BNP Paribas vs Deutsche Bank: Founders, CEOs and History
BNP Paribas was founded in 2000 by Michel Pébereau, Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim, Laurent-Antoine Pagnerre and is led by Jean-Laurent Bonnafé. Deutsche Bank was founded in 1870 by Adelbert Delbrück, Ludwig Bamberger and is led by Christian Sewing.
Company facts
BNP Paribas
- Founded
- 2000
- Headquarters
- Paris, France
- Current CEO
- Jean-Laurent Bonnafé
- Employees
- 180,000
Deutsche Bank
- Founded
- 1870
- Headquarters
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Current CEO
- Christian Sewing
- Employees
- 89,742
Founders
BNP Paribas
Michel Pébereau
Pébereau became chairman and chief executive of BNP in 1993 and steered its privatisation that October. In 1999, after Société Générale bid for Paribas, he launched BNP's competing offers for both banks.
Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim
Bischoffsheim founded a private bank in Amsterdam in the early 1820s, opened Bischoffsheim, Goldschmidt & Cie in Paris in 1846 and in London in 1860, and in 1863 merged these houses into the Nederlandsche Credit- en Deposito Bank in Amsterdam.
Laurent-Antoine Pagnerre
After the 1847 economic crisis and the February Revolution of 1848 froze credit in Paris, the provisional government created discount banks by decree in March 1848.
Deutsche Bank
Adelbert Delbrück
Adelbert Delbrück (1822-1890) was a Berlin private banker who took the initiative in founding Deutsche Bank in 1870.
Ludwig Bamberger
Ludwig Bamberger (1823-1899) was a banker, economist and National Liberal member of the Reichstag. He co-founded Deutsche Bank in 1870 alongside Adelbert Delbrück and helped draft its founding concept as a bank for foreign trade.
CEOs and their tenures
BNP Paribas
- Michel Pébereau2000–2003
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Pébereau led BNP from 1993, privatised it that year, won control of Paribas in 1999 and ran the merged BNP Paribas as chairman and CEO from 2000 to 2003, before serving as chairman until 2011.
Source - Baudouin Prot2003–2011
Chief Executive Officer
A career BNP executive, Prot was CEO from 2003 to 2011 and then chairman until December 2014. His tenure included the 2006 BNL acquisition and the 2009 Fortis Bank takeover.
Source - Jean-Laurent Bonnafé2011–present
Chief Executive Officer
Bonnafé, a graduate of École Polytechnique and the Corps des mines who joined BNP in 1993, ran BNP Paribas Fortis after the 2009 takeover and became group CEO on 1 December 2011.
Source
Deutsche Bank
- Josef Ackermann2002–2012
Former Chief Executive Officer
He steered the bank through the 2008 financial crisis without a direct state capital injection, but the trading-led model he built left legal and regulatory problems that cost billions in the following decade.
Source - Christian Sewing2018–present
Chief Executive Officer
Under Sewing the bank moved from five straight years of net losses (2015-2019) to a record ~$11 billion (€9.7 billion) profit before tax in 2025, with all 2025 financial targets met and ~$9.61 billion (€8.5 billion) of cumulative distributions for 2021-2025.
Source
Timeline: BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank side by side
1848BNP Paribas
Comptoir national d'escompte de Paris founded
Created by decree in March 1848 to restart commercial credit after the February Revolution, with capital from private subscribers, the City of Paris and the State. It is the oldest root of the BNP side of the group.
1860BNP Paribas
First overseas branches in Shanghai and Calcutta
The Comptoir opened branches in Shanghai and Calcutta, becoming the first French bank to build a branch network abroad from scratch, later adding Hong Kong, London, San Francisco and Sydney.
1870Deutsche Bank
Foundation in Berlin
Deutsche Bank receives its banking licence on March 10, 1870, with a mandate to finance German foreign trade.
1872BNP Paribas
Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas formed
The Banque de Paris, founded in 1869, merged on 27 January 1872 with Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim's Amsterdam-based Nederlandsche Credit- en Deposito Bank to create the investment bank later known as Paribas.
1873Deutsche Bank
London branch opens
After opening in Shanghai and Yokohama in 1872, the bank opens a London branch, putting it in the world's main trade-finance centre.
1889BNP Paribas
Comptoir rescued after the copper crash
Losses on industrialist Eugène Secrétan's attempt to corner the copper market forced the Comptoir d'escompte de Paris into liquidation, backed by a 100-million-franc Banque de France advance. It was refounded in June 1889 as a deposit bank.
1929Deutsche Bank
Merger with Disconto-Gesellschaft
Deutsche Bank merges with Disconto-Gesellschaft, then Germany's largest bank merger.
1957Deutsche Bank
Reunification in Frankfurt
After the Allies split it into regional banks following World War II, the three successor banks merge back into Deutsche Bank AG, headquartered in Frankfurt.
1966BNP Paribas
Banque Nationale de Paris created
Finance minister Michel Debré merged the state-owned CNEP and Banque nationale pour le commerce et l'industrie (BNCI) to form Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP).
1982BNP Paribas
Paribas nationalised
The Mauroy government nationalised Paribas, which adopted its telegraph address, Paribas, as its brand that year.
1987BNP Paribas
Paribas privatised
The Chirac government returned Paribas to private ownership in January 1987.
1989Deutsche Bank
Acquisition of Morgan Grenfell
Deutsche Bank buys the London merchant bank Morgan Grenfell, its first big step into international investment banking.
1993BNP Paribas
BNP privatised
BNP was privatised in October 1993 under chairman Michel Pébereau.
1999BNP Paribas
Three-way takeover battle
Société Générale bid for Paribas, and BNP answered with offers for both banks. BNP won control of Paribas but failed to take Société Générale.
1999Deutsche Bank
Acquisition of Bankers Trust
Deutsche Bank completes its roughly $10 billion takeover of New York's Bankers Trust, building a large U.S. markets business.
2000BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas created
The merger of BNP and Paribas was completed in May 2000, combining BNP's retail network with Paribas's investment banking.
2001BNP Paribas
Full ownership of BancWest
BNP Paribas agreed to buy the 55% of BancWest, parent of Bank of the West and First Hawaiian Bank, that it did not already own for about $2.45 billion. The Federal Reserve approved the deal on 4 December 2001.
2006BNP Paribas
BNL acquired in Italy
BNP Paribas bought Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, making Italy its second domestic retail market.
2009BNP Paribas
Fortis Bank acquired in Belgium
In May 2009 BNP Paribas took control of Fortis Bank, now BNP Paribas Fortis, paying with new shares issued to the Belgian state and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It also bought 25% of AG Insurance for ~$1.55 billion (€1.375 billion).
2010Deutsche Bank
Postbank takeover
Deutsche Bank gains majority control of Postbank, adding millions of German retail customers and a large deposit base.
2014BNP Paribas
US sanctions guilty plea
BNP Paribas pleaded guilty in New York and agreed to pay about $8.9 billion for processing dollar transactions for Sudan, Iran and Cuba in breach of US sanctions.
2019Deutsche Bank
"Compete to Win" restructuring
CEO Christian Sewing announces the exit from equities sales and trading, about 18,000 job cuts and a Capital Release Unit for non-core assets.
2023BNP Paribas
Bank of the West sold to BMO
BNP Paribas completed the $16.3 billion cash sale of Bank of the West to BMO Financial Group on 1 February 2023, leaving US retail banking.
2025BNP Paribas
AXA Investment Managers acquired
BNP Paribas Cardif completed the ~$5.76 billion (€5.1 billion) purchase of AXA IM on 1 July 2025 and signed a long-term partnership to manage a large part of AXA's assets.
2025BNP Paribas
Sudan jury verdict
A Manhattan federal jury found BNP Paribas liable to three Sudanese refugees in October 2025 and awarded $20.75 million. The bank is appealing.
2025Deutsche Bank
Record profit
Profit before tax reaches a record ~$11 billion (€9.7 billion) and net profit ~$8.02 billion (€7.1 billion) on ~$36.3 billion (€32.1 billion) of net revenues; all 2025 targets met.
2026BNP Paribas
Ageas partnership reset
On 28 April 2026 BNP Paribas Fortis sold its 25% of AG Insurance to Ageas for ~$2.15 billion (€1.9 billion) and renewed their Belgian bancassurance partnership, while Cardif raised its Ageas stake to 22.5%.
2026BNP Paribas
Arval completes Athlon purchase
Arval completed its purchase of Athlon from Mercedes-Benz Group on 31 July 2026, reaching a combined fleet of 2.3 million vehicles.
2026Deutsche Bank
Scaling the Global Hausbank
The 2026-2028 plan targets RoTE above 13% and a cost/income ratio below 60% by 2028; H1 2026 post-tax profit reaches a record ~$4.63 billion (€4.1 billion).
Acquisitions
BNP Paribas
- Athlon2026Undisclosed
- Additional stake in Ageas2026~$1.2B
- AXA Investment Managers2025~$5.8B
- Nickel (Compte-Nickel)2017Undisclosed
- Fortis Bank (now BNP Paribas Fortis)2009Undisclosed
- Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL)2006~$10.2B
Deutsche Bank
- Numis2023$410M
- Postbank2010Undisclosed
- Sal. Oppenheim2010$1B
- Bankers Trust1999$10.1B
- Morgan Grenfell1989$1.5B
Questions about BNP Paribas vs Deutsche Bank
Who is the CEO of BNP Paribas SA and Deutsche Bank AG?
BNP Paribas SA is led by Jean-Laurent Bonnafé and Deutsche Bank AG is led by Christian Sewing. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was BNP Paribas SA founded vs Deutsche Bank AG?
Deutsche Bank AG was founded in 1870 — 130 years before BNP Paribas SA, which was founded in 2000. Deutsche Bank AG's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger BNP Paribas SA.
How many employees does BNP Paribas SA have compared to Deutsche Bank AG?
BNP Paribas SA employs approximately 180,000 people, while Deutsche Bank AG employs approximately 89,742. BNP Paribas SA has the larger workforce at 180,000 employees, compared to Deutsche Bank AG's 89,742. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are BNP Paribas SA and Deutsche Bank AG headquartered?
BNP Paribas SA is headquartered in France and Deutsche Bank AG is headquartered in Germany. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded BNP Paribas SA and Deutsche Bank AG?
BNP Paribas SA was founded by Michel Pébereau, Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim, Laurent-Antoine Pagnerre. Deutsche Bank AG was founded by Adelbert Delbrück, Ludwig Bamberger.
Which company has a longer operating history — BNP Paribas SA or Deutsche Bank AG?
Deutsche Bank AG has been operating for approximately 156 years, making it the more established of the two companies. BNP Paribas SA has been in operation for around 26 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
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 BNP Paribas vs Deutsche Bank overview