Fortis Investments is a multi-centre, multi-product global asset management company. Following the integration with the asset management activities of ABN AMRO Asset Management, Fortis Investments now has proforma assets under management of EUR 245 billion* with institutional clients and third party distributors constituting over 50% of its client base. Employees in the combined entity will number over 2,000, of whom 600 will be dedicated investment professionals. With dominance and strength in Europe, a substantial position in Asia and an enlarged presence in the Americas, the company has a true global presence, with sales offices and some 40 dedicated investment centres in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. Fortis Investments offers international investment solutions while aiming to meet the requirements and needs of local investors, both institutional and retail. As such Fortis Investments is a strongly client-driven organisation, using a disciplined investment process and a commitment to first class client service to satisfy clients varied needs.

Fortis Investments is proud to count 25 Official Institutions, including central banks and sovereign reserve managers in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, amongst its clients. Our long-standing experience in meeting the unique needs and expectations of this important client segment underpins a strong drive to become a partner of choice and trusted adviser to clients in this growing sector. For more information on Fortis Investments please contact your relationship manager or visit www.investments.fortis.com.

*All figures are proforma and post the integration of the asset management activities of ABN AMRO Asset Management; Artemis, M&C, IAM, Teda, VAM and River Road AM are not included in the transaction with Ping An. Fortis intends to manage these entities separately from Fortis Investments. The Brazilian Asset Management activities that were sold to Santander earlier are also not included.

Netherlands-based ABN AMRO is a leading international bank with total assets of EUR 1,120.1 bln (as at 30 June 2007). It has more than 4,000 branches in 53 countries, and has a staff of more than 99,000 full-time equivalents worldwide. ABN AMRO was acquired by the Consortium of RBS, Fortis and Santander in October 2007 and its various businesses will be divided among the three banks.

ABN AMRO has been present in the United Arab Emirates since 1973, with branches in the major Emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. With a dedicated team of 1,500 professionals from 22 countries, our team of multicultural and multilingual bankers represents a rich diversity of perspectives, skills and experiences.

We have a clear focus on consumer and commercial clients in our local markets and focus globally on select multinational corporations and financial institutions, as well as private clients. Our business mix gives us a competitive edge in our chosen markets and client segments. Our strategy is built on leveraging our advantages as a Group to create the best value for – and with – our clients.

We are active in four principal customer segments: Consumer Banking, Business and Commercial Banking, Private Banking, and Corporate and Institutional Banking.

CIMB Islamic is a global Islamic universal bank providing a wide range of innovative shariah-compliant products and services in investment banking, consumer banking and asset management. As the Islamic banking arm of the CIMB Banking Group, Malaysia’s 2nd largest financial services group and South East Asia’s largest investment banking franchise, CIMB Islamic provides Islamic consumer banking services in Malaysia through its 383 branches (dual-sited with CIMB Bank) and 35 business centres nationwide. In addition, it has over 100 Islamic investment bankers and specialists spread out over South East Asia and in major financial centres such as Hong Kong, London, New York and the Middle East. CIMB Islamic is fully equipped with insight into all aspects of Islamic finance and unrivalled experience in the Islamic debt capital and consumer banking markets globally.

CIMB-Principal Asset Management, jointly owned between CIMB Group and The Principal Financial Group, is one of the largest fund management companies in Malaysia.

CIMB-Principal’s team of dedicated investment professionals offers expertise in equity, fixed income, syariah-compliant and cash investments from its offices in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta. It manufactures and distributes more than 60 unit trust funds for retail investors, of which 21 are Islamic funds. It also tailors and manages investment portfolio mandates for a diversity of institutional clients, which include government pension funds, multinational corporations and global insurance companies.

An award winning asset management company, CIMB-Principal has garnered regional recognition as the Most Improved Fund House 2006 by Asia Asset Management and as Malaysia Fund House of The Year 2007 by Asian Investor.

Our Islamic banking expertise also puts us at the forefront of Shariah-compliant investments. Emerging as a leader in Islamic asset management in the South-East Asia region, CIMB Islamic has been named Islamic Investment Bank of the Year (2007) by The Banker, Best Islamic Bank in Asia (2007) by Euromoney and awarded The World Islamic Capital Markets Excellence Award 2007 at the World Islamic Capital Markets & Islamic Funds Conference. CIMB Islamic Group Asset Management was also named Islamic Fund House of the Year 2007 by Asia Asset Management.

With its international presence, Islamic capabilities and expert market insights, CIMB-Principal is positioned to provide you with innovative, tailor-made financial solutions.

Lehman Brothers (ticker symbol: LEH), an innovator in global finance, serves the financial needs of corporations, governments andmunicipalities, institutional clients, and high net worth individualsworldwide. Founded in 1850, Lehman Brothers maintains leadershippositions in equity and fixed income sales, trading and research,investment banking, private investment management, asset management andprivate equity. The Firm is headquartered in New York, with regionalheadquarters in London and Tokyo, and operates in a network of officesaround the world. For further information about Lehman Brothers'services, products and recruitment opportunities, visit the Firm's Website at www.lehman.com.

Northern Trust Corporation (Nasdaq: NTRS) is a leading provider of investment management, asset and fund administration, fiduciary and banking solutions for corporations, institutions and affluent individuals worldwide. Northern Trust, a multibank holding company based in Chicago, has a growing network of 85 offices in 18 U.S. states and has international offices in 13 locations in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. As of December 31, 2007, Northern Trust had assets under custody of US$4.1 trillion, and assets under investment management of US$757.2 billion. Northern Trust, founded in 1889, has earned distinction as an industry leader in combining high-touch service and expertise with innovative products and technology. For more information, visit http://www.northerntrust.com

 

Global Investment House "Global" is a leading investment company in the MENA region, offering integrated products and services ranging from Asset Management to Investment Banking, and Brokerage.

Global plays an important role in promoting investment opportunities in the Arabian Gulf Peninsula to international investors through expert financial engineering. It also provides investors with a diverse scope of international and national investment opportunities, and facilitates those investments by providing clients with services that target their individual needs.

At Global, we strive to develop and market high quality, value added, consumer-preferred financial products and services that exceed our clients' expectations. We meet our objectives by investing in various fields that develop our business for the future, based on pre-set core values and principles.

Global is licensed by the Central Bank of Kuwait and is listed on Kuwait Stock Exchange, with a total market capital exceeding US$ 3.6 billion dollars.

The company’s net profit for the fiscal year 2007 was KD 91.4 million (USD 334.2 million), which translated into an EPS of 109 fils. Today, Global assets under management exceed KD 2.3 billion (USD 8.6 billion) as at the end of 2007.

With close support from various business sectors, Global is confident that its clients can always acquire the greatest viable performance from the expertise of a well-established team of professionals.

Global follows an aggressive expansion strategy that commenced with opening offices in Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, Egypt, Turkey and recently just obtained the license to operate in Saudi Arabia, with plans to expand in other regional markets.

 

The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is an onshore hub for global finance. It bridges the time gap between the financial centres of Hong Kong and London and services a region with the largest untapped emerging market for financial services.

In just under two years, over 500 firms have registered at the DIFC. They operate in an open environment complemented with world-class regulations and standards. The DIFC offers its member institutions incentives such as 100 per cent foreign ownership, zero tax on income and profits and no restrictions on foreign exchange. In addition their business benefits from modern infrastructure, operational support and business continuity facilities of uncompromisingly high standards.

Zawya is a mission-driven company with a purpose of turning business into an agent for prosperity, innovation and progress to transform the Middle East into a better place to live and work in. In pursuing this mission, we provide business professionals with an information service that helps them understand and develop the regional business environment.

Zawya is an independent media and information company with more than 100 professionals based in Dubai and Beirut. For the past seven years, the company has been creating, maintaining and delivering Middle East business information for business professionals. Today our information platform has more than 250,000 users around the world. For more information visit www.zawya.com.

Investit was founded in 1998 to provide advice and research services to the investment management industry. We offer a unique range of services, from front to back office, and draw from five specialist consultancy practices: Investment, Client Management, Performance & Risk, Operations and Technology. Investit People supports our consultancy with specialist recruitment services. Investit Intelligence completes the offering with a range of market-leading benchmarking surveys and detailed research services, allowing investment managers to improve their knowledge of the market and respond positively and profitably to change.

We're ex-practitioners. And having been on the inside of the investment management industry, our advice springs from hands on experience, not just theory. We focus only on the investment management industry. That's why our understanding of your market extends from the big picture down to minute detail. From the daily needs of fund managers and operations teams, from back to front office and from IT to personnel - everything we do enables you to work more effectively.

Our challenge is to address your issues, meet your budget and get it absolutely right. We're challenging but fun, smart but never smug. We do our utmost to deliver whatever works best for you.

.Lombard Street Research was founded in 1989 and is a leading independent macroeconomic forecaster providing analysis and research to asset managers, banks and global corporations.

The key foundation of our research is monetary economics. Fundamental analysis of trends in money and credit, banking systems and flows-of-funds provides unique insights into economic developments and into likely movements of financial asset prices. We also employ proprietary leading indicators to help generate forecasts for economic growth in all the major economies of the world.

Lombard Street Research has an enviable record of good calls on both economic and financial market trends over the last nineteen years. Our independence means that we are free to express forthright views, often against the prevailing consensus in an objective manner.

We have offices in London, New York and Hong Kong.