INTESA SANPAOLO GROUP http://www.intesasanpaolo.com

The Intesa Sanpaolo Group is the leading banking group in Italy with about 11.4 million customers and over 6,500 branches and one of the top banking groups in Europe. It was formed in January 2007 by the merger of Sanpaolo IMI and Banca Intesa. Both banks were already key players in the Italian market and had contributed to the consolidation process of the Italian banking industry. Gruppo Intesa was the result of a series of integrations completed successfully: it was formed in 1998 from the integration of Cariplo and Ambroveneto; in 1999 a Tender Offer was made on 70% of Banca Commerciale Italiana which was subsequently incorporated in 2001. The Sanpaolo IMI Group was the result of the merger between Istituto Bancario San Paolo di Torino and Istituto Mobiliare Italiano which took place in 1998, and the subsequent integrations of Banco di Napoli in 2000 and Gruppo Cardine in 2002.

The Intesa Sanpaolo Group is the leading provider of financial products and services to both households and businesses in Italy. The Group has the following market shares: pension funds (29%), foreign transactions (an approximately 26% market share in foreign trade payments), asset management (25%), factoring (24%) and banking intermediation (18% in customer loans and deposits).

The Group also has strategic operations in Central-Eastern European markets and the Mediterranean basin, where it currently serves 8.4 million customers through over 1,900 branches and is among the top players in several countries. In fact, through its local subsidiary banks, the Intesa Sanpaolo Group ranks first in Serbia, second in Albania, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia, fifth in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia, and sixth in Egypt.

As at 30 September 2008, the Intesa Sanpaolo Group had total assets of 633,848 million euro, customer loans of 385,795 million and direct customer deposits of 433,446 million.

The Group‘s activities are organised in business units.

● The Territorial Bank Division - which includes the Italian subsidiary banks – is based on a model designed to support and enhance regional brands, upgrade local commercial positions and strengthen relations with individuals, small businesses, SMEs and non-profit entities. Private banking, bancassurance and industrial credit are also part of this Division.

● The Corporate & Investment Banking Division supports the balanced and sustainable development of corporates and financial institutions with a medium-long term view, both nationally and internationally, serving as a “global partner” with an in-depth knowledge of corporate strategies and a complete range of services. Its main activities include M&As, structured finance and capital markets carried out through Banca IMI, merchant banking and global custody. The Division is present in 34 countries through a specialist network made up of branches, representative offices and subsidiary banks focused on corporate banking to facilitate the cross-border activities of its customers.

● The International Subsidiary Banks Division includes retail and commercial subsidiaries abroad which offer their customers ever more competitive, service-led and innovating banking. They are: Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania, Intesa Sanpaolo Banka Bosna i Hercegovina in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Privredna Banka Zagreb in Croatia, the Prague branch of VUB Banka in the Czech Republic, Bank of Alexandria in Egypt, the Athens and Thessaloniki branches of Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Albania in Greece, CIB Bank in Hungary, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Romania, KMB Bank (a leading bank in the segment of small enterprises) in the Russian Federation, Banca Intesa Beograd in Serbia, VUB Banka in Slovakia, Banka Koper in Slovenia and Pravex-Bank in Ukraine.

● In the Public Finance sector the Group’s subsidiary Banca Infrastrutture Innovazione e Sviluppo finances infrastructures and services for public utilities, with product specialists and a dedicated network. Taking advantage of its distinctive competences and of the critical mass achieved in Italy in this sector, the Group intends to pursue development opportunities abroad, particularly by financing of public works in strategic countries for the Group.

● Eurizon Financial Group is the leading asset management company in Italy with approximately 145 billion euro of assets under management.

● Banca Fideuram is the leader in Italy in the sector of financial advisors with 4,255 private bankers and 97 domestic branches.

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