"Bigger is better," said Baudouin Prot in answer yesterday to an analyst's sceptical question about the superlatives tripping off the BNP Paribas chief executive's tongue in relation to the €14.5bn ($19.6bn) takeover of Fortis bank's Belgian and Luxembourg operations.

"In terms of market share, deposits and assets under management, bigger is better, especially if you do it at an attractive price," said Mr Prot.