Dubai, 19 March 2001

Emirates Bank Group (EBG), in partnership with Coface Group, the world leader in international credit insurance and manager of the French government export credits, introduces @rating, the first on-line rating system in the region. @rating (pronounced 'at rating') provides accurate on-line assessment on companies from around the world instantly, mitigating the risk associated with globalization and e-commerce. It is accessible through the EBG website, @rating provides a straight forward, clear assessment of any company's ability to fulfill its commercial commitments. The full @rating Search Service gives access to over 35 million companies from around the world. Companies which have not been listed already will be researched and assessed upon request.

A company can also acquire its own rating by supplying up-to-date financial and trade information in full confidentiality to Coface through the EBG website. Coface will decide whether or not to provide a rating for the company, and if so, will rate it for the period of one year, on a scale from @ to @@@@. An important additional benefit from Coface is the full insurance protection of any transaction (up to the level of the @rating), wherever the buyer has an @rating Quality Label.

Once acquired, the @rating Quality Label can be placed on all business communications including stationery, e-mail and web-site. The @rating Quality Label pre-empts credit enquiries and allows potential trade partners to verify the company's position over the Internet.

Anis Aljallaf, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of EBG said: "This important credit rating service which is now accessible through the EBG website has been developed by Coface to certify a company's ability to honour its commercial undertakings. We believe that it will be enormously useful to companies in the UAE and elsewhere in the region, whether they wish to publish their own credit rating or obtain one for a company they plan to do business with."

Jerome Cazes, Managing Director of Coface said: " We chose to introduce our rating service in partnership with EBG, the most advanced banking organization in the region in the field of e-finance and e-banking. Via the @rating system, we can help local companies establish their credibility worldwide, systematically monitor the quality of their trading partners, and cover credit risk with those companies."

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© Press Release 2005