Private company

BNP Paribas Fortis

Logo: BNP Paribas Fortis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

International bank based in Belgium

BNP Paribas Fortis is an international bank based in Belgium and a subsidiary of French banking group BNP Paribas. The bank was created in May 2009 after BNP Paribas acquired 75% of the Belgian Fortis Bank from the Federal Participation and Investment Company. It was formerly, together with Fortis Bank Nederland, the banking arm of the financial institution Fortis.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

1990Founded1
  • Industryeconomics of banking, financial sector, financial services1
  • HeadquartersBrussels1
  • Websitewww.bnpparibasfortis.com
  • Legal formPublic limited company (Belgium)1
  • LEIKGCEPHLVVKVRZYO1T6473
  • StatusActive3
  • LEI statusIssued and current3
  • Registered addressWarandeberg 3, 1000 Brussel, Belgium3
  • Registered withFederal Public Service Economy (Ministry of Economy), 0403.199.7023

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Montagne du Parc 3, 1000 Bruxelles
Photo: Tilau, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons6

BNP Paribas Fortis is an international bank based in Belgium and a subsidiary of French banking group BNP Paribas. The bank was created in May 2009 after BNP Paribas acquired 75% of the Belgian Fortis Bank from the Federal Participation and Investment Company. It was formerly, together with Fortis Bank Nederland, the banking arm of the financial institution Fortis. After the ultimately unsuccessful ABN-AMRO takeover, the subprime mortgage crisis and subsequent 2008 financial crisis led to the sale of the Dutch and Luxembourg parts of the banking branch to the Dutch and Luxembourg governments. Fortis Bank itself was first partly bought by the Belgian government (for €4.7 billion), then fully purchased by the government and sold to BNP Paribas.2

Corporate structure

BNP Paribas Fortis is part of a group headed by BNP Paribas. 1,739 entities, 47 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.

What it owns

What BNP Paribas Fortis reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.

Stakes and holdings (Wikidata)

Things Wikidata records the company as owning, with the share when stated.1

The story

BNP Paribas Fortis originates in Belgian banks that were merged in the past and merged within the Fortis Group. The roots of the bank go back to 1822, when William I of the Netherlands founded the Algemeene Nederlandsche Maatschappij ter Begunstiging van de Volksvlijt.

The banks that merged into BNP Paribas Fortis today are among others:

1822: King William I of the Netherlands establishes in Brussels the Algemeene Nederlandsche Maatschappij ter Befavour van de Volksvlijt, the forerunner of the Société Générale of Belgium (Société Générale) and Generale Bank.

1865: creation of the General Savings and Loan Fund (ASLK / CGER), which will merge with Generale Bank in the 1990s.

1919: establishment of the National Society for Credit to Industry (NMKN), which is acquired by ASLK in 1995.

1999: creation of Fortis Bank; the bank arises from the merger of Generale Bank and ASLK in Belgium, and three other banks in the Netherlands (Generale Bank, VSB Bank, Mees Pierson).

After the 2008 financial crisis, Fortis Bank's banking activities in the Netherlands are sold to the Dutch State. In Belgium, the State becomes a 99.93% shareholder of Fortis Bank.

In 2009, BNP Paribas acquired 75% of Fortis Bank in Belgium, while the Belgian State acquired 10.3% of BNP Paribas' shares.

Read the full text

In 2013, the company name BNP Paribas Fortis becomes the bank's trading name.

In November of the same year, BNP Paribas took over the remaining 25% stake in BNP Paribas Fortis which was still held by the Belgian State, for 3.25 billion euros.

From Wikipedia’s article on BNP Paribas Fortis, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5

Products and brands

BNP Paribas Fortis is the majority shareholder of BGL BNP Paribas, which operates in the Luxembourg market. It is the largest provider of banking services to small and medium-sized enterprises in Luxembourg and the number two in financial services to individuals. BGL BNP Paribas is also leader in banking insurance with a package of insurance services.

In Turkey, BNP Paribas Fortis operates through TEB (Türk Ekonomi Bankası), in which it has a stake of 48,7%. TEB has 448 offices and employs 8,700 staff. These serve 8.1 million private customers and about 500,000 business customers.

BNP Paribas Fortis is 100% shareholder of leasing company Arval BNP Paribas, an important player in the long-term rental of vehicles and a specialist in mobility solutions. Arval offers its business customers (from large multinationals to small and medium-sized enterprises), its partners and their employees and also private individuals services tailored to their movements. By the end of 2023, Arval had about 8,400 employees in the 29 countries where the company is based and leased almost 1.7 million vehicles to its 300,000 customers.

The quality of the services offered by BNP Paribas Fortis to its customers was awarded several times. In 2023, the bank was elected "Best bank for digital solutions in Belgium" by Euromoney, "Bank of the Year in Belgium" by The Banker, "Best private bank in Belgium" by PWM-The Banker and "Best bank in Belgium" by Global Finance. At the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2024 BNP Paribas Fortis was named Best Bank, Best Investment Bank and Best Bank for ESG in Belgium.

From Wikipedia’s article on BNP Paribas Fortis, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

Owners

Subsidiaries

Also owns

From Wikidata.1

Acquisitions

  1. Succeeded Fortis1

Timeline

  1. May 11, 2021Parent Directly consolidated by BNP Paribas3
  2. May 1, 2009Acquired Acquired by BNP Paribas1
  3. 1990Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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