BNP Paribas, the euro-zone’s largest bank by assets, reported a third-quarter profit that fell short of analyst forecasts as higher provisions for bad loans and weaker client activity weighed on results. Its global commercial and investment-bank unit sales dropped 2.6%, and litigation and geopolitical issues also weighed. The bank signalled caution ahead, highlighting slower lending growth and tighter risk parameters amid global uncertainty. The earnings miss underscores vulnerability in European banking despite earlier optimism around a rising-rate backdrop.