BNP Paribas to expand equity derivatives team by 200

BNP Paribas is increasing the headcount of its equity derivatives division by almost a third, in an effort to tap the growing demand for equity-linked products from emerging markets. In an interview with RiskNews ( Structured Products' sister publication), the bank’s global head of equities and derivatives, Yann Gerardin, said the number of front-office staff would grow from 700 to 900 before the end of the year

Gerardin said the increase was part of a general expansion, rather than being driven by a specific product launch or regional push. “We considered last year that it was probably time to accelerate and move from annual increases of 100 [people] a year to something much more substantial,” he said. “It’s not one big plan or one big subject, it's many plans on hundreds of different subjects.”

The move