BNP Paribas vs TotalEnergies: 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. TotalEnergies was founded in 1924 by Raymond Poincaré, Ernest Mercier and is led by Patrick Pouyanné.
Company facts
BNP Paribas
- Founded
- 2000
- Headquarters
- Paris, France
- Current CEO
- Jean-Laurent Bonnafé
- Employees
- 180,000
TotalEnergies
- Founded
- 1924
- Headquarters
- Paris, France
- Current CEO
- Patrick Pouyanné
- Employees
- 100,000
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.
TotalEnergies
Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré was President of France during World War I and Prime Minister when his government pushed for a national oil company in 1924.
Ernest Mercier
Ernest Mercier was the industrialist chosen to set up and chair Compagnie Française des Pétroles.
CEOs and their tenures
BNP Paribas
- Michel Pébereau2000–2003
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
As the legendary architect of the modern bank, he served as CEO and Chairman for decades, transforming a privatized domestic French bank into a massive global institution.
Source - Baudouin Prot2003–2011
Chief Executive Officer
As CEO, he navigated the bank through the global financial crash without requiring a direct French government bailout, heavily expanding its retail footprint across Italy and Belgium.
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
TotalEnergies
- Thierry Desmarest1995–2007
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Under his leadership, Total more than doubled in size, becoming a dominant global supermajor capable of competing with Exxon and Shell.
Source - Christophe de Margerie2007–2014
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
He transformed Total into one of the most geographically diverse supermajors before his sudden death in a plane crash in 2014.
Source - Patrick Pouyanné2014–present
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
CEO since October 2014 and Chairman since December 2015, Pouyanné renamed the company TotalEnergies in 2021, expanded LNG and Integrated Power, and kept returns at the top of the majors (12.6% ROACE in 2025).
Source - Jean-Pierre Sbraire2019–present
Chief Financial Officer
As CFO, he fortified the balance sheet during unprecedented energy market volatility following the geopolitical shocks of 2022.
Source
Timeline: BNP Paribas and TotalEnergies 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.
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.
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.
1924TotalEnergies
Compagnie Francaise des Petroles founded
The French state-backed oil company was created to secure access to petroleum resources and became the predecessor of TotalEnergies.
1954TotalEnergies
Total Brand Created
The company created the Total brand in 1954 to build a retail distribution network.
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.
1993BNP Paribas
BNP privatised
BNP was privatised in October 1993 under chairman Michel Pébereau.
1995TotalEnergies
Thierry Desmarest becomes CEO
Thierry Desmarest became CEO of TotalEnergies in 1995. Led Total from 1995 to 2007 and engineered the Petrofina and Elf Aquitaine combinations; remained Chairman until 2010.
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.
1999TotalEnergies
Petrofina acquired; Elf Aquitaine follows in 2000
Total combined with Belgium's Petrofina in 1999 and Elf Aquitaine in 2000, operating as TotalFinaElf before reverting to Total in 2003.
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.
2000TotalEnergies
Elf Aquitaine Acquired
Total acquired Elf Aquitaine in 2000, forming TotalFinaElf.
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.
2007TotalEnergies
Christophe de Margerie becomes CEO
Christophe de Margerie became CEO of TotalEnergies in 2007. CEO from 2007 and Chairman from 2010 until his death in a plane accident at Moscow's Vnukovo airport in October 2014.
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).
2011TotalEnergies
Acquired SunPower (majority stake)
TotalEnergies acquired SunPower (majority stake).
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.
2018TotalEnergies
Direct Energie acquired
Total bought French power and gas retailer Direct Energie, the base of its European retail electricity business.
2021TotalEnergies
Total becomes TotalEnergies
The company changed its name to TotalEnergies to reflect a broader multi-energy strategy spanning oil, gas, electricity, renewables, and low-carbon energy.
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.
2025TotalEnergies
2025 results
Revenues from sales of $182.344 billion, adjusted net income of $15.6 billion (down 15%), IFRS net income of $13.127 billion and a €3.40 dividend.
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.
2026TotalEnergies
Mozambique LNG full restart
On January 29, 2026, Patrick Pouyanné and President Daniel Chapo announced the full restart of the roughly $20 billion Mozambique LNG project after force majeure was lifted in November 2025.
2026TotalEnergies
Q2 2026 results
Adjusted net income of $6.0 billion and cash flow of $9.8 billion in the second quarter as higher oil prices tied to the Middle East conflict lifted earnings.
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
TotalEnergies
- Direct Energie2018$1.6B
- Saft Groupe2016Undisclosed
- SunPower (majority stake)2011Undisclosed
- Petrofina and Elf Aquitaine1999Undisclosed
Questions about BNP Paribas vs TotalEnergies
Who is the CEO of BNP Paribas SA and TotalEnergies SE?
BNP Paribas SA is led by Jean-Laurent Bonnafé and TotalEnergies SE is led by Patrick Pouyanné. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was BNP Paribas SA founded vs TotalEnergies SE?
TotalEnergies SE was founded in 1924 — 76 years before BNP Paribas SA, which was founded in 2000. TotalEnergies SE'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 TotalEnergies SE?
BNP Paribas SA employs approximately 180,000 people, while TotalEnergies SE employs approximately 100,000. BNP Paribas SA has the larger workforce at 180,000 employees, compared to TotalEnergies SE's 100,000. 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 TotalEnergies SE headquartered?
Both BNP Paribas SA and TotalEnergies SE are headquartered in France, meaning they operate under the same primary regulatory and tax environment.
Who founded BNP Paribas SA and TotalEnergies SE?
BNP Paribas SA was founded by Michel Pébereau, Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim, Laurent-Antoine Pagnerre. TotalEnergies SE was founded by Raymond Poincaré, Ernest Mercier.
Which company has a longer operating history — BNP Paribas SA or TotalEnergies SE?
TotalEnergies SE has been operating for approximately 102 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 TotalEnergies overview