BNP Paribas, France's biggest bank, has said it deeply regrets misconduct that led to a record-breaking penalty of $8.83bn (£5.2bn) for dealing with countries that were the subject of US sanctions.
Jean-Laurent Bonnafe, the bank's chief executive, said the misconduct was "something that goes against the grain of the bank", and insisted that the settlement did not undermine the solidity of its finances.
Speaking to investors on Tuesday, he said BNP Paribas had strengthened its internal controls and all transactions in US dollars would now go through New York.
BNP Paribas shares rose 3.4% on Tuesday, after the bank announced it would pay a dividend of €1.50 a share – a surprise for some analysts who had assumed BNP's 2014 dividend would be wiped out by the enormous fine.
US prosecutors said the bank had engaged in a "long-term, multi-jurisdictional conspiracy" involving currency trades for clients in Sudan, Iran and Cuba that was known at the highest levels at the company.
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