Merrill Lynch becomes DIFX market maker

Notes and media contacts

About Merrill Lynch

Merrill Lynch is one of the world's leading wealth management, capital markets and advisory companies with offices in 37 countries and territories and total client assets of approximately $1.6 trillion. As an investment bank, it is a leading global trader and underwriter of securities and derivatives across a broad range of asset classes and serves as a strategic advisor to corporations, governments, institutions and individuals worldwide. Merrill Lynch owns approximately half of BlackRock, one of the world's largest publicly traded investment management companies with more than $1 trillion in assets under management.

About DIFX
The DIFX is the region's first international financial exchange for equities, bonds, Islamic products, funds, index products and (subject to regulatory approval) derivatives. The target areas of the DIFX for seeking issuers include the Middle East and North Africa, as well as South Africa, Turkey and the Indian sub-continent. The exchange launched in September 2005 and currently has 18 Members - ABN AMRO, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Barclays Capital, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, EFG-Hermes, Hichens, Harrison & Co, HSBC, Jefferies International, KAS BANK, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Mashreq Capital (DIFC), NBD Investment Bank, SHUAA Capital, Standard Chartered and UBS.
Issuers on the DIFX include: Equities - Albaraka Banking Group (ordinary shares), Fortune Management (ordinary shares), Gold Fields (American depositary shares), Hikma Pharmaceuticals (global depositary receipts), Kingdom Hotel Investments (ordinary shares), Man Industries (India) (global depositary receipts), Rana Sugars (global depositary receipts); Bonds - MashreqBank (Euro Medium Term Notes), National Bank of Dubai (Euro Medium Term Notes); Islamic products - Aabar Sukuk (Sukuk), Nakheel Development (Sukuk), Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (Sukuk), TID Global Sukuk (Sukuk); Structured Products - Deutsche Bank (certificates over indices).

The regulator of the DIFX is the Dubai Financial Services Authority. The DIFX is located in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and its owner is the DIFC Authority.

www.difx.ae