Is BNP Paribas a good bank?

BGL BNP Paribas is a Luxembourgish investment bank providing online trading and investments. BNP is privately owned, established in 1919, and headquartered in Luxembourg city.

BGL BNP Paribas is considered safe because it is regulated by the top-tier Luxembourg regulator, it has a banking license, and the investor protection amount is high.

Recommended for investors appreciating personal advisory services and other benefits offered by a large banking group

You can't open an account at BGL BNP Paribas if you live in Australia. See the best alternative available in your country.

BGL BNP Paribas pros and cons

BGL BNP Paribas gives you access to a ~20 stock markets which is a good coverage. It also offers a high investor protection, €100,000.

It has very high fees. The account opening is not user-friendly and it has also a high €50,000 minimum account balance, The research tools are limited.

ProsCons
Good stock market coverage High fees
High investor protection Complicated account opening
Limited research tools

BGL BNP Paribas main features and highlights

🗺️ Country of regulation Luxembourg
💰 Trading fees class High
💰 Inactivity fee charged Yes
💰 Withdrawal fee amount $0
💰 Minimum deposit $60,000
🕖 Time to open an account >3 days
💳 Deposit with bank card Available
👛 Depositing with electronic wallet Not available
💱 Number of base currencies supported 11
🎮 Demo account provided No
🛍️ Products offered Stock, ETF, Fund, Bond, Options

Our overall BGL BNP Paribas rating

BGL BNP Paribas review Fees

BGL BNP Paribas has high trading and non-trading fees. As a plus, it has a transparent fee structure.
ProsCons
Transparent fee structure High trading fees
High non-trading fees
BGL BNP Paribas fees snapshot
AssetsFee levelFee terms
US stock High Self Invest International: 0.75% of trade value, min €50
EURUSD - Not available
Mutual fund Average Self Invest International: 1.0%-2.0% of trade value for buy orders, exit orders are free
Inactivity fee Low €117 per half year after 18 months of inactivity

How we ranked fees

We ranked BGL BNP Paribas's fee levels as low, average or high based on how they compare to those of all reviewed brokers.

First, let's go over some basic terms related to broker fees. What you need to keep an eye on are trading fees and non-trading fees.

  • Trading fees occur when you trade. These can be commissions, spreads, financing rates and conversion fees.
  • Non-trading fees include charges not directly related to trading, like withdrawal fees or inactivity fees.

In the sections below, you will find the most relevant fees of BGL BNP Paribas for each asset class. For example, in the case of stock investing the most important fees are commissions.

We also compared BGL BNP Paribas's fees with those of two similar brokers we selected, flatex and LYNX. This selection is based on objective factors such as products offered, client profile, fee structure, etc. See a more detailed rundown of BGL BNP Paribas alternatives.

To have a clear overview of BGL BNP Paribas, let's start with the trading fees.

BGL BNP Paribas trading fees

BGL BNP Paribas trading fees are high.

Stock fees and ETF fees

BGL BNP Paribas stock and ETF fees for a typical trade are very high compared to other stockbrokers.

BGL BNP Paribas stock and ETF commission of a $2,000 trade
 BGL BNP ParibasflatexLYNX
US stock$60.0 $7.1 $5.0
UK stock$60.0 - $12.6
German stock$60.0 $7.1 $7.2

Bond fees

BGL BNP Paribas has about the same high bond fees.

BGL BNP Paribas commission of a $10,000 government bond trade
 BGL BNP ParibasflatexLYNX
US Treasury bond- $7.1 $10.0
EU government bond$65.0 $7.1 $16.8

Non-trading fees

BGL BNP Paribas has high non-trading fees. There is an inactivity fee charged: €117 per half month after 18 months of inactivity.

BGL BNP Paribas non-trading fees
 BGL BNP ParibasflatexLYNX
Account feeYes No No
Inactivity feeYes No Yes
Deposit fee$0 $0 $0
Withdrawal fee$0 $0 $0

BGL BNP Paribas review Account opening

BGL BNP Paribas account opening needs improvement. It is user-friendly and fully digital. you can choose from accounts giving you access to banking products as well. However, the minimum deposit is very high.
ProsCons
User-friendly Slow
Multicurrency account with access to banking products (card, insurance, term deposits) Not fully digital
Minimum deposit is higher than $500

Can you open an account?

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BGL BNP Paribas accepts clients from few countries. You can't open an account for example if you are a resident of the US, Iran, Cuba, Switzerland for example.

What is the minimum deposit at BGL BNP Paribas?

The required BGL BNP Paribas minimum deposit is €50,000.


Account types

At BGL BNP Paribas you can choose from an individual account or a joint account, in which the followings are available:

  • Current account
  • Investor account

Corporate accounts are not available at BGL BNP Paribas.

How to open your account

BGL BNP's account opening is fast and fully digital. Online registration takes only 10 minutes. Our account was only verified after three business days.

Saxo's account opening process consists of three steps:

  1. Complete a secure form

  2. Add your supporting documents

  3. BGL BNP Paribas assess your application.

  4. If approved, your account is open

To verify your identity and residency, you have to upload the following documents:

  • Proof of identity: national ID card / passport
  • Proof of residency: tax/bank statement 

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BGL BNP Paribas review Deposit and withdrawal

You can use only bank transfer for ingoing and outgoing payments. As a plus, BGL BNP Paribas deposit is free of charge. However, it is not user-friendly.
ProsCons
No deposit fee Not user-friendly
Only bank transfer

BGL BNP Paribas review Web trading platform

The web trading platform offers a safe two-step login. It has also good search function and you can set order confirmation. But, it is not user-friendly and customizable. There is no clear fee report either.
ProsCons
Two-step (safer) login Not user-friendly
Good search function No clear fee report available
Order confirmation Limited customizability (for charts, workspace)
BGL BNP Paribas platforms to choose from
Trading platformScoreAvailable
Web 2.6 stars Yes
Mobile 3.1 stars Yes
Desktop - No

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BGL BNP Paribas review Mobile trading platform

BGL BNP Paribas mobile trading platform offers two-step login and has a good search function. However, it has limited order types, there are no price alerts and the user-friendliness can be improved.
ProsCons
Two-step (safer) login Not user-friendly
Good search function Limited order types
No price alerts

Is BNP Paribas a good bank?

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BGL BNP Paribas review Desktop trading platform

BGL BNP Paribas review Markets and products

BGL BNP Paribas gives you access to ~20 stock markets which is a good coverage. It also offers a wide range of mutual funds. Furthermore, you can trade with European bonds and options. On the flip side, there is no FX or CFDs.
BGL BNP Paribas asset classes
 BGL BNP ParibasflatexLYNX
Stock Yes Yes Yes
ETF Yes Yes Yes
Forex No Yes Yes
Fund No Yes Yes
Bond Yes Yes Yes
Options No No Yes
Futures No No Yes
CFD Yes No Yes
Crypto No No Yes

BGL BNP Paribas review Research

You can read analysis and use a good interactive charting. However, there are limited research tools and the available fundamental data is very basic.
ProsCons
Good interactive chart No/limited set of analytic tools
Trading ideas Basic fundamental data missing for most stocks

Compare research pros and cons

BGL BNP Paribas review Customer service

BGL BNP Paribas customer service needs improvement. There is no live chat and they give irrelevant answers. Furthermore, we have not received answers for our emails.
ProsCons
English, French and German customer support No live chat
Irrelevant answers
Not reliable email support

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BGL BNP Paribas review Education

BGL BNP Paribas does not provide education tools or a demo account.

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BGL BNP Paribas review Safety

BGL BNP Paribas is regulated by the top-tier CSSF, the Luxembourgish financial regulator. It has a banking license and provides a €100,000 account protection. It is not listed on any stock exchange.
ProsCons
Majority of clients belong to a top-tier financial authority Not listed on stock exchange
High level of investor protection Financial information is not publicly available
Banking background

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BGL BNP Paribas review Bottom line

BGL BNP Paribas has a good stock market coverage. It also offers a high investor protection amount which is a great sign for its security.

On the other hand, it has very high fees. The account opening is complicated and there is a €50,000 minimum required balance. Lastly, the research tools are limited.

Choose BGL BNP Paribas if you are an investor with higher amounts to invest and you want a broker from a top-tier financial jurisdiction.

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BGL BNP Paribas review FAQ

Is BNP Paribas a good bank?

Author of this review

Gergely is the co-founder and CPO of BrokerChooser. His aim is to make personal investing crystal clear for everybody. Gergely has 10 years of experience in the financial markets. He concluded thousands of trades as a commodity trader and equity portfolio manager.

Gergely is the co-founder and CPO of BrokerChooser. His aim is to make personal investing crystal clear for everybody. Gergely has 10 years of experience in the financial markets. He concluded thousands of trades as a commodity trader and equity portfolio manager.

Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology

How prestigious is BNP Paribas?

Euromoney's Awards for Excellence 2022 named BNP Paribas for 12 prestigious accolades across businesses and geographies.

What type of bank is BNP Paribas?

Paribas, the premier French investment bank Founded in 1872, Paribas (then called the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas) rapidly became the leading French investment bank. It held stakes in a large number of companies and specialised in the financial markets and in infrastructure finance.

Is it good to join BNP Paribas?

BNP is an overall good employer. The salary is not great but the benefits definitely complement it. The work environment is definitely a plus; with good team-spirit and a lot of solidarity amongst team members. Management is often involved.

Is BNP Paribas a big bank?

BNP Paribas is the second largest banking group in Europe, after HSBC, and ninth largest Banking group in the world. It became one of the five largest banks in the world following the 2008 financial crisis.