BNP Paribas is the largest global banking group in the world, headquartered in Paris with its second global headquarters in London.[2] In October 2010 it was ranked by Bloomberg and Forbes as the largest bank and largest company in the world by assets with over $3.1 trillion.[3][4] It was formed through the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP) and Paribas in 2000. In April 2009, BNP Paribas purchased a 75 percent stake in Fortis Bank, the Belgian banking business making BNP the eurozone's largest bank by deposits held.