Dow Jones Indexes and RHB Launch New Index for SYari’ah Compliant Stocks

New Index Part of Global Dow Jones Islamic Market Index Family

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23, 2005: – Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, and RHB Securities Sdn Bhd today announced the launch of the Dow Jones-RHB Islamic Malaysia Index. The new index was jointly developed by Dow Jones Indexes and RHB Research Institute Sdn Bhd and will replace the RHB Islamic Index that has been in use since May 1996.

The Dow Jones-RHB Islamic Malaysia Index is part of the Dow Jones Islamic Market Index series and follows the methodology of the Syari’ah compliant index family. The index has been developed specifically to meet the growing demand for Syari’ah compliant equity indexes, specifically for the Malaysian market. The index is based on internationally acknowledged Islamic finance standards. A group of international Syari’ah scholars, the Dow Jones Syari’ah Supervisory Board, observes the execution of those standards used by Dow Jones Indexes.

“The launch of the Dow Jones-RHB Islamic Malaysia Index marks another major step in our effort to provide a Syari’ah compliant index family that covers all countries that are significant for Islamic investing and, even more important, that is available and accessible to institutional and eventually retail investors all over the world.” said Lars Hamich, managing director of STOXX Ltd, the joint venture that is responsible for Dow Jones Indexes’ business development in Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Executive Chairman of RHB Capital Bhd (“RHB Capital”) Dato Sri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Taib said that apart from catering to the needs of Malaysian investors, the new Islamic index was expected to draw new investors from the Gulf States, Europe and the United States to Malaysia and other Asian markets.

“The new index will complement the KLSE Syari’ah Index,” he said.

Stocks that are excluded from the Islamic index are those of companies that deal in alcohol and tobacco products, pork-related products, financial services, the defence and weaponry sector and entertainment.

Also excluded are companies whose total debt divided by trailing 12-month average market capitalization is 33% or more, those whose cash plus interest-bearing securities divided by trailing 12-month average market capitalization is 33% or more, and those whose accounts receivables divided by trailing 12-month average market capitalization is 33% or more.

A total of 45 companies are currently included in the Dow Jones-RHB Islamic Malaysia Index.

Members of the above mentioned Dow Jones Syari’ah Supervisory Board are: Shaykh Abdul Sattar Abu Ghuddah of Syria; Shaykh Justice Muhammad Taqi Usmani of Pakistan; Shaykh Nizam Yaquby of Bahrain; Shaykh Dr. Mohamed A. Elgari of Saudi Arabia; Shaykh Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo of the United States, and Sheikh Dr. Mohd Daud Bakar of Malaysia.