Air France Appoints Citigroup Depositary for NYSE Listed ADRs and ADWs Following Merger with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.Business Editors NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 5, 2004 Citigroup (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :C) today announced its appointment as depositary bank for Air France Air France in full Compagnie Internationale Air France French passenger and cargo airline with more than 200 destinations in some 80 countries. It introduced supersonic Concorde service in 1976, but financial loss led the company to cease its Concorde , one of the world's leading airlines in terms of number of passengers carried and international passenger transport, headquartered in Paris, France. This appointment follows the merger of KLM KLM Kaiserliche Marine (Enigma: Rising Tide game) KLM Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij (Royal Dutch Airlines) KLM Klub Langer Menschen (German: Tall Person Club) Royal Dutch Airlines and Air France. Air France is making a tender offer to acquire all outstanding common shares of KLM in exchange for Air France Shares and Warrants. Citigroup will be the depositary for the NYSE listed American Depositary Receipts American Depositary Receipt (ADR) Certificates issued by a US depository bank, representing foreign shares held by the bank, usually by a branch or correspondent in the country of issue. (ADRs) and American Depositary Warrants (ADWs). The Air France Shares and Warrants will be listed on the Euronext Paris Euronext Paris is France's securities market, formerly known as the Paris Bourse, which merged with the Amsterdam and Brussels exchanges in September 2000 to form Euronext NV, which is the second largest exchange in Europe behind the London Stock Exchange. and Euronext Amsterdam. The ADRs trade under the NYSE symbol AKH (CUSIP CUSIP See: Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures CUSIP See Committee on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures. 009119108), and the ADWs trade under the NYSE Symbol AKH WS (CUSIP 009119116). Holders of KLM New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Registry Shares (NYRSs) will receive 11 Air France American Depositary Shares American Depositary Share (ADS) Foreign stock issued in the US and registered in the ADR system. (ADSs) and 10 Air France American Depositary Warrants (ADWs) for every 10 KLM NYRSs. The ADWs will be exercisable for a period of 24 months beginning 18 months after completion of the offer and only in multiples of three ADWs. "We are delighted to support Air France's NYSE listing as the company builds and diversifies its US shareholder base," said Sanjeev Nanavati, Managing Director of Citibank ADR ADR - Astra Digital Radio . "Citigroup is one of our longstanding partners and we are very pleased to have this new opportunity to work together" said Philippe Calavia, CFO See Chief Financial Officer. of Air France. Air France and KLM have a strong presence focused on all three major aspects of the air transport industry, namely the transportation of passengers and cargo and aircraft maintenance. The merger of the two companies will create the first worldwide airline with a fleet of 556 aircraft serving 225 destinations. For further information visit www.airfrance-finance.com. For more information on Citibank ADR programs, as well as industry trends and developments, please visit citigroup.com/adr. About Citibank Depositary Receipt depositary receipt A negotiable certificate that represents a company's publicly traded debt or equity. Depositary receipts are created when a company's shares or bonds are delivered to a depositary's custodian bank, which instructs the depositary to issue Services Citibank Depositary Receipt Services leads the market in bringing quality issuers to the U.S. market and promoting American Depositary Receipts as an effective capital markets tool. Citibank began offering ADRs in 1928 and today is widely recognized for providing non-U.S. companies with a gateway to the world of resources Citigroup has to offer. In addition, our financial strength and global presence provides clients with access to Citigroup's on-the-ground presence and in-depth knowledge of 90 local markets. Depositary Receipt Services is a business line within Citigroup(R) Global Transaction Services, a leading provider of integrated cash management, trade finance and securities services for corporations, financial integrated cash management, trade and securities services for corporations, financial institutions, intermediaries and governments around the world. With over $ 100 billion in average liability balances, more than $ 5.6 trillion in assets under custody and the largest proprietary branch network, Citigroup's award-winning operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. and Internet-based delivery channels enable clients to manage and monitor working capital and investments more efficiently, streamline transaction processing cycles, and re-engineer receivables and payment processes. Citigroup(R) Global Transaction Services provides clients with access to Citigroup's full range of capabilities and solutions along with an on-the-ground presence and in-depth knowledge of more than 90 local markets. For additional information, see www.transactionservices.citigroup.com About Citigroup Citigroup (NYSE:C), the preeminent 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, insurance, securities brokerage, and asset management. Major brand names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Travelers Life and Annuity. Additional information may be found at: www.citigroup.com. The above information is being provided solely for information purposes by Citibank, N.A. At publication deadline, this information was believed to be accurate, but Citibank, N.A. makes no representation or warranty as to correctness of the information set forth above. The above information does not constitute a recommendation, solicitation or offer by Citibank, N.A. for the purchase or sale of any of the above-listed securities, nor shall this material be construed in any way as investment or legal advice or a recommendation, reference or endorsement by Citibank, N.A." |
|
||||||||||||||||

Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion