Success of AXA Employee Share Offering in 2009

PARIS, Dec. 14  /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- On August 25, 2009 AXA announced the launch of its 2009 SharePlan offering ("SharePlan 2009"), a capital increase reserved to its employees worldwide.

Approximately 31,000 employees in 40 countries, representing 25% of eligible employees, subscribed to SharePlan 2009. The large number of employees who chose to subscribe represents a clear vote of confidence in AXA.

The aggregate proceeds from the offering amount to approximately Euro 390 million, for a total of more than 26 million newly issued shares, subscribed at a price of Euro 14.92 for the classic and the leveraged plans. The new shares have been created with full rights from January 1, 2009. This offering increases the total number of outstanding AXA shares to 2,289,595,264 as of December 11, 2009.

Following SharePlan 2009, AXA's employees hold around 5.8% of the share capital and 6.4% of the voting rights.

About AXA

AXA Group is a worldwide leader in Financial Protection. AXA's operations are diverse geographically, with major operations in Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific area. For 1H09, IFRS revenues amounted to Euro 48.4 billion and IFRS underlying earnings to Euro 2.1 billion. AXA had Euro 967 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2009.

The AXA ordinary share is listed on compartment A of Euronext Paris under the ticker symbol CS (ISIN FR0000120628 - Bloomberg: CS FP - Reuters: AXAF.PA). The American Depository Share is also listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol AXA.

  This press release is available on the AXA Group website: http://www.axa.com/


  LOOKING STATEMENTS



Certain statements contained herein are forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans or objectives. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Please refer to AXA's Annual Report on Form 20-F and AXA's Document de Reference for the year ended December 31, 2008, for a description of certain important factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect AXA's business. In particular, please refer to the section "Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" in AXA's Annual Report on Form 20-F. AXA undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.

This press release is not an offer for sale within the United States of any security of AXA or any of its affiliates. Securities of AXA or any of its affiliates may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration under U.S. securities laws or unless exempt from registration under such laws. 

DATASOURCE: AXA



CONTACT:  Investors, Etienne Bouas-Laurent, [phone],

Paul-Antoine Cristofari, [phone], Sylvie Gleises, [phone],

Gilbert Chahine, [phone], George Guerrero, [phone]; or

Media, Emmanuel Touzeau, [phone], Laurent Secheret,

[phone], Armelle Vercken, [phone], all for AXA



Web Site:  http://www.axa-equitable.com/ 

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