BNP Paribas Announces Appointment of Equity Derivatives Salesperson for Latin America.

NEW YORK -- BNP Paribas is pleased to announce the appointment of Esteban Villar as a Director and Latin American salesperson in the equity structured products sales group for the Americas platform. Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina he will cover the Bank's clients in Argentina, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. He reports to Francisco Hervella, head of Latin American (ex Brazil) structured product sales.

Commenting on the appointment, Todd Steinberg, head of equities and derivatives for the Americas, said: "Esteban's appointment is a continuation of our build out in Latin America. Having a senior marketer with Esteban's deep local knowledge and invaluable experience based in Buenos Aires will enhance our presence as a major player in the Latin American equity derivatives market."

Esteban brings extensive experience in the equities and derivatives field. His career spans almost 15 years in New York and Buenos Aires at companies including Deutsche Bank, UBS, HSBC, Merrill Lynch and Banco CMF S.A.

About BNP Paribas

BNP Paribas (www.bnpparibas.com) is a European leader in global banking and financial services and is one of the 5 strongest banks in the world according to Standard & Poor's. The group is present in over 85 countries, with 155,000 employees, including 15,000 of whom as based in the United States. The group holds key positions in three major segments: Corporate and Investment Banking, Asset Management & Services and Retail Banking. Present throughout Europe in all of its business lines, the bank's two domestic markets in retail banking are France and Italy. BNP Paribas also has a significant presence in the United States and strong positions in Asia and the emerging markets.