BNP Paribas vs NEC: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
BNP Paribas reported ~$57.9B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$13.8B of net income. NEC reported ~$24B of revenue in FY2026 and ~$1.8B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
BNP Paribas
- Latest revenue
- ~$57.9B (FY2025)
- Net income
- ~$13.8B
- Net margin
- 23.9%
- Revenue growth
- +2.6% a year, FY2021–FY2025
NEC
- Latest revenue
- ~$24B (FY2026)
- Net income
- ~$1.8B
- Net margin
- 7.5%
- Revenue growth
- +4.4% a year, FY2022–FY2026
Financial summary
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.
NEC
NEC's numbers show a company trading revenue for margin. Revenue moved from ~$20.2 billion (3,014.1 billion yen) in FY22/3 to ~$24 billion (3,582.7 billion yen) in FY26/3, but the bigger change was profitability: FY26/3 adjusted operating profit reached ~$2.59 billion (386.8 billion yen) (10.8% margin, up 2.4 points), net profit attributable to owners was ~$1.81 billion (270.2 billion yen), and non-GAAP net profit was ~$1.87 billion (279.8 billion yen), a record under IFRS. Momentum carried into FY27/3: first-quarter revenue rose 14.5% to ~$5.49 billion (819.8 billion yen), net profit was ~$333 million (49.7 billion yen), and NEC raised full-year guidance to ~$23.7 billion (3,540 billion yen) revenue and ~$2.88 billion (430 billion yen) adjusted operating profit.
Revenue and profit by year
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
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.
NEC
- IT Services70.0%
FY26/3 revenue was ~$16.8 billion (2,508.9 billion yen), including Domestic IT and International digital government/digital finance work.
- Social Infrastructure26.1%
FY26/3 revenue was ~$6.27 billion (935.3 billion yen), including telecom services and aerospace/national security systems.
- Others3.9%
FY26/3 other revenue was ~$928 million (138.5 billion yen).
Business model and strategy
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.
NEC
How it makes money
NEC makes money by selling technology projects and recurring services to governments, enterprises and telecom carriers. In FY26/3 (year ended March 31, 2026), IT Services produced ~$16.8 billion (2,508.9 billion yen), about 70% of revenue: system integration, managed services and the BluStellar DX offering in Japan, plus digital government and digital finance software abroad through subsidiaries such as Avaloq, KMD a…
Growth strategy
Under its 2025 Mid-term Management Plan, which NEC says it achieved in FY26/3, the company prioritized digital government and digital finance, 5G, and core DX (now branded BluStellar) as growth businesses while monitoring and pruning low-profit work.
Competitive advantage
NEC's edge comes from decades of trusted delivery to Japanese ministries, municipalities, the Ministry of Defense and NTT-group carriers, which makes it hard to displace on security-sensitive systems. Its face and fingerprint algorithms have repeatedly placed at or near the top of US NIST benchmark tests, which supports border-control and airport contracts abroad.
Questions about BNP Paribas vs NEC
Which company has higher revenue — BNP Paribas SA or NEC Corporation?
BNP Paribas SA reported ~$57.9B (FY2025), while NEC Corporation reported ~$24B (FY2026). By last reported revenue, BNP Paribas SA is the larger business, with NEC Corporation reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of BNP Paribas SA vs NEC Corporation?
BNP Paribas SA's market capitalisation stands at $129.4B, while NEC Corporation's is $40.2B. BNP Paribas SA carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to NEC Corporation.
Which is more financially efficient — BNP Paribas SA or NEC Corporation?
BNP Paribas SA generates $322k / employee in revenue per employee, while NEC Corporation generates $236k / employee. BNP Paribas 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 BNP Paribas SA and NEC Corporation make money?
BNP Paribas SA and NEC Corporation generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. 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. NEC Corporation: NEC makes money by selling technology projects and recurring services to governments, enterprises and telecom carriers.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — BNP Paribas SA or NEC Corporation?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, BNP Paribas SA trades at 2.2x P/S and NEC Corporation at 1.7x P/S. BNP Paribas SA commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to NEC Corporation. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is BNP Paribas SA bigger than NEC Corporation?
By last reported revenue, BNP Paribas SA (~$57.9B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to NEC Corporation (~$24B (FY2026)). 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 BNP Paribas vs NEC overview