BAT International Real Time Quotations Available from National Quotation Bureau.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 27, 1999--

In response to a large amount of conflicting reports that BAT International (OTC BB:BATTE) received during the past week regarding what it actually means for a company to be "de-listed", BAT International decided to thoroughly investigate the misperceptions and disseminate its findings.

After surveying many individuals and organizations, the company found that a new regulation, NASD Eligibility Rule 6530, appears to be causing substantial confusion among investors, bankers, lawyers and corporations. In part, the rule as described on the OTCBB web site (www.otc bb.com) reads:

"SEC Grants Exemption from Rule 15c2-11 for Securities Being

Removed from the OTCBB Pursuant to the Eligibility Rule (NASD

Rule 6530).

"On June 3, 1999, the SEC granted an exemption from SEC Rule

15c2-11 for securities that were quoted on the Over-The-Counter

Bulletin Board ("OTCBB") on or before January 4, 1999 that will

no longer be eligible to be quoted on the OTCBB due to the

phase-in implementation of NASD Rule 6530 (the Eligibility Rule).

"The new Eligibility Rule was effective immediately for

securities not quoted on the OTCBB on January 4, 1999. Issuers

whose securities were quoted on the OTCBB as of January 4, 1999

and have continued to be quoted will be required to comply with

the Eligibility Rule according to a phase-in schedule starting in

July 1999 and continuing through June 2000. The delayed

effectiveness of the Rule is designed to enable broker-dealers,

investors, and issuers to take appropriate action."

It now is clear that many investors believe that companies that are "de-listed" can no longer be traded. This is absolutely not true! The only consequence of being de-listed is that companies are placed into the Pink Sheets system. Their stock can still be traded and real-time stock quotes can be obtained from the National Quotation Bureau's (NQB) new Electronic Quotation Service that provides information on both the NQB web site and via electronic means.

Until recently, being de-listed would have caused a problem because "real time" stock quotations were not available for companies that had been de-listed.

However, as of August 25, 1999, the National Quotation Bureau electronic processing of Pink Sheet company quotations (EQS) has automated information processing and dissemination for de-listed companies. Now securities brokers and market makers can obtain the real time information, as they always have been able to do.

The only difference in the system is that investors cannot directly get trading information from the Internet. They will have to either call their broker or apply for EQS service. NQB's EQS will be made available by major quotation vendor networks such as Bloomberg, Reuters and others.

In addition to confusion about what the effects of being "de-listed" means and what trading information is available regarding de-listed companies, BAT International also has received hundreds of calls from brokers and investors with other misconceptions. For example, one misconception is that companies that have filed financial reports and Form 10 can not be de-listed. This is not true because even companies that file their required financials and Form 10 by their schedule date will be de-listed to the EQS because the SEC rule requires that all subsequent SEC comments and questions regarding the financial and Form 10 filings must be completed during a "comment period". This period can last from 3 to as long as 10 months.

Besides the variable length of the comment period, an unusually large number of OTCBB companies are being reviewed by the SEC in regards to NASD Rule 6530 which is creating a backlog and making the length of comment periods completely unpredictable. The end result will be that a large number of companies will be appearing on the EQS board. The impact upon these companies will be minimized because of the new electronic quotation services that are now coming on-line.

The only short-term affect of all of these companies going onto the Pink Sheets is that investors, brokers and market makers may take some time adjusting to obtaining information from an alternative system. In all likelihood, this probably will only cause minor fluctuation in stock prices and volumes.

BAT has taken a lead role in this effort. BAT has obtained all the information (and required forms) and offered assistance to all of its market makers. Many of the market makers asked BAT for proper forms and other information assistance to register for the new electronic service on-line.

Conclusion: New information-age technology will quickly solve any investor problems and everything will be "business as usual" very soon.

BAT International is organized as a holding company with major ownership position in a set of subsidiary companies now commercializing advanced transportation technologies. For further information, please refer to the company's web site at www.baat.com.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that should not be used to make an investment decision. Please refer to BAT's web site and other sources for more detailed information including the latest stock quotations from Investor Relations (619/409-8977).