Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas was founded in 1972, in Paris, as a result, of the merger between Banque de Paris and Nederlandsche Credit en Deposito Bank (NCDB). The merger was part of a wide move to form new banking institutions, which took place in the middle of the nineteenth century. The main bankers already active at the time in Northwestern Europe played a major role in this initiative. The birth of Paribas is effectively linked to the decisive participation of a network of European Private bankers based originally in the Netherlands, which swiftly moved to Paris, when it became Continental European main banking centre. This article based on recent research into Dutch sources brings new light on the conditions prevailing when NCDB was founded.