DIFC presence offers MENA investors greater access to the firm's investment expertise

Dubai, 13 November 2011 - Dexia Asset Management (Dexia AM) today strengthened its regional presence by opening an office in Dubai which will cover part of the GCC and wider MENA region. Established at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), this new office reflects Dexia AM's ongoing growth strategy and growing commitment to better serve clients and institutions across the region.

Dexia AM has been active in the GCC since 2006 when it launched its office in Bahrain. Sami El-Eid who heads the Bahrain office will also take responsibility for the new office in DIFC.

"We see tremendous growth prospects in the MENA area," says Naïm Abou-Jaoudé, CEO of Dexia AM. "The global economic environment creates new opportunities for asset managers in the region and we want to remain at the forefront of innovation by bringing the right solutions and services to meet our clients' risk profiles and investment strategies. I am confident that this new, broader, footprint will allow us to grow our regional business."

Sami El-Eid is a CFA charterholder, educated in France, the UK and Canada and has over 17 years of industry experience in the Middle East. He joined Dexia AM in the spring of 2011 as "Head of Client Relations - MENA" from Robeco Asset Management, where he was Country Manager UAE, Qatar & Oman. Apart from a number of positions in the asset management business, his previous employers include Ernst & Young and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

"The establishment of the Dubai office marks the next phase of growth for Dexia AM in the region," said Sami El-Eid. "With its world class regulatory framework, the DIFC provides us with a stable environment to develop our business across the region. Our growing regional presence will be of much benefit to clients as we bring the latest investment solutions to their doorsteps. We look forward to further deepen our relationships and explore new business opportunities in the MENA region from our office in Bahrain and our new one in the DIFC".

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About Dexia Asset Management
Dexia Asset Management is an asset manager specialized in financial analysis, fund management and institutional and private mandates. Dexia AM is a first-tier, pan-European player managing EUR 80.5 billion (as at end September 2011) in assets, distributed among a full range of investment vehicles, including traditional management, alternative management and sustainable management. Dexia Asset Management has management teams in Brussels, Luxembourg, Paris and Sydney and sales teams throughout Continental Europe, Canada, Australia and the Middle East.

www.dexia-am.com

For more information
Ilse Devynck,
Dexia Asset Management
ilse.devynck@dexia.com
Tel: +32 2 222 81 67

Manash Bhuyan,
FTI Consulting
manash.bhuyan@fticonsulting
Tel: +971 4 332 8832

© Press Release 2011