Press Release Archives - Page 4 of 6

£75m sustainability-linked loan incentivises affordable childcare programme

London 14 August 2019 – UK Housing Association Peabody Trust has secured a new 5 year £75 million revolving credit facility provided by BNP Paribas.

The facility is structured as a sustainability-linked loan (SLL) where the interest rate is tied to Peabody meeting social impact-based key performance indicators.

Under the terms of the agreement, Peabody will benefit from a lower interest rate margin on the loan if it delivers an agreed number of accredited childcare qualifications under their Childcare Training Programme. This target rises incrementally over the 5 year life of the loan.

Peabody will draw on the loan for general corporate purposes in their mission to provide affordable housing and will reinvest interest rate savings into the Peabody Community Foundation (PCF), which benefits thousands of Londoners every year and meets several UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including no poverty (SDG1), decent work and economic growth (SDG8), reduced inequality (SDG10), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG11), and partnerships (SDG17).

The loan is part of BNP Paribas’ programme of responsible investment in the UK social housing sector, generating sustainable returns and adding social value in its area of operations. Like Peabody, BNP Paribas has operated in the UK since the 1860s and both are committed to aligning their businesses to the UN SDGs.

Susan Hickey, Chief Financial Officer at Peabody said:

“We know that the lack of flexible, affordable childcare in London is a major problem. It leads to lower rates of employment, disproportionately affecting mothers, and contributes to unacceptable levels of inequality and child poverty. Many working people find themselves burdened by debt from expensive childcare costs. Alongside BNP Paribas, we are determined help tackle this issue in our communities. This loan facility will contribute to our wide-ranging activities including delivering the low-cost homes that are desperately needed. But the savings we’ll make on interest payments by facilitating affordable childcare will be directly invested into the Peabody Community Foundation. Innovative funding arrangements like this are a win-win for people living in our neighbourhoods. We’re pleased to be working with the investor community to maximise our impact in helping people prosper.”

David J Reynolds, Global Banking BNP Paribas said:

“As an independent not for profit sector, Housing Associations have a long standing philanthropic social housing legacy dating back to the 19th century. In recent years, the role of private finance in the sector has grown significantly and in the last 12 months has evolved to include, for the first time ever, structures linked to social purpose. BNP Paribas has had the privilege of working with three UK Housing Associations to provide liquidity through individually tailored SLL’s. Peabody is the first to use a Childcare metric while L&Q and Optivo were both linked to employment. For us, this is about partnering with Housing Associations for the long term and supporting their continued drive to improve residents’ and communities’ quality of life, health and wellbeing”

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Press Contacts:

BNP Paribas

Alexandra Umpleby +44 20 7595 2436 Alexandra.Umpleby@uk.bnpparibas.com

Sarisher Mann +44 20 7595 8150 Sarisher.Mann@uk.bnpparibas.com

Notes to Editors:

About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. It has a presence in 73 countries, with more than 196,000 employees, including around 149,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main activities: Domestic Markets, International Financial Services (whose retail-banking networks and financial services are covered by Retail Banking & Services) and Corporate & Institutional Banking, which serves two client franchises: corporate clients and institutional investors.

BNP Paribas employs more than 9,000 people across 10 business lines in the UK. These include Corporate & Institutional Banking, Exane BNP Paribas, Leasing Solutions, Arval, Real Estate (including Strutt & Parker acquired in September 2017), Asset Management, Cardif Pinnacle, Commercial Finance, Personal Finance and Vauxhall Finance. Around half of its employees are in Corporate & Institutional Banking, based in London, while the others are based in various offices across the country, including Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester.

Loan structure incentivises employment support and work-ready training for Optivo residents

UK Housing Association Optivo today announced it has secured a new five-year £50 million revolving credit facility provided by BNP Paribas. The facility is structured as a sustainability-linked loan (SLL) where the interest rate is tied to Optivo meeting social impact-based key performance indicators. There is an option to increase the size of the facility to £75 million, as well as extend the tenor.

Optivo will draw on the loan for general corporate purposes and will reinvest interest rate savings to help deliver employment support and work-ready training programmes to residents in Optivo households and communities.

Participants will benefit from a three-stage development approach based on an ‘end to end’ employment support pathway:

Engagement, confidence building, information advice and guidance
Pre-employment ‘work ready’ training
‘In work’ support training.

Employment opportunities include security, construction, beauty and hospitality sector jobs.

Under the terms of the agreement, Optivo will benefit from a lower interest rate margin on the loan if it delivers an agreed number of unemployed residents into work or supports them with work-ready training. This target rises incrementally over the five year life of the loan. Optivo will publish the outcome in the Group’s Annual Report.

Sarah Smith, Chief Financial Officer at Optivo, said: “Our full commitment is to building homes, making places and enhancing lives. We’re delighted BNP Paribas are joining forces with us to maximise our positive social impact.”

Simon Gates, UK Head of Corporate Coverage and Transaction Banking at BNP Paribas, said: “Ultimately, thanks to Optivo’s focus on employment, this sustainable linked loan is about getting people back into work, which is good for individuals, families, the economy and society. It’s a business model that BNP Paribas supports, with this deal being the second SLL we’ve structured in the UK Housing Association sector in the last 12 months.”

As part of its support for the solo exhibition of internationally-acclaimed British sculptor Antony Gormley opening this September at the Royal Academy of Arts, BNP Paribas announced today that it will offer 3,000 people, aged 17 to 25, free entry to the exhibition.

Entitled AccessArt25, the BNP Paribas initiative aims to offer young people what may be their first visit to the Royal Academy of Arts. The programme consists of three specially-curated evening events that will run from 6.30 to 10pm on 23 September, 21 October and 18 November 2019.

BNP Paribas AccessArt25

The AccessArt25 programme is the first of its kind in terms of a corporate supporter providing free access to exhibitions specifically for young people. The initiative was launched in 2018 as part of BNP Paribas’ three-year support for the Turner Prize, where it proved to be highly successful.

Antony Gormley, Royal Academician, said: “I am delighted that BNP Paribas is partnering with the Royal Academy for my exhibition so that young people can visit for free as part of the AccessArt25 programme. I’m grateful that this initiative will particularly target those who may not have ready access to art exhibitions. We are all of us artists, and I hope seeing my work will inspire young peoples’ own reflections on themselves and the world around them.”

Anne Marie Verstraeten, UK Country Head, BNP Paribas, said: “As we approach our 20^th year of support for the Royal Academy of Arts, we believe it is more important than ever that great contemporary art should be accessible for all. That is why we launched the BNP Paribas AccessArt25 programme. We look forward to welcoming thousands of young people through the doors of this incredible institution, free of charge, to experience an exhibition by one of Britain’s foremost contemporary artists.”

Young people aged 17 – 25 can register their interest at roy.ac/gormley-tickets.

Entries now open at: https://RGeSeries.BNPParibas

Ten countries are competing to take part in the international grand final played live at Roland Garros: get ready for game(pad), set and match!

Roland Garros, BNP Paribas and BIGBEN are delighted to announce the second edition of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, an e-sport competition played on the Tennis World Tour video game, which will crown this year’s world tennis gaming champion.

The qualifying rounds will be launched in ten different countries in February to decide which national champions will take part in the international final, which will be played during the Roland Garros tournament. Pretenders to the title can enter now on the official website: https://RGeSeries.BNPParibas

“Following on from the enthusiasm shown for the first Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, we wanted to go one step further this year with the second edition of this international e-tennis tournament, to offer fans and gamers the best possible experience. I’m convinced that this new worldwide competition and its new features will incite great enthusiasm in participants from the competition’s ten host countries. We are proud to share this ambition with our partners BNP Paribas and BIGBEN, and are eager to get this new season started!” explained Stéphane Morel, Deputy CEO of the French Tennis Federation’s Marketing and Business Development department.

Watch the teaser of the 2019 Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas!

Qualifying rounds held worldwide for a spectacular international final

This year, the tournament is even bigger! Germany and the United States are joining the eight countries from the 2018 line-up: France, China, India, Brazil, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy and Spain. For this second edition, the Roland Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas is forging new bonds with the tennis world by organising certain national finals off-court at some of the ATP tour’s tournaments, such as the Internazionali BNL D’Italia di Roma and the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes de Lyon. BNP Paribas will also host national finals in its premises in Shanghai, Bombay, Frankfurt and London.

The national qualifying rounds will be launched on the Tennis World Tour’s online mode on PlayStation 4, to open the competition up to as many people as possible. The eight best players in each country’s first qualifying phase will then come together in person to play a final qualifying round in their respective country. The winners of these national finals will be invited to represent their country in the grand final, which will decide the winner of the 2019 Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas.
Two special tournaments will be organised. One is reserved for registered members of the French Tennis Federation, and the other is an online tournament for members of the We Are Tennis by BNP Paribas platform. Held during the first week of Roland Garros, this tournament will decide who takes the last place in the final.

For the second year in a row, this international grand final will be held during the Parisian Grand Slam, with spectacular staging that is designed to immerse the participants in an atmosphere that echoes that of the most prestigious professional tournaments. The participants will share an exceptional cash prize of €10,000, half of which will be awarded to the winner!

Preview of the new Roland-Garros on Tennis World Tour

In this second edition of the tournament, the participants will play each other on a pre-release version of the latest Tennis World Tour – Roland-Garros Edition video game, which is due to be released on 16thMay on PlayStation®4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch™ and PC. It is a unique opportunity to discover the game’s new features, in particular the newly-renovated Philippe Chatrier court, centre court at Roland Garros.

“We are delighted to extend our partnership with the FFT and to support the RG eSeries by BNP Paribas for the second year running. For several months, the studio has been working on improving the gaming experience and enabling this tournament’s participants to play each other on the famous Philippe-Chatrier court that will feature in the Roland-Garros Edition of Tennis World Tour, which is due to be released in May. Eagerly-awaited by the community, this online competition is an integral part of the game, so we are delighted to be part of this fantastic tournament,” announced Thomas Carpentier, product manager at BIGBEN.

BNP Paribas, the bank for “all branches of tennis”

This year once again, BNP Paribas are confirming their commitment to supporting “all branches of tennis” by continuing to develop innovations and new practices connected with video gaming.

“The organisation of this second edition of the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas, in collaboration with the FFT, was a logical step for us. As a long-term sponsor of tennis, the bank has always supported the innovations developed in this sport, especially ones that concern the younger generations,” explained Vincent-Baptiste Closon, international sponsorships manager at BNP Paribas.

Watch again the 2018 video here!

Follow all Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas updates live on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

For more information or to enter the qualifying rounds, please visit: https://RGeSeries.bnpparibas

Find all the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas assets on our FTP:
ftp://press:comegetsome@ftppress.warningup.com/.RolandGarroseSeriesBNPPAribas

About the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas

Created in 2018, the Roland-Garros eSeries by BNP Paribas is the world’s first ever tennis gaming tournament. With qualifying rounds held in ten different countries, this tournament gives e-tennis fans from all over the globe the chance to play each other on the “Tennis World Tour” game, published by BIGBEN. Roland Garros is breaking ground as the first Grand Slam tournament to organise this type of competition.

About Roland-Garros

In the eyes of sports fans, and indeed the general public, the Roland Garros tournament is an unmissable event that enjoys immense prestige. The 2018 French Open attracted more than 480,000 spectators and was broadcast in 223 countries worldwide, confirming the tournament’s status as a first-class international sporting event. Organised by the French Tennis Federation, Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam tournament to be played on clay, one of the oldest and most noble surfaces in the history of tennis.

About BNP Paribas and tennis

BNP Paribas is today the number one partner to tennis worldwide, with a commitment, unrivalled in sport, which goes back all the way to 1973. The Group’s support covers all levels and dimensions of the game all over the world, including singles, doubles, team tennis, wheelchair tennis and family tennis, ranging from beginners’ training to the top professional tournaments.

Professional Tennis: Official sponsor of the French Open at Roland Garros; title sponsor of the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas; title sponsor of three ATP Masters 1000 tournaments – the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters, the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (Italian Open) in Rome; partner to the Open 13 (Marseille), the Parc de Lyon Open, the BGL BNP Paribas Luxembourg Open and the Fever-Tree Championships (Queen’s Club, London), European Open (Anvers);
Wheelchair Tennis: BNP Paribas Open de France; BNP Paribas World Team Cup;
Junior & University Tennis and Academies: The Junior Davis Cup by BNP Paribas and Junior Fed Cup by BNP Paribas; the Master’U BNP Paribas;
Amateur Tennis: Sponsor of the BNP Paribas Family Trophy; also providing support to over 1,000 amateur tournaments around the world through partnerships with more than 20 national tennis federations; also working with dozens of tennis-based charities such as Yannick Noah’s charity organisation ‘Fête le mur’; as well as being the mainspring of a number of ground-breaking social projects linked to tennis;
The ‘BNP Paribas Young Talent Team’ mentored by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, sponsored in association with the French Tennis Federation.

Having entered into all these partnerships, BNP Paribas set up in 2011 a programme called We Are Tennis, whose purpose is to promote interest in the game of tennis all over the world. The wearetennis.com website and its social network accounts bring together a community of tennis lovers and dedicated fans from all continents who are keen to obtain the latest news from the ATP, WTA and ITF circuits. Furthermore, in 2015 BNP Paribas created the We Are Tennis Fan Academy, which enables fans to express their passion for tennis as never before. BNP Paribas also supports local tennis through crowdfunding campaigns designed to finance projects.

In addition, the Group initiated in 2015 a charity programme called ‘Aces of the Heart’ to assist young hospital in-patients and their families. The programme seeks to improve the daily lives and reception facilities at children’s hospitals and arranges for the children to attend tennis tournaments sponsored by BNP Paribas.

About BIGBEN

BIGBEN is a key player in video game publication and the design and distribution of smartphone and gaming accessories, as well as audio products. Renowned for its innovations and creativity, the group’s ambition is to become a leader in all of its fields of expertise. www.bigben.fr

Press Contacts

Clémence Garcia
Warning Up Agency
Tel: +33(0)1.53.85.88.07
c.garcia@warningup.com

Nicolas Beaudelin
French Tennis Federation
Tel: +33(0)1.47.43.48.15
nbeaudelin@fft.fr

Marjorie Lescure
BIGBEN
Tel: +33(0)6.84.19.83.19
mlescure@bigben.fr

Floriane Ettwiller
BNP Paribas
Tel: +33(0)7.62.27.48.34
floriane.ettwiller@bnpparibas.com

Agence Sophie Kamoun Communication (for BNP Paribas)
Sophie Kamoun – sophie@sk-communication.fr – +33 (0)6 07 11 42 21
Alexandre Barthelemy – alexandre@sk-communication.fr – +33 (0)6 19 54 42 65

London, UK – 12 December 2018 – BNP Paribas today announced that it has been awarded BP’s cash management business across Europe, following a competitive tender.

BNP Paribas will support BP’s local transaction requirements in 20 countries, including all payables and receivables totalling some 100 million transactions per annum.

BP’s decision to rationalise cash management arrangements is directly linked to its Cash and Banking Transformation Programme. This project supports BP strategy around modernising the group – in this case by standardising and simplifying cash management and transactional banking globally.

BNP Paribas will work closely in partnership with the energy company to help it improve efficiency and effectiveness of its banking architecture. Currently BP operates hundreds of bank accounts across the region and BNP Paribas will be driving to streamline these and improve visibility and control of cash for its client through a zero balancing physical pooling structure.

Improved liquidity management is a key goal of the banking project; as well as euro and Swiss franc, the currencies of the Nordics, Hungary, Poland, Ukraine and Turkey are in scope. BNP Paribas will be sole Treasury banker across all of these countries.

Commenting on the win, Pierre Fersztand, global head of Cash Management at BNP Paribas, said: “I’m delighted that BP has chosen BNP Paribas as its European provider. This deal builds on the strong relationship we already hold with our client.

“We are continuing to invest significantly in our cash management offering and our innovative products combine with a broad country footprint to create a European market-leading proposition.”

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About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. It has a presence in 73 countries, with more than 196,000 employees, including around 149,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main activities: Domestic Markets, International Financial Services (whose retail-banking networks and financial services are covered by Retail Banking & Services) and Corporate & Institutional Banking, which serves two client franchises: corporate clients and institutional investors.

BNP Paribas employs more than 9,000 people across 10 business lines in the UK. These are Corporate & Institutional Banking, Exane BNP Paribas, Leasing Solutions, Arval, Real Estate (including Strutt & Parker acquired in September 2017), Asset Management, Cardif Pinnacle, Commercial Finance, Personal Finance and Vauxhall Finance. Around half of these employees are in Corporate & Institutional Banking based in London, while the others are based in various offices across the country, including Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester.

London, UK – 5 December 2018 – BNP Paribas announced that Lewis Burnett joined the bank today as co-head of Corporate Broking, based in London. Lewis reports to Andreas Bernstorff, EMEA head of Equity Capital Markets, and will be overseen by Matthew Ponsonby, UK head of Global Banking.

The move reunites Lewis with Andrew Forrester, who joined the bank as co-head of Corporate Broking in August. As they build out the Corporate Broking team, Lewis and Andrew will position BNP Paribas as a trusted adviser to the senior management teams of UK FTSE 100 and 250 companies, and increase BNP Paribas’ market share in UK equity-related transactions. Corporate Broking will form a central pillar in BNP Paribas’ UK growth plan, drawing on the research and distribution strength of Exane BNP Paribas, the balance sheet strength of one of Europe’s leading banks, and its market-leading product set.

Lewis was latterly head of UK Advisory and Corporate Broking at Credit Suisse where he worked since 2005, advising on numerous high profile capital raisings and M&A transactions. Prior to that, Lewis was a City lawyer. Andrew was latterly a managing director in Credit Suisse’s UK Advisory and Corporate Broking department. Previously, he was head of UK ECM and Corporate Broking at Nomura, and held senior Corporate Broking positions at Citigroup for more than a decade.

Andreas Bernstorff, EMEA head of Equity Capital Markets, BNP Paribas, said: “We are pleased to now have both Lewis and Andrew on-board. They bring outstanding knowledge of ‘UK PLC’ and almost 40 years’ collective experience in providing strategic equity advice to UK firms. They will play a key part in increasing the impact BNP Paribas makes in UK equity primary markets, that is commensurate with the leading business we have built in equity research and distribution.”

Exane BNP Paribas, which is responsible for research and distribution within BNP Paribas’ ECM business, operates one of the largest distribution platforms dedicated to European equities worldwide. It was ranked #1 pan-European equities house by the Extel Survey of investors in 2018 and 2017, with 17 top rated analysts in the 30 equity sectors. On the debt side, BNP Paribas was #1 in Euro-denominated DCM and a top three bookrunner in both high-yield and leveraged loans in Europe, in the first nine months of 2018 according to Dealogic.

Matthew Ponsonby, UK head of Global Banking, BNP Paribas, said: “Based on our traditional strengths in financing and a uniquely diversified range of services in the UK, we are already a core relationship bank to many FTSE 100 companies. Together with our UK Client Coverage, Financial Sponsors and Financial Institutions Coverage teams, Corporate Broking builds on these areas of strength and is therefore a logical extension of the dialogue we are already having with clients.”

As part of its 2020 group business development plan, BNP Paribas is looking to grow its business in the UK and other selected European countries, with the aim of becoming the bank of reference for corporates in Europe. Corporate Broking is a central part of that strategy and caps a compelling proposition based on its diversified UK banking platform, leading debt financing capabilities and the #1 ranked equities distribution and research platform in Europe.

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About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas (http://www.bnpparibas.com/) is a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. It has a presence in 73 countries, with more than 196,000 employees, including around 149,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main activities: Domestic Markets, International Financial Services (whose retail-banking networks and financial services are covered by Retail Banking & Services) and Corporate & Institutional Banking, which serves two client franchises: corporate clients and institutional investors.

BNP Paribas has won four major derivatives categories at this year’s Risk Awards, including the highest honour, “Derivatives House of the Year”.

The Risk Awards are recognised for celebrating leadership and innovation in the finance industry, highlighting banks which deliver the very best service, break new ground for clients and help them navigate tough market conditions.

Overall, the bank won:

Derivatives House of the Year
Credit Derivatives House of the Year
Currency Derivatives House of the Year
Interest Rate Derivatives House of the Year

Commenting on the four wins, Olivier Osty, Head of Global Markets, BNP Paribas, said: “This is a great honour for us.

“I am very grateful to our clients for their continued trust and support; to our teams, who are always striving to perform and deliver the best service possible; and of course to Risk for this fantastic recognition.”

Since the creation of the Global Markets business with BNP Paribas four years ago, it has developed into a strong, integrated platform across asset classes and around the world. While the business has evolved around client needs, it has stayed true to its roots; delivering best-in-class derivatives solutions, strong financing and balance sheet capabilities, and commitment to markets for the long-term.

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Press Contacts

Alexandra Umpleby alexandra.umpleby@uk.bnpparibas.com +44 (0) 20 7595 2436

Simon Danaher simon.danaher@uk.bnpparibas.com +44 (0)20 7595 9108

Sarisher Mann sarisher.mann@uk.bnpparibas.com +44 (0) 20 7595 8150

Andrew Achimu andrew.achimu@uk.bnpparibas.com +44 (0) 20 7595 6647

BNP Paribas CIB on Twitter – @BNPParibasCIB

About BNP Paribas

Pioneering positive impact advertising solution in partnership with JCDecaux, Airlabs and Chiltern Railways launches on United Nations World Cities Day

London, 31 October 2018 – Helping to mark United Nations World Cities Day (WCD) and its theme of ‘building sustainable and resilient cities’ and coinciding with the first WHO global conference on air pollution and health, BNP Paribas unveils today a ground-breaking green tech advertising solution that adapts traditional Out Of Home (OOH) advertising space to create four ‘Clean Air Zones’ that help tackle air pollution in Marylebone station, which is situated a stone’s throw away from BNP Paribas’ UK headquarters on Harewood Avenue.

The solution is the first of its kind to be installed in a UK train station and is the result of a partnership led by BNP Paribas with green-tech start up Airlabs, Chiltern Railways, and JCDecaux. It serves to help raise awareness of and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (#3 Good Health & Wellbeing and #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities).

The positive impact advertising solution is powered by Airlabs’ technology that combines atmospheric chemistry and airflow engineering alongside a proprietary dual filter system combining nano-particles. This air filtration system sits within specially adapted OOH advertising units provided by JCDecaux. The result is the removal of >95% of PM2.5, PM10 and gases like NOx, SOx, CO2 and Ozone in the area immediately around the units, significantly improving air quality.

Anne Marie Verstraeten, UK Country Head, BNP Paribas said:

“BNP Paribas has integrated the UN SDGs into its business globally and as part of this is committed to developing solutions which contribute to the long-term sustainability of our cities. Where we have an opportunity to partner with our clients, start-ups and the local community to make an immediate, positive impact we should take it, and that’s just what we’ve done here. We hope that our employees, clients – many of whom use Marylebone station daily – and local community will benefit from the clean air zones.”

Satya Tripathi, UN Assistant Secretariat General, UN Environment said :

“Air pollution is a public health emergency causing seven million premature deaths annually. We therefore welcome BNP Paribas’s leadership and contribution to restoring clean air, a basic human right. Air pollution and climate change can seem insurmountable, but when the power of innovation is unleashed, and the private sector takes on its responsibility we can overcome these challenges for current and future generations.”

Philip Thomas, Co-Chief Executive Officer at JCDecaux UK said, “JCDecaux is delighted to be involved in BNP Paribas’ Clean Air Partnership alongside Airlabs and Chiltern, companies that share a commitment to sustainability, resulting in this exciting environmental initiative. This inspirational campaign delivers on three fronts – raising public awareness about the global issues of pollution, delivering cleaner air to the 14 million people visiting Marylebone station every year and providing a powerful communications’ platform for BNP Paribas. This campaign underlines the power of OOH to champion social causes and to make a difference to the travelling public.”

Sophie Power, co-founder of Airlabs said:

“The 40 official air quality monitoring stations in London only measure the air directly surrounding them. But what really matters to our health is the air that we actually breathe throughout our day – while commuting, working and at home. From our research, we know that there are air pollution hotspots across the transport network, where our clean air technology could be used to reduce exposure. However, these are not currently picked up by official monitoring stations. We need to do more to protect people in their workplace, as well as during their commute, which starts with understanding their exposure.”

Dave Penney, Managing Director of Chiltern Railways said:

“This exciting partnership with Airlabs, JCDecaux and BNP Paribas is a great opportunity for Chiltern Railways to continue to minimise our environmental impact and compliments the work we are doing to introduce hybrid trains to our network. Chiltern Railways takes seriously its role in reducing pollution and we believe this technology from Airlabs will provide a better environment for our passengers, neighbours and staff at Marylebone.”

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Press Contacts

Alexandra Umpleby	alexandra.umpleby@uk.bnpparibas.com	+44 (0) 207 5955 2436
Sarisher Mann	sarisher.mann@uk.bnpparibas.com	+44 (0) 20 7595 8150

BNP Paribas UK on Twitter – @BNPParibasUK

Notes to Editors

About BNP Paribas

In the UK, BNP Paribas employs more than 9,000 people across 10 business lines. These include Corporate & Institutional Banking, Exane BNP Paribas, Leasing Solutions, Arval, Real Estate (including Strutt & Parker acquired in September 2017), Asset Management, Cardif Pinnacle, Commercial Finance, Personal Finance and Vauxhall Finance. Around half of its employees are in Corporate & Institutional Banking, based in London, while the others are based in various offices across the country, including Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester.

About JCDecaux

JCDecaux UK is the brand-first digital media company that is bringing new opportunities for our clients and partners, delivering 1 billion digital Out-of-Home ‘viewed’ impressions in every week. As part of JCDecaux, the world’s leading Out-of-Home company, the company is developing innovative solutions to environmental challenges, integrating sustainability into the fabric of its products.

The company has worked with over 200 world-renowned designers and architects to produce street furniture and advertising products that embody the city of tomorrow. All of our products are designed and built to meet the needs of our partners, our brands and the people who interact with them daily. JCDecaux UK is committed to providing a powerful brand-first environment for clients where accountability, measurability, viewability and brand safety are paramount – and has introduced BranDO, a brand-safe charter for digital Out-of-Home. For more information, visit jcdecaux.co.uk

About Airlabs

Airlabs is a pioneer in providing clean air to breathe in polluted cities. Its team of atmospheric chemists, airflow engineers and sensor specialists combine to understand air pollution, clean it and deliver that clean air for people to breathe. Airlabs’ unique nano-technology effectively removes all pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide and can be used to provide clean air zones across a city – from inside buildings to outside spaces.

The Airbubbl, Airlabs’ product which cleans the heavily polluted air inside your vehicle, launches 6th November, solving one of the key exposure risks of workers and commuters. Previous installations in London have included clean air bus shelters supported by the Body Shop, and the first clean air retail store – the Stella McCartney store on Bond Street.

About Chiltern Railways

Chiltern Railways operates commuter and regional rail passenger services from its Central London terminus at London Marylebone to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, as well as long-distance services to the West Midlands. Chiltern Railways is part of the Arriva group, one of the leading providers of passenger transport in Europe. Arriva employs more than 60,000 people and delivers over 2 billion passenger journeys across 14 European countries each year. For more information, visit chilternrailways.co.uk.

About the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

About UN World Cities Day

https://unhabitat.org/wcd/

Wednesday 17^th October 2018 – E.ON and BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK have today announced a new collaboration to bring innovative Green Mortgages one step closer to the UK property market, providing a new and affordable source of finance to make energy efficiency makeovers more accessible to millions of people around the country.

Around 19 million UK households¹– equal to around 71% of the UK’s 27 million homes – currently fall below an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) Band C rating, which means they are missing out on energy savings of up to £380 a year by not having basic measures in place.

Tackling energy efficiency levels of existing housing stock is one of the biggest infrastructure challenges of this generation and is part of the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy which aims by 2035 to bring as many homes as possible up to EPC Band C level where practical, cost-effective and affordable.

Under the umbrella of the Energy Efficient Mortgage Action Plan (EeMAP) initiative, E.ON is working with BNP Paribas Personal Finance to develop and pilot an innovative Green Mortgage product, which will allow movers, first time buyers, and re-mortgagers to use their mortgage to borrow further via a linked ‘energy efficiency home improvement loan’ to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Under this model BNP Paribas Personal Finance would provide the improvement loan financing and E.ON would provide a managed service to install appropriate energy efficiency solutions. This service would help the customer to identify what measures would deliver the greatest savings potential, E.ON would then install the measures and offer a range of in-life energy services.

The improvements funded through the scheme loan could also result in a discounted mortgage rate once the energy efficiency measures have been verified via an updated EPC.

Michael Lewis, Chief Executive, E.ON UK, said: “We need to find ways to radically increase interest and action on energy efficiency in homes, but property owners often face a significant financing barrier when wishing to do so. In the UK, attempts have been made in the past to tackle this barrier through schemes like the Green Deal, but they have not been successful, in part because they weren’t designed with the customer front and centre.

“Green mortgages have the potential to be a game changer in the delivery of affordable finance and we are ready to meet the challenge for home-owners motivated to take the step into energy efficient living. Our agreement with BNP Paribas Personal Finance is a further step along this journey and brings together two well-known international companies with expertise in financing and delivering energy saving solutions across Europe.”

Easier access to affordable financing via an energy efficient mortgage should provide an added incentive for customers to better insulate buildings, replace old heating systems or increase their energy independence through solar panels, batteries or virtual storage. It can also ease the purchase of existing energy-efficient houses or commercial buildings through preferential financing in conjunction with a mortgage.

The ambition of this Green Mortgage pilot is to provide a competitively priced home improvement loan provided by BNP Paribas Personal Finance linked to a mortgage to fund a range of personalised energy efficiency solution bundles delivered by E.ON. These could include measures such as insulation, energy efficient boilers and smart meters and smart thermostats. For customers wishing to prepare their home for tomorrow’s energy world, smart energy technologies such as electric vehicle charging points, solar panels and battery storage could also be funded as part of the Green Mortgage pilot, as well as heat pumps. All of which E.ON intends to steer by its innovative Home Energy Management System Dashboard.

Stephen Hunt, CEO, BNP Paribas Personal Finance, said: “BNP Paribas Personal Finance is pleased to work with E.ON in exploring how helpful finance solutions can be developed to drive positive change within the energy efficiency sector. This collaboration will look to assess how an attractive consumer offer can be created for the UK marketplace and we continue to look at bringing new, innovative propositions to the market. As a pioneer in positive banking we are proud to play an active role in both driving forward new sustainable business opportunities and helping the local communities in which we work throughout the UK.”

Claire Perry, Minister for Energy and Clean Growth, said: “The UK has led the world in cutting emissions whilst growing our economy – with clean growth driving incredible innovation and creating hundreds of thousands of high quality jobs. Ten years on from the Climate Change Act, the first ever Green GB week is a time to build on our successes and explain the huge opportunities for business and young people of a cleaner economy. I’m delighted to see how many more businesses and organisations such as E.ON and BNP Paribas Personal Finance are seizing this multi-billion pound opportunity to energise their communities to tackle the very serious threat of climate change.”

Luca Bertalot, Secretary General, EMF-ECBC, said: “As EeMAP Coordinator, the EMF-ECBC is delighted to see that the Initiative has triggered real cooperation among market players which will provide consumers with a concrete incentive to improve the quality of their homes by way of an energy efficient mortgage. This latest development shows how the Initiative is a win-win for consumers and market players and we hope that this will be the first of many strategic partnerships in this area.”

E.ON and BNP Paribas Personal Finance are working towards further collaborations with building societies and High Street finance providers to pilot and develop this innovative new financing solution to customers, initially for the UK market, in the first half of 2019. This collaboration aligns closely to the recommendations of the Government’s Green Finance Task Force.

The partnership follows research undertaken by E.ON in several European countries in February 2018 to understand if customers would take advantage of an energy efficient mortgage where E.ON found a positive consumer appeal towards the concept, particularly in Great Britain⁽²⁾.

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Notes to editors

1 = http://www.ukerc.ac.uk/news/unlocking-britains-first-fuel.html

frontier-economics.com/media/2248/affordable-warmth-clean-growth.pdf

2 = Consumer research report led by E.ON in February 2018 can be downloaded at eemap.energyefficientmortgages.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/EeMAP_D2.7_E.ON_Final.pdf

The Energy Efficient Mortgages Action Plan (EeMAP) Initiative – led by the European Mortgage Federation-European Covered Bond Council (EMF-ECBC), Ca’Foscari University of Venice, RICS, the Europe Regional Network of the World Green Building Council, E.ON and SAFE Goethe University Frankfurt– aims to create an energy efficient mortgage through which homebuyers are incentivised to improve the energy efficiency of their building or acquire an already energy efficient property by way of favourable conditions liked to the mortgage. The cornerstone of the initiative is the assumption that energy efficiency has a risk mitigation effect for banks as a result of the impact on a borrower’s ability to service his/her loan and on the value of the property, a correlation which the EeMAP Initiative will seek to substantiate.
The EeMAP project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 746205.
For more information on the pilot scheme, please visit: eemap.energyefficientmortgages.eu/roadmap/
E.ON is a founding partner of the Europe network of World Green Building Coucil (WorldGBC) and together they are leading efforts to make green mortgages available across Europe as part of the EU-funded EeMAP initative. WorldGBC’s Europe network, with support from E.ON, has recently published a new pan-EU market standard for green mortgages.

About BNP Paribas Personal Finance:

BNP Paribas Personal Finance is part of BNP Paribas, a leading bank in Europe with an international reach. BNP Paribas Personal Finance creates finance solutions that customers trust and which help partners grow.
Working with leading brands and high street names BNP Paribas Personal Finance helps partners to attract customers, build loyalty and increase sales through flexible and innovative finance solutions, including point of sale finance, credit cards, insurance premium finance, motor finance, and personal loans. Through their Everyday Finance proposition, they provide a range of simple and straightforward products that help people to budget, spread payments and finance their purchases and projects.
BNP Paribas Personal Finance operates as Creation Financial Services Ltd and Creation Consumer Finance Ltd. For more information about BNP Paribas Personal Finance visit bnpparibas-pf.co.uk.

For more information contact:

Andrew Barrow 07515 752759 andrew.barrow@eon-uk.com

Victoria Blake 07738 143903 victoria.blake@eonenergy.com

The information (including any forecasts or projections) contained in this press release (the “Information”) reflects the views and opinions of E.ON on the date of this press release. The Information is intended as a guide only and nothing contained within this press release is to be taken, or relied upon, as advice. E.ON makes no warranties, representations or undertakings about any of the Information (including, without limitation, any as to its quality, accuracy, completeness or fitness for any particular purpose) and E.ON accepts no liability whatsoever for any action or omission taken by you in relation to the Information. Any reliance you place on the Information is solely at your own risk. This press release is the property of E.ON and you may not copy, modify, publish, repost or distribute it without our permission. © E.ON 2018

London, 26 September 2018 – BNP Paribas has won both the Research & Strategy House of the Year and Credit Derivatives House of the Year categories at Global Capital’s influential annual Global Derivatives Awards.

The awards are judged according to the nominees’ innovations in product and service, commitments to new markets, improvements in efficiency, liquidity and market stability, as well as client guidance.

Global Capital said: “In both its credit and research and strategy operations, BNP Paribas has demonstrated a commendable commitment to innovation, both in investment products and the technology that it provides to its clients, making it a clear winner in each category.”

Olivia Frieser, Global Head of Markets 360, said: “Winning the Research and Strategy House of the Year category reflects the hard work our teams have shown to deliver thought-leading, timely and relevant research and strategy publications to our clients. We are absolutely delighted to have won against such high calibre competition.”

Marc de Belsunce, Head of European Credit Sales, said: “This award from Global Capital is true recognition of our well-established Credit Derivatives franchise, which has grown significantly over the past 12 months and has enabled us to expand our reach and penetration with clients. It’s a powerful message to relay to clients and it’s a great reward for the hard work of our teams.”

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Press Contacts

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Sarisher Mann sarisher.mann@uk.bnpparibas.com +44 (0) 20 7595 8150

Andrew Achimu andrew.achimu@uk.bnpparibas.com +44 (0) 20 7595 6647

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