regarding the payment of the dividend for the financial year 2007 through the offer of shares of the same category as those entitled to the dividend Date of issue: 23.04.2008
EFG Eurobank Ergasias S.A, with regard to the share capital increase of up to €42,000,000 in cash through the issue of up to 15,272,727 shares and the reinvestment of the final dividend for the year 2007, as approved by the Repeat Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of April 21st, 2008, informs the public, in accordance with article 4 par. 1.d of l. 3401/2005, of the following:
The Bank, within the framework of a new approach which aims to strengthen its relationship with shareholders and following the resolution for the reinvestment of the interim dividend for 2007, decided to offer shareholders the opportunity, at their sole discretion, to receive the final dividend for the year 2007 (whose distribution was decided by the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of April 8th, 2008) in shares instead of cash, as follows:
· Those entitled to receive the dividend either in the form of shares of the Bank or in cash are the beneficiaries of the dividend and specifically the shareholders of the Bank, who will be recorded in the Hellenic Exchanges S.A. (H.E.L.E.X.) Register after the closure of the Athens Exchange S.A. session on April 30th, 2008.
· Shareholders may decide to receive all or part of their dividend in shares (instead of cash) during the period from 22.04.2008 to 8.05.2008, as long as they are still entitled toreceive the interim dividend,by submitting a notification to their operators.
· Fractions of shares shall not be issued and so the amount reinvested will correspond to a whole number of shares. Any balance of dividend left after each shareholder’s reinvestment in shares will be paid to the shareholder in cash on the dividend payment date.
· If shareholders choose to receive shares, the share capital will increase accordingly and new shares will be issued and offered to those who take this option. The new shares will be registered ordinary voting shares in electronic form and will be entitled to every future dividend distribution. The excess above par of the proceeds from new shares will be transferred to the Share Premium Account.
· The new shares will be issued at a 3% discount on the average closing share price of the first four working days that the shares trade ex-dividend (namely during the period 2.05.2008-7.05.2008).
· Thenewshares are free of transaction costs.
· The receipt ofdividendinsharesorcashistaxneutralfortheshareholdersinGreeceandthereforethe tax treatment of those shareholders who choose to receive their dividend in shares will be the same as that of those receiving their dividend in cash, since the receipt of dividends whether in shares or in cash is tax exempt in Greece.
· The new shares are expected to be listed on the Athens Exchange on 26.05.2008, namely within two weeks from the dividend payment date, which is estimated to be 12.05.2008.
As a result of the above mentioned share capital increase, article 5 of the Bank’s Articles of Association will be amended accordingly, to show the increase of the Bank’s share capital and the number of shares. Should only a part of the dividend be reinvested, the Board of Directors will adjust, at the time it certifies the deposit of funds, Article 5 of the Articles of Association to show the precise amount of the increase in share capital covered.
It should be noted that shareholders who do not exercise their right to reinvest all or part of their final dividend in shares of the Bank and so will not participate in the share capital increase, will receive all the final dividend or any balance of it in cash respectively, starting from the payment date, namely on May 12th, 2008, in accordance with the procedure separately announced by the Bank.
The persons responsible for this Information Document and the accuracy of its contents are:
1. Andreas Enotiades, Head of Group Corporate Governance
2. Efrosini Koulocheri, Group Corporate Governance Officer.
The Information Document is available at the Bank’s offices in