BANK CASPIAN JSC (Kazakhstan) informed about borrowing a syndicated loan for $200 m.

/KASE, March 26, 06/ - BANK CASPIAN JSC (Almaty), securities of which are traded in Kazakhstan stock exchange's (KASE) official "A" listing category, today spread press-release of the following content. Quotation start Bank Caspian JSC, the leading retail bank of Kazakhstan, today announced about borrowing the syndicated loan for a total of $200 m. The syndicated credit was borrowed by two tranches with terms of 370 days and 2 years with the capacity of further prolongation. Loan terms are LIBOR +0.90% for the first tranche and LIBOR +1.20% for the second tranche. UniCredit Group, ING Bank N.V. and Standard Bank Plc. acted as the leading organizers of the loan. 35 foreign banks from Europe, USA, the Middle East and Asia participated in the loan. It is remarkable that 10 out of them for the first time participated in the deal with the Bank Caspian. Nurmukhamed Bektemisov, a chairman of the Board of Bank Caspian, noted, "Initially, the declared amount of the deal totaled $150 m., but an exceptionally positive perception about the Bank Caspian of foreign commercial banks allowed increasing the syndicated loan amount up to $200 m. we also managed to decrease the borrowing price by 0.35% compared to the last year's deal. At that, following the weighted policy to foreign borrowings, Caspian restricted the loan amount, having offers for amounts much more than $200 m. Caspian in future is going to follow the conservative policy of borrowing a foreign financing and is to borrow exactly as much as required for maintaining qualitative growth of the business". Mikhail Lomtadze, a Member of the Board of directors of Bank Caspian JSC and a partner of Baring Vostok Capital Partners, stated, "An increased interest to the Bank from the side of international financial institutions has become the result of important changes, occurred in the Caspian in the second half of the year 2006. A special event for Bank Caspian has become an appearance of a major shareholder in the face of an institutionalized investor Baring Vostok Capital Partners, and as a result an increase of the consolidated common equity of $80 m. We also have formed an international management team, consisting of managers with a work experience in the leading financial and consulting companies of the world." As before, priority work directions of Bank Caspian remain consumer crediting, crediting of small and medium-size businesses, mutually profitable cooperation with trade networks and corporate clients. The strategic priorities of the Bank are a moderate controllable growth, portfolio quality and business effectiveness. Reference: Bank Caspian JSC is among ten leading banks of Kazakhstan with assets exceeding KZT200 bn. ($1.6 bn.) and consolidated capital of more than KZT34 bn. ($274 m.). Banks takes leading positions in consumer crediting. Retain network of the Bank consists of 147 departments and 500 points of sale of express credits, which serve more than 2000 trade enterprises. Credits to small and medium-size businesses and the public of Kazakhstan make more than a half of the Bank's portfolio. www.bc.kz Baring Vostok Capital Partners is one of most successful investment companies that manage assets of three direct investment funds in CIS with the total capital under control of about $800 m. and which is in the final stage of raising its fourth fund with the size of $1 bn. Since 1994 funds under the control of Baring Vostok Capital Partners have invested more than $600 m. in 47 companies. Baring Vostok invested in a number of companies in the financial services sphere, oil and gas industry, telecommunications and mass media, in consumer sector, including such prominent successful companies as a leasing company Europlan, Center of Financial Technologies, Barren Energy, Vimpelcom, Golden Telecom, Syktyvkar lumber industry, Sladko, Borjomi, Yandex, Bank Caspian, television channels STS and Ozon. Among fund investors under control of Baring Vostok there are such well-known international financial institutions as European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, International Financial Corporation, Netherlands Development Agency and others. Baring Vostok is a part of Baring Private Equity Partners International, a group of direct investment funds managers with $3.5 bn. assets in Asia, India and CIS. www.bvcp.ru Press-service of Bank Caspian JSC Yelena Vakirova phone +7 (327) 250 18 00 (х1280), e-mail: vakirovae@bc.kz Quotation end [2007-03-26]