PARIS: BNP Paribas plans to slash its dividend and raise funds by selling billions of euros of bonds next week, as it nears a costly settlement with US authorities over sanctions violations, the Wall Street Journal reported.
France’s biggest listed bank declined comment.
US authorities are probing whether BNP Paribas evaded US sanctions relating primarily to Sudan between 2002 and 2009, and whether it stripped identifying information from wire transfers so they could pass through the US financial system without raising red flags, sources have said.
The bank is expected to plead guilty to a federal criminal charge and pay nearly $9bn, as part of a larger settlement with multiple enforcement authorities that could be announced as early as next week, sources said earlier this week.
An announcement by US authorities on the settlement is expected on Monday, a source familiar with the matter said.
BNP is also likely to be suspended from converting foreign currencies into dollars on behalf of clients in some businesses for as long as a year, according to sources familiar with the matter, an untested and severe penalty for the French bank accused of persistently violating US sanctions laws.
Analysts have predicted that the fine may hit the bank’s dividend plans and regulatory ratios.
Deutsche Bank analysts on Tuesday factored in a zero dividend payout for 2014 in their forecasts for BNP, based on a $9 billion fine. That would help the French bank maintain its core equity Tier 1 ratio — a key measure of its financial strength — at close to 10 percent.
Reuters
