025 at 224%, and 215% on January 1, 2026 once capital instruments under Solvency II transitional measures stopped qualifying. AXA proposed a dividend of EUR 2.32 per share for 2025, up 8%, alongside an annual buyback of up to $1.41 billion (EUR 1.25 billion).
BNP Paribas
Reported revenues were ~$52.2 billion (€46.2 billion) in 2021, ~$57 billion (€50.4 billion) in 2022 as first published, ~$51.9 billion (€45.9 billion) in 2023, ~$55.1 billion (€48.8 billion) in 2024 and ~$57.9 billion (€51.2 billion) in 2025. The 2023 drop is mostly accounting: Bank of the West was sold on 1 February 2023 and moved out of continuing revenue, and IFRS 17 changed how insurance revenue is reported from 2023. Net income, Group share, rose every year, from ~$10.7 billion (€9.5 billion) in 2021 to ~$13.8 billion (€12.2 billion) in 2025. The 2025 dividend was €5.16 per share, and the bank now also pays an interim dividend each September (€3.23 for 2026, paid on 28 September 2026). Second-quarter 2026 net income of ~$4.91 billion (€4.345 billion), up 33.4%, included a one-off gain on the Ageas transaction.
Revenue and profit by year
AXA
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$131.1B | ~$11.1B | 8.4% | +5.2% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$124.6B | ~$8.9B | 7.2% | +7.4% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$116.1B | ~$8.1B | 7.0% | +0.7% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$115.3B | — | 0.0% | +2.1% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$112.9B | ~$8.2B | 7.3% | +3.0% | Source |
| FY2020 | ~$109.6B | — | 0.0% | -6.3% | Source |
| FY2019 | ~$117B | — | 0.0% | +0.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | ~$116.3B | — | 0.0% | — | Source |
| FY2016 | ~$113B | — | 0.0% | — | Source |
BNP Paribas
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$57.9B | ~$13.8B | 23.9% | +4.9% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$55.2B | ~$13.2B | 23.9% | +6.4% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$51.8B | ~$12.4B | 23.9% | -9.0% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$57B | ~$11.5B | 20.2% | +9.0% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$52.2B | ~$10.7B | 20.5% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
AXA
- Property & Casualty Insurance~50%
Gross written premiums and revenues of ~$65.5 billion (EUR 58 billion) in 2025, up 5%, including personal lines of ~$22.3 billion (EUR 19.7 billion) and AXA XL Reinsurance of ~$2.94 billion (EUR 2.6 billion). The 90.6% combined ratio means the book was profitable before investment income.
- Life & Savings Insurance~32%
~$42.4 billion (EUR 37.5 billion) of 2025 premiums and revenues, up 9%, with unit-linked business up 13%. Capital-light savings and protection contracts have replaced much of the traditional guaranteed savings book.
- Health Insurance~16%
~$21.5 billion (EUR 19 billion) of 2025 premiums and revenues, up 5% on pricing, spanning individual cover, group schemes and employee benefits. Health earnings grew 17% in 2025.
- Asset Management (divested July 2025)~1%
AXA Investment Managers contributed revenues only until July 1, 2025, when it was sold to BNP Paribas Cardif for ~$5.76 billion (EUR 5.1 billion) in cash out of a ~$6.1 billion (EUR 5.4 billion) total transaction value.
BNP Paribas
- Commercial, Personal Banking & Services
largest division
CPBS revenue was ~$30.2 billion (€26.717 billion) in FY2025, from the four domestic retail banks, Personal Finance, Arval, Leasing Solutions and Nickel.
- Corporate & Institutional Banking
second-largest division
CIB revenue was ~$21.5 billion (€18.997 billion) in FY2025 and ~$5.97 billion (€5.281 billion) in the second quarter of 2026, up 12.7%.
- Investment & Protection Services
fee and insurance stream
IPS revenue, including AXA IM from July 2025, was ~$7.83 billion (€6.929 billion) in FY2025.
Business model and strategy
AXA
How it makes money
AXA collects premiums across three businesses: property and casualty (motor, home, commercial property, liability and specialty risks written through AXA XL), life and savings (protection, general account savings and unit-linked contracts), and health (individual cover and employee benefits).
Growth strategy
AXA grows mostly organically in insurance lines it can price, supplemented by bolt-on deals: Laya Healthcare in Ireland and GACM España in 2023, and a 51% stake in the Italian direct insurer Prima announced in 2025 for ~$565 million (EUR 500 million). The bigger strategic move has been simplification.
Competitive advantage
AXA's main advantage is a diversified risk pool. Writing motor, home, commercial property, liability, health and life cover in 52 countries lets one bad year in a single market or line be absorbed elsewhere: in 2025 growth in health and European commercial lines offset pressure in other portfolios. Its balance sheet supports that spread, with a Solvency II ratio of 224% at the end of 2025.
BNP Paribas
How it makes money
BNP Paribas is a universal bank: it lends to households and companies and earns interest on that lending, collects fees on payments, advisory work, asset management and custody, earns insurance and leasing income, and books trading revenue in global markets.
Growth strategy
Recent growth has come from targeted deals and partnerships. BNP Paribas Cardif bought AXA Investment Managers for ~$5.76 billion (€5.1 billion) in July 2025 and agreed to manage a large part of AXA's assets. Arval completed its purchase of Athlon from Mercedes-Benz Group on 31 July 2026, taking its combined fleet to 2.3 million vehicles.
Competitive advantage
BNP Paribas's edge is diversification at scale. Four domestic retail networks supply deposits and client relationships; CIB serves many of the same companies with financing, hedging and capital-markets work; and Cardif, asset management and Arval add insurance, fee and lease income that depends less on interest rates.
Questions about AXA vs BNP Paribas
Which company has higher revenue — AXA SA or BNP Paribas SA?
AXA SA reported ~$131.1B (FY2025), while BNP Paribas SA reported ~$57.9B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, AXA SA is the larger business, with BNP Paribas SA reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of AXA SA vs BNP Paribas SA?
AXA SA's market capitalisation stands at $90.3B, while BNP Paribas SA's is $129.4B. BNP Paribas SA carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to AXA SA.
Which is more financially efficient — AXA SA or BNP Paribas SA?
AXA SA generates $840k / employee in revenue per employee, while BNP Paribas SA generates $322k / employee. AXA SA shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do AXA SA and BNP Paribas SA make money?
AXA SA and BNP Paribas SA generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. AXA SA: AXA collects premiums across three businesses: property and casualty (motor, home, commercial property, liability and specialty risks written through AXA XL), life and savings (protection, general account savings and unit-linked contracts), and health (individual cover and employee benefits). BNP Paribas SA: BNP Paribas is a universal bank: it lends to households and companies and earns interest on that lending, collects fees on payments, advisory work, asset management and custody, earns insurance and leasing income, and books trading revenue in global markets.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — AXA SA or BNP Paribas SA?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, AXA SA trades at 0.7x P/S and BNP Paribas SA at 2.2x P/S. BNP Paribas SA commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to AXA SA. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is AXA SA bigger than BNP Paribas SA?
By last reported revenue, AXA SA (~$131.1B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to BNP Paribas SA (~$57.9B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the AXA vs BNP Paribas overview