The French bank BNP Paribas (BNPP) will raise its stake in the Orient Commercial Bank (OCB) from 10 percent to 15 percent following a recently-signed agreement between the two sides.

The French bank’s holding in OCB is expected to rise to 20 percent after getting permission from the Vietnamese government.

BNPP bought 10 percent of the OCB in December 2007, officially becoming the Vietnamese bank’s strategic shareholder.

Both parties discussed the restructuring of the OCB as well its application of information technology and human resources development.

The French bank will lend its expertise so that the OCB can develop its banking cards and other products.

The OCB is scheduled to raise its chartered capital to two trillion VND (112 million USD) in 2009 and to three trillion VND by next year.

BNPP is one of the leading European groups in the financial and banking sector. It ranks among the top 15 largest banks in the world in terms of scale and capital./.