QNB Signs Agreement as the Official Bank for Qatar Tennis Open

Doha 20 November 2006 - Qatar National Bank (QNB), and the Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) signed today an agreement naming QNB as the Official Bank for the Men's and Women's tours of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in Doha.

The agreement was signed by H.E. Sheikh Mohamed Bin Faleh Al Thani, Chairman of QTF and Mr. Ali Shareef Al Emadi, Acting Chief Executive of QNB.

This is the 14th year that QNB has been signed on as a sponsor for the Tennis Tour, adding to the bank's rich resume of sports involvement in Qatar. QNB has always been pro active in paving the way towards placing Qatar in the major league of countries that patronize sports.

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Faleh, President of the Qatar Tennis Federation, thanked QNB for its generous contribution supporting the two tournaments "Qatar Exxon Mobil Open", which will be held from 01 January to o6 January 2007, and the "Qatar Total Open" to be held from 26 February until 03 March 2007. QNB, the leading bank in Qatar, has always supported the activities of the Qatar Tennis Federation.

In his comments, Mr. Al Emadi said, "We are proud to be associated with QTF once again. Our focus has been to give Qatar the boost it deserves in order to receive international recognition, and we truly believe that supporting the game of Tennis will help in achieving this objective."

"We have been partners with QTF for 14 years, and I am confident that this relationship has blossomed to a stage where Qatar's tennis tournaments are recognized all over the world", Mr. Al Emadi added.

QNB has played a pivotal role towards development of sports in the state. The bank will be a major part of Qatar's sporting history, as it is one of the four Prestige Sponsors of the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006 and the official Bank of the games.

In a landmark agreement, QNB inked a sponsorship agreement with Qatar National Olympic Committee (QNOC) making the bank the exclusive sponsor of all major sports in Qatar, namely football, basketball, volleyball and handball. QNB aims at excelling not only in providing world class banking services but also in supporting local sports in general and the community at large.

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Qatar National Bank (QNB)
Qatar National Bank (QNB) was established in 1964 as the country's first Qatari-owned commercial bank, with an ownership structure split between the Government of Qatar (50%) and the private sector (50%).

QNB has steadily grown to be among the largest banks in the region and is by far the leading financial institution in the country with a market share approaching 45% of banking sector assets. QNB has the largest distribution network of 39 branches and offices, two of them Islamic branches, and more than 100 ATM's.

QNB international presence is rapidly expanding with new locations in Singapore and Libya (Representative Offices) and Yemen (Branch), supplementing existing branches in London and Paris and a Representative Office in Iran. The London-based Ansbacher, QNB's Wealth Management and Private Banking subsidiary, operates in Switzerland, Channel Islands, Dubai International Financial Center and Qatar Financial Center. Ansbacher, was the first financial institution to be granted a license to operate at Qatar Financial Centre providing a wide range of wealth management services in Qatar and the region.

QNB offers a full range of retail, corporate, investment, treasury, wealth management, and Islamic banking products and services for individuals, corporate institutions and government entities. QNB is constantly striving to provide intelligent banking solutions and its range of products and services, and delivery channels across all disciplines continues to be unrivalled.

Through its affiliate, Al Watani Al Islami, QNB was the first commercial bank in Qatar to offer Islamic Banking products and services, and the first Qatari bank to launch equity funds (Al Watani Funds) for companies listed in the Doha Securities Market.

QNB has the highest credit rating among Qatari banks from leading rating agencies including Standard & Poor's, Moody's, Fitch, and Capital Intelligence. The Bank has also been the recipient of the "Best Bank in Qatar" Award from leading international specialized financial publications including: The Banker, Euromoney, Global Finance and Project Finance.

QNB has an active community support program and sponsors various social, educational, and sports events. QNB is the Official Bank of the 15^th Asian Games Doha 2006. The Bank is also the official sponsor of the four major sports in Qatar which include Football, Basketball, Handball, and Volleyball.

For further information, please contact Ali Abdul Ghani, Public Relations manager, Office 4407890- Mobile 5505729 or email ali.ghani@qnb.com.qa