Standard Chartered announces the "Dream Account" Lexus ES350 winner

Mr. Karimpanil Raghavan P Reghunath walks away with a luxurious Lexus

Manama, Sunday, 20 July 2008- Standard Chartered Bank, Bahrain announced the winner of its first luxurious Lexus ES350 car, under its Standard Chartered Dream Account campaign. The lucky winner is Mr. Karimpanil Raghavan P Reghunath. This is the first of the two Lexus ES350 cars being given away since the launch of the campaign on 22nd April 2008.

Mr. Karimpanil Raghavan was thrilled when he was announced the winner, live on Bahrain Radio and could not believe when he received a call from B. Chandrasekhar, Regional Head of Consumer Banking, Northern Gulf, Levant and Oman to congratulate him on his win.

"This is a dream come true for me and my family. The Dream Account not only gave me an opportunity to save regularly but also a great chance to win a luxury car. I am extremely proud to have made the right choice to open The Dream Account with Standard Chartered Bank over a variety of other offers" said Mr. Karimpanil.

The Standard Chartered Bank Dream Account campaign will be open till 31st December 2008. Apart from the two luxurious Lexus cars, customers were also rewarded with instant prizes of Motorola phone and free tickets to the Lost Paradise amusement park. The ongoing Dream Account campaign, still entitles all customers who has opened Diva, Junior, Executive, Payroll and Ultrapack, to be eligible to walk away with the second luxurious Lexus ES 350 which will be drawn on 15th January 2009. The minimum balance to qualify for the draw is BD 500 and with every extra BD 100, customers get an additional chance to win.

On the Dream Account campaign, Jonathan Morris, Chief Executive Officer Standard Chartered Bank Bahrain said, "The Dream Account and its market-leading benefits will

further inculcate the habit of savings since the product offers significant incentives to all the account holders. To top it all, we are pleased to reward our lucky customer with a luxurious Lexus ES350. Indeed, at Standard Chartered we believe in leading the way to make dreams come true for our customers."

B. Chandrasekhar, Regional Head of Consumer Banking, Standard Chartered Bank, Northern Gulf, Levant and Oman added, "The Dream Account, a first of its kind range of deposit products in Bahrain, caters to different individual banking needs. The Bank has designed an account for every member of the family focusing on their specific needs. For Women there is a Diva Account, for Children a unique Junior Account and for salaried individuals, an Executive Account."

"Our customers are participating actively in the campaign and we have received excellent response from customers since the launch of the Dream Account in April. We will continue to introduce more innovative products in the future".

The Dream Account is available today at all of Standard Chartered's 5 branches. For further information on Dream Account Campaign, please contact the nearest Standard Chartered Branch or call 17 531 532.

For further information, please contact:

Nimmi Kamal
Head Corporate Affairs Bahrain, Standard Chartered Bank
Tel: +973 3977 076
E-mail: Nimmi.Kamal@sc.com

Standard Chartered - leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East

Standard Chartered PLC, listed on both the London Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, ranks among the top 25 companies in the FTSE-100 by market capitalisation. The London-headquartered group has operated for over 150 years in some of the world's most dynamic markets, leading the way in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Its income and the number of employees have more than doubled over the last five years primarily as a result of organic growth and supplemented by acquisitions.

Standard Chartered aspires to be the best international bank in its markets through leading by example to be the right partner for its stakeholders. The group now employs 73,000 people, representing 115 nationalities, in more than 1,700 branches and outlets located in over 70 countries. The bank derives more than 90 per cent of its operating income and profits from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, with balanced income derived from both Wholesale and Consumer Banking.

The group is committed to building a sustainable business over the long term and is trusted worldwide for upholding high standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity. For more information, please visit: www.standardchartered.com