The European Central Bank has formally asked BNP Paribas to lay out its plans for a CEO transition, putting a spotlight on leadership continuity at one of the world’s most systemically important banks. The ECB is also asking about succession planning for Chairman Jean Lemierre, signaling a broader governance review of the bank’s most senior leadership. Recent executive departures have raised questions about whether BNP Paribas has a deep enough bench of internal candidates ready to step up. BNP Paribas and its quiet crypto pivotThe bank participated in the Eurosystem’s wholesale settlement trials using distributed ledger technology between 2024 and 2025. In March 2026, BNP Paribas began offering cryptocurrency exchange-traded notes to retail clients in France.