National Bank Of Greece Becomes First Greek Bank To List On NYSE

The shares of National Bank of Greece S.A. began trading today on the New York Stock Exchange as American Depositary Receipts under the ticker symbol NBG. National Bank of Greece (NBG) is the first Greek bank to be listed on the NYSE. "We decided to list our shares on the New York Stock Exchange, as part of our strategy to have direct access to the global financial markets through the most challenging and demanding stock exchange in the world," said Mr. Theodoros Karatzas, Chairman of the Board and Governor of NBG. "We are looking forward to joining the ranks of global companies that make their shares accessible to US and global investors." "We are thrilled with NBG's decision to list on the NYSE and pleased to welcome the oldest and pre-eminent Greek bank as the first Greek financial institution to join the NYSE family," said Exchange Chairman and CEO Richard A. Grasso. Established in 1841, NBG is the largest commercial bank in Greece and a leader in providing its customer, directly or through various subsidiaries, a wide range of integrated financial services, including commercial and retail banking, mortgage lending, investment banking, capital markets and advisory services, asset management and insurance. NBG has been listed on the Athens Stock Exchange since 1880. The company has an international presence with operations in 16 countries on four continents. The NYSE is the world's premier equities market and currently has approximately 3,066 listed companies from 48 countries with a total global market capitalization of $15.2 trillion that trade an average 785 million shares daily. Among them 382 are non-U.S. companies that trade an average 64 million shares daily valued at $2.9 billion. The NYSE roster of listings includes one other Greek company, Hellenic Telecommunications Organization S.A. (NYSE: OTE), which listed on Nov. 12, 1998