BNP Paribas is a French multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It was founded in 2000 from the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris and Paribas, formerly known as the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas. With 190,000 employees, the bank is organized into three major business areas: Commercial, Personal Banking & Services (CPBS), Investment & Protection Services (IPS) and Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB).