BNP Paribas and IBM Renew 10-Year Partnership to Strengthen Cloud Infrastructure and Accelerate Generative AI Adoption

BNP Paribas and IBM Renew 10-Year Partnership to Strengthen Cloud Infrastructure and Accelerate Generative AI Adoption

(IN BRIEF) BNP Paribas has renewed and strengthened its partnership with IBM for the next decade, focusing on enhancing cloud infrastructure, advancing cloud-native strategies, and supporting the development of generative AI. The expanded collaboration will further increase operational resilience, improve business continuity, and provide secure, scalable solutions. The partnership also aligns with the European Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and continues BNP Paribas’ commitment to technological innovation in financial services.

(PRESS RELEASE) PARIS, 30-Apr-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — BNP Paribas and IBM (NYSE: IBM) have announced the renewal and strengthening of their partnership for the next 10 years, aimed at enhancing the bank’s resilience, advancing its cloud-native strategy, and supporting the development of generative artificial intelligence (AI). This long-term collaboration is designed to bolster BNP Paribas’ technology infrastructure, support business growth, and provide a superior experience for customers and employees alike.

Since 2019, BNP Paribas has leveraged IBM Cloud within its data centers, creating a resilient technological foundation to drive its digital transformation. This renewed partnership will take this collaboration to the next level by dedicating additional space in BNP Paribas’ own data centers for IBM Cloud, with a planned expansion set for 2028. This expansion will enhance the bank’s operational resilience, ensuring the uninterrupted continuity of critical services such as payments while ensuring the security of customer data and information systems.

As part of the European Union’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) requirements, this initiative will enhance BNP Paribas’ ability to maintain business continuity and manage IT risks effectively. The new cloud infrastructure, coupled with IBM’s rigorous cloud service management, will help safeguard customer data and ensure compliance with industry regulations.

The renewed partnership will allow BNP Paribas to further enhance its capabilities, particularly in the area of generative AI, by leveraging IBM Cloud’s GPU services integrated with the bank’s cloud infrastructure. This will enable BNP Paribas to experiment with and deploy advanced AI use cases to better serve its customers and drive innovation across various business units.

Additionally, BNP Paribas continues its application modernization efforts through a cloud-native approach using containers and microservices via Red Hat OpenShift®, IBM’s Kubernetes container management platform. This will enable the bank to develop modular, scalable, and portable applications, providing flexibility and responsiveness in managing banking services, particularly in the areas of payments and payment systems.

Marc Camus, Chief Information Officer of BNP Paribas, stated, “We continuously invest in cutting-edge technologies to enhance the resilience of our infrastructure and drive innovation for our clients, employees, and partners. By combining GPUs as a service, a dedicated cloud environment, and a cloud-native infrastructure, we are further strengthening our technological foundation, ensuring the security, compliance, and efficiency of our information systems.”

Alan Peacock, General Manager of IBM Cloud, said, “For decades, IBM and BNP Paribas have collaborated to build the banking infrastructure of the future, ensuring it is underpinned by the resilience required to meet the demands of the financial industry. With this latest expansion, BNP Paribas will gain expanded enterprise-grade cloud services, enabling new possibilities in AI and cloud innovation. This milestone not only benefits BNP Paribas but will also set the stage for similar advancements across enterprises worldwide.”

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About BNP Paribas

Leader in banking and financial services in Europe, BNP Paribas operates in 64 countries and has nearly 178,000 employees, including more than 144,000 in Europe. The Group has key positions in its three main fields of activity: Commercial, Personal Banking & Services for the Group’s commercial & personal banking and several specialised businesses including BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Arval; Investment & Protection Services for savings, investment and protection solutions; and Corporate & Institutional Banking, focused on corporate and institutional clients. Based on its strong diversified and integrated model, the Group helps all its clients (individuals, community associations, entrepreneurs, SMEs, corporates and institutional clients) to realise their projects through solutions spanning financing, investment, savings and protection insurance. In Europe, BNP Paribas has four domestic markets: Belgium, France, Italy and Luxembourg. The Group is rolling out its integrated commercial & personal banking model across several Mediterranean countries, Türkiye, and Eastern Europe. As a key player in international banking, the Group has leading platforms and business lines in Europe, a strong presence in the Americas as well as a solid and fast-growing business in Asia-Pacific. BNP Paribas has implemented a Corporate Social Responsibility approach in all its activities, enabling it to contribute to the construction of a sustainable future, while ensuring the Group’s performance and stability.

About IBM

IBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs, and gain a competitive edge in their industries. Thousands of governments and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently, and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s long-standing commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity, and service. Visit www.ibm.com(Opens in a new tab) for more information.

Media Contacts:

BNP Paribas: Indira Salinas – indira.salinas [at] bnpparibas (dot) com – +33 (0)7 89 56 44 79

IBM: Gaëlle Dussutour – dusga [at] fr.ibm (dot) com – + 33 (0)6 74 98 26 92

Weber Shandwick for IBM: Louise Weber – ibmfrance [at] webershandwick (dot) com – + 33 (0)6 89 59 12 54

SOURCE: BNP Paribas