Foreword
At a time when the entire planet is facing tremendous economic, social and environmental challenges, a multitude of initiatives from around the world prove that solutions exist for doing more with less. The common ingredient in all this creative ferment? Collective ingenuity.
Being flexible, keeping it simple, seizing opportunities, thinking differently: in an unstable world, the ingenious innovator develops a state of mind that’s agile enough to turn obstacles into opportunities.
We live on a small planet where everything is interdependent. This is not a time for divisions, but for concerted action: citizens, associations, NGOs, local authorities, and companies both large and small are implementing new ideas for a better world. Driven by the digital revolution, most of these initiatives rely on social media. Some of them fall within the commercial sphere, others do not. But all of them demonstrate new ways of innovating together, differently.
A wave of collective ingenuity is sweeping across the world. Drawing on a wide range of concrete examples, the WAVE exhibition explores major currents on every continent: co-creation, sharing economy, maker movement, inclusive economy and circular economy. These examples feature people from all walks of life who share a positive vision of the world of tomorrow.
BNP Paribas’ signature – “the bank for a changing world” – reflects the fundamental role that innovation plays across all our activities. Understanding and anticipating the world of tomorrow is not only essential for an international group that finances the real economy, it is also a vital strategic priority.
Our ambition, and indeed our responsibility, is to support the transformations in the banking trei industry and, more broadly, in society. We continually adapt to profound, fast-paced changes.
We work to anticipate the key needs of our customers to bring them simple, efficient and useful solutions and help them address the changes they themselves face.
Our Group is widely recognised for its contributions to an inclusive economy. We have a long history of sponsoring an extensive array of initiatives alongside community and nationwide associations, local government, social entrepreneurs and microfinance organisations. What’s more, BNP Paribas is actively involved in numerous programmes in conjunction with start-ups, incubators and accelerators for innovative projects.
WAVE was conceived in collaboration with “L’Atelier BNP Paribas”, the Group’s technology intelligence unit, which tracks and tests disruptive innovations. With teams in Paris, Shanghai and San Francisco, “L’Atelier BNP Paribas” proposes a vision of the future in areas where technology trends are intimately linked to changes in society.
