Societe Generale

Worldwide assets: $327,000 million (1995)

Middle East: representative offices in Algiers, Amman, Cairo, Tehran. To open Gulf office in Dubai. 35.64 per cent of Societe Generale Marocaine de Banques (Morocco), 51 per cent of National Societe General Bank (Egypt), 10 per cent of Banque de Tunisie, 25 per cent of Societe Generale Libano Europeene de Banques (Lebanon), 10 per cent of Bank Muscat Al-Ahli Al- Omani and 20 per cent of United Arab Bank (UAE).

Banque Nationale de Paris

Worldwide assets: $325,000 million (1995)

Middle East: branch, representative office and offshore banking unit in Bahrain. Branch in Egypt. Representative offices in Abu Dhabi and Tehran. 49 per cent of Banque du Caire et de Paris (Egypt). Wholly-owned subsidiary Banque Nationale de Paris Intercontinentale (BNPI), with branches in Lebanon and Yemen; 50 per cent of Banque Marocaine pour le Commerce et l'Industrie (Morocco).

Banque Paribas

Worldwide (group) assets: $272,000 million (1995)

Middle East: branches in Egypt, Qatar, UAE (Abu Dhabi and Dubai), Bahrain and Oman. Offshore unit in Bahrain. Representative offices in Casablanca and Beirut. 25 per cent of Societe Marocaine de Depot et Credit (Morocco), 20 per cent of Societe Nouvelle de la Banque de Syrie et du Liban (Lebanon), 10 per cent of Bank Dhofar Al-Omani Al-Fransi (Oman), 20 per cent of Bank of Sharjah (UAE).

Banque Indosuez

Worldwide assets: $87,000 million (1995)

Middle East: branches in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and five Yemeni cities; representative offices in Egypt and Iran. 31 per cent of Al Bank Al Saudi Al Fransi in Saudi Arabia and 51 per cent of Banque Libano Francaise (Lebanon). Wholly owns the Beirut-based Indosuez Capital Middle East, which does corporate and investment banking business.

Sources: MEED, The Banker