Rank: 18 (Previous rank: 24)
CEO: Baudouin Prot Employees: 182,459 Address: 16 Blvd. des Italiens Paris 75009 Country: France Website: www.bnpparibas.com BNP Paribas has had an up-and-down year. After Europe�s credit crisis spun out of control, Fitch downgraded the French financial service giant�s debt rating. But BNP still managed to top recent profit forecasts. It moves up six notches on our list this year.
Changes are afoot: BNP recently reshuffled its private equity division while taking on an array of acquisitions. BNP also plans to increase its pool of investment bankers by 20% in the next two years, hoping to break into the top five European investment banks by 2012. -- A.K. Subscribe to Fortune Magazine Is BNP Paribas a great company, or what?
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| Company | 2009 Number of Employees |
|---|---|
| Wal-Mart Stores | 2,100,000 |
| China National Petroleum | 1,649,992 |
| State Grid | 1,533,800 |
| Company | 2009 Profits ($ millions) |
|---|---|
| Gazprom | $24,556 |
| Exxon Mobil | $19,280 |
| Industrial & Commercial Bank of China | $18,832 |
