BNP Paribas has announced a new multi-year partnership agreement with IBM Cloud. The relationship extends a collaboration that began in 2019 when BNP Paribas started utilizing IBM Cloud services in its data centers to boost its technological infrastructure.
Announcing a significant development in its partnership with IBM, BNP Paribas will designate a new area in its data centers exclusively for IBM Cloud by 2028. The purpose of this initiative is to bolster the bank's operational resilience, ensuring continuous critical banking services such as payments and safeguarding both customer data and the bank's information systems.
This initiative aligns with the European Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which stipulates enhanced operational resilience standards for financial institutions. The act addresses business continuity and IT risk management, areas where BNP Paribas aims to enhance its capabilities. The expanded cloud infrastructure and the implementation of cloud services risks management are seen as crucial in bolstering these aspects.
The partnership renewal will enable BNP Paribas to integrate GPUs on IBM Cloud with its cloud infrastructure. Such integration aims to aid various business units in testing and implementing generative AI technologies.
In pursuit of application modernization, BNP Paribas is adopting a cloud-native approach using Red Hat OpenShift, IBM's Kubernetes container management platform. This method is expected to facilitate the development and management of more flexible and responsive banking services applications.
"We continuously invest in cutting-edge technologies to strengthen the resilience of our infrastructures and drive innovation for our clients, employees, and partners," stated Marc Camus, Chief Information Officer of BNP Paribas. "By combining GPUs as a service, a dedicated, state-of-the-art environment within our data centers, and a cloud-native infrastructure, we are strengthening our technological foundation, as well as the security and compliance of our information systems."
Alan Peacock, General Manager of IBM Cloud, highlighted the ongoing collaboration, saying, "For decades, IBM and BNP Paribas have worked together to build the banking infrastructure of the future, underpinned by the necessary resilience. This latest milestone in our partnership will provide expanded enterprise-grade Cloud services across the entire bank to unlock new possibilities with AI and cloud innovation not only for BNP Paribas but for enterprises around the world."
BNP Paribas operates in 64 countries with nearly 178,000 employees. It is a leader in banking and financial services in Europe, offering a diverse range of commercial and personal banking services, investment and protection services, and corporate and institutional banking.
IBM, a prime provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, assists clients globally to harness data insights, optimize operations, and remain competitive in their fields. Known for its innovations in AI and cloud solutions, IBM remains committed to responsible, inclusive, and transparent service delivery.