CBK increase its stake in BBK

RNS Number:8034E
BBK (B.S.C.)
19 June 2006


For immediate release
24 May 2006

                         CBK Increases its Stake in BBK

Commercial Bank of Kuwait (CBK), which is an existing shareholder in BBK, has
increased its stake in BBK from 6.75% to 20.17%, for a total of 129,123,237
shares, as of 22 May 2006.

CBK, in this latest move, sold 22 million BBK shares (3.44% of its existing
shares to Securities Group in Kuwait), and bought out the shares of the
following existing shareholders: Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait (6.75% of total shares),
Kuwait Finance Investment Co. (6.37% of total shares) and Kuwait Investment
Company (3.73% of total shares). This makes CBK the single largest shareholder
in BBK.

The current shareholder breakdown, after these transactions, will be as follows:
CBK (20.17%), Bahraini citizens and others (20.02%), Pension Fund Commission
(18.80%), General Organization for Social Insurance (13.39%), Bank of Kuwait and
Middle East (6.75%), Kuwait Investment Projects Co (5.18%), Securities Group
(3.44%), Kuwait Investment Authority (3.75%), Pearl of Kuwait Real Estate Co.
(3.25%), United National Holding Co (3.25%) and Kuwait International Investment
Co (2%).

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                      This information is provided by RNS
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