Source: Press Release, September 12, 2008

Riding on the success of the recently launched Royal Select Series 1 Structured Investment, The Royal Bank of Scotland Berhad (formerly known as ABN AMRO Bank Berhad) (RBS) has launched a follow up series to continue to offer investment opportunities in the current volatile market.

The Royal Select Series 2 is also a 3-year MYR denominated investment offering 100% capital protection at maturity. The Structured Investment is linked to the performance of three diversified sectors, namely the financials/banking, telecoms and agriculture.

"The Royal Select Series 2 is underpinned by the performance of well known stocks like AT&T Inc, Qualcomm Inc, Verizon Communications, HSBC Holdings Plc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Agrium Inc, Potash Corp. and Shin Etsu Chemical Co Ltd. A head start coupon of 25% is built in as a buffer against laggard stock performances."

The offer period for the Royal Select Series 2 Structured Investment ends on September 29, 2008 and the investment maturity date is 2011. A minimum investment of RM250,000 is required for the 100 per cent  Principal Protected Structured Investment.

“The launch of the new tranche of Royal Select Series Structured Investment reinforces our continued commitment to make our customers' money work harder for them. One of our distinctive strengths is the ability to share investment ideas from around the world with our customers in Malaysia, and shape them into investment opportunities, while protecting their capital, “said Mr Harry Naysmith, RBS’s Managing Director for Malaysia.

“Apart from the two Royal Select Series, the bank had previously launched other exclusive Structured Investment products this year, like the RICI Enhanced Agriculture Excess Return Index launched back in March and the CYD Market Neutral Plus Index in May. Both were well received,” Mr Naysmith added.

The RICI Enhanced Agriculture Excess Return Index was designed in collaboration between RBS and JIM Rogers, world renowned commodity investor and creator of the Rogers International Commodities Index (RICI). During his recent visit to Malaysia, Rogers had maintained that the bull market in commodities was far from over despite the current pullback in major commodity prices.
 
The CYD Market Neutral Plus Index is an exclusive agreement between RBS and CYD Research, a team of selected experts in the field of financing and commodity markets, to offer CYD indices linked structured products. The index has a simultaneous long and short positions on the same commodity which provide little spot exposure but earn “convenience yield”.