@ La Baule...

At the seaside resort of La Baule, France, on the sidelines of the World Investment Conference, I sat down with...

NYSE Euronext's head of international listings, Ronald Kent, who said the transatlantic exchange operator expects to list more Chinese companies this year than in 2010, promising a fresh influx of steady fees. (Read on...)

Greek Minister of State Haris Pamboukis, who said he was cautious about any full-on external involvement in Greece's privatisation programme, even if he was a "fervent supporter" of any outside support that was just technical. (Read on...)

HSBC's Head of Global Research Bronwyn Curtis, who said Greek sovereign yields were making markets nervous again and that the bank's investment allocation in cash had increased since the end of Q1. (Read on...)

Tunisian Employment Minister Said Aidi, who said Tunisia would suffer rising unemployment through most of 2011 as the economy struggles to grow. (Read on...)

Moroccan Trade and Industry Minister Ahmed Reda Chami, who said Morocco may slightly reduce its growth forecasts for 2011 once the impact of broader unrest in the Arab world and the recent bomb attack in Marrakesh becomes clear. (Read on...)

Hungarian EU Affairs Minister Eniko Gyori, who said the reported arrest of Ratko Mladic was a positive step for Serbia's bid to join the European Union and for the admission of more Balkan countries in general.

Veolia's executive in charge of international affairs, Joachim Bitterlich, who said the French utility expects international revenue to keep growing and sees opportunities in Asia and North America. (Read on...)

BNP Offers Smooth Transition With New CEO

By Lionel Laurent

PARIS, May 11 (Reuters) - BNP Paribas, France's biggest listed bank, unveiled a well-flagged handover to new Chief Executive Jean-Laurent Bonnafe at its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, a move that promises a smooth transition.

Bonnafe, a trusted insider and long seen as the natural heir to current CEO Baudouin Prot, will take the reins on Dec. 1. Prot will take the chairmanship from 69-year-old Michel Pebereau, whose retirement had been widely expected.

"Our new management will be able to offer BNP ... all the development plans it deserves," Bonnafe told shareholders.

The bespectacled, rugby-loving Bonnafe will inherit a bank that has emerged a winner from the crisis but which is overwhelmingly exposed to mature Western markets and which faces tougher rules that will make banking a less profitable business.

There is little to suggest he will rock the boat and some analysts warn growth will be more challenging in future.

"Looking past 2011, we see very limited levers to grow earnings per share and wonder how BNP will deliver," RBS analyst Jorge Mayo said.

(Read on...)