Citibank Philippines Bagged Awards in Both Consumer and Corporate Categories

Citi Asia Pacific continued to sweep the Global Finance Magazine Internet awards, winning a total of 15 awards in the Best Consumer Internet Bank and Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank categories in 2008. This is the fourth year in a row that Citi has dominated Global Finance’s list of “World’s Best Internet Banks in Asia”.

Citi was the overwhelming winner in the Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank group, winning nine awards, including one for the Philippines, which also bagged the award in 2007. The other countries conferred were Australia, Bangladesh, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Thailand and Vietnam. In addition, Citi Philippines was given the award for Best Online Cash Management.

For the Best Consumer Internet Bank category, Citibank again won in the Philippines, as well as in Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea and Thailand. This latest recognition is the fourth time Citi Philippines won the nod from Global Finance. Citi Philippines earlier received the Best Consumer Internet Bank accolade from Global Finance in 2004, 2005 and 2006 for its online banking site at www.citibank.com.ph.

Ajay Banga, Chief Executive Officer of Citi Asia Pacific, said, "The Internet is central to Citi Asia Pacific's growth strategy. Speed and simplicity are at the foundation of everything we do. These industry awards underline the investments Citi continues to make in technology. Over the past year, we have invested in advanced analytical tools, real-time decision making engines and made significant infrastructure upgrades. Our goal is to continue to deliver the most secure, convenient and easy online experience for our customers. We are delighted to receive this recognition from Global Finance, and this is a welcome endorsement of our products and people across Asia Pacific."

Citi Asia Pacific estimates that almost 20% of its retail and card customer base today use the Internet for their banking transactions.

According to Global Finance Magazine, the winning banks were selected based on the following criteria: strength of strategy for attracting and servicing online customers, success in getting clients to use web offerings, growth of online customers, breadth of product offerings, evidence of tangible benefits gained from Internet initiatives, and website design and functionality.

The winners were chosen among entries evaluated by a judging panel. This is the ninth year Global Finance has named the World’s Best Internet Banks.

Citi
Citi, the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Citi's major brands include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Citi Smith Barney and Banamex. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com