Criteria Caixa Corp buys 4% of The Bank of East Asia in accordance with "la Caixa’s" international expansion strategy The Bank of East Asia (BEA) is the fifth largest bank in Hong Kong with total consolidated assets of €32.42Bn, over 200 branches and 8,900 employees. "la Caixa" has assets totalling €232.30Bn, 10.3 million customers, 5,246 branches and 23,707 employees. Criteria Caixa Corp is 100% controlled by "la Caixa" and it will be soon listed on the Stock Market. Barcelona, 20 September 2007 . "la Caixa” has bought a 4% stake in The Bank of East Asia (BEA), Hong Kong’s fifth largest bank in terms of consolidated assets and the largest local independent bank, for €265Mn. This move is part of the "la Caixa’s” international expansion strategy and was carried out by Criteria Caixa Corp, its financial arm. "la Caixa” is chaired by Isidro Fainé and managed by Juan María Nin. The Bank of East Asia, chaired by Dr. David K.P. Li, has total consolidated assets of €32.42Bn (as at 30 June 2007), over 200 branches and 8,900 employees. The bank is listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and is one of the constituent stocks of the Hang Seng Index. BEA, which has a long-term A- credit rating from Standard & Poor’s and an A2 rating from Moody’s, was named the best foreign retail bank in China in 2006 by the specialist journal The Asian Banker. This is Criteria Caixa Corp first step in the Asian financial sector, complementing "la Caixa’s” opening of a representative office in Beijing last year. "la Caixa” and BEA have been working together for years in the remittance business and trade finance as part of a correspondent bank agreement. The Chief Executive Officer of "la Caixa”, Juan María Nin, points out that "this investment will help us enhance the services we provide to the Spanish business community in south-east Asia and particularly in China and to work closely in the development of their businesses, providing finance and security for their transactions.” Growth plans in China BEA provides comprehensive retail, corporate and investment banking services in Hong Kong, China and overseas.It has over 120 branches, and 50 branches in China, making BEA the foreign company with one of the largest networks in the Chinese market. It was also one of the first foreign banks to be authorised to set up a fully-owned subsidiary, The Bank of East Asia (China), which offers banking services to all types of customers, including the local population. BEA also has branches in other south-east Asian countries, the UK, USA, Canada and the British Virgin Islands, serving the financial needs of overseas customers in these countries. It also offers its services to North American clients via The Bank of East Asia (USA) N.A., which has its head office in New York and The Bank of East Asia (Canada). "la Caixa” was founded in 1904 and has assets worth €232.30Bn, 10.3 million customers, 5,246 branches and 23,707 employees. It recorded a net profit of €3.01Bn in 2006 while its net attributable income for the first half of 2007 was €1.23Bn. "la Caixa” controls 100% of Criteria Caixa Corp, chaired by Ricardo Fornesa. Criteria Caixa Corp owns the largest portfolio of investee companies in Spain with a gross asset value of €25Bn (as at 30th June 2007). It recently announced its forthcoming flotation via a Public Share Offering. This transaction aims to obtain market assessment, gain access to capital markets and provide an international expansion vehicle for "la Caixa”. .