Clariant Successfully Enters the European Debt Capital Markets.

MUTTENZ, Switzerland -- Clariant, the Switzerland-based specialty chemicals company, successfully entered the European Debt Capital Markets for the first time with the launch of a seven-year EUR 600 million Eurobond.

The bond pays a coupon of 4.375% and was issued at a price of 99.628%, offering investors a spread of 86.6 basis points over the relevant underlying German government bond. The bonds will be listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Clariant marketed the transaction via a two-day roadshow in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Amsterdam, Zurich, and Basel. The orderbook grew to a total of EUR 3.3 billion within only 24 hours of bookbuilding, which followed the roadshow. Among investors buying bonds were major fund management firms, banks, pension funds and insurance companies.

ABN AMRO, Citigroup, and UBS jointly lead-managed the deal. The bond was issued by Clariant Finance (Luxembourg) SA, which is guaranteed by Clariant Ltd and is expected to be rated Baa2 by Moody's and BBB by Standard & Poor's, both with a stable outlook.

Patrick Jany, Clariant's chief financial officer, said: "We are pleased that the bond issue met a positive reception with investors. We have achieved our goal of setting a benchmark for Clariant in the international debt markets, attracting a broad and diverse investor base. This step has allowed us to optimize Clariant's debt maturity profile and ensures our strong financial position."

Calendar of Corporate Events

April 7, 2006                         Annual General Meeting
May 9, 2006                           First Quarter 2006 Results
August 2, 2006                        First Half 2006 Results
November 7, 2006                      Nine Month 2006 Results
February 20, 2007                     Full Year 2006 Results;
                                      Annual Media Conference

Clariant - Exactly your chemistry.

Clariant is a global leader in the field of specialty chemicals. Strong business relationships, commitment to outstanding service and wide-ranging application know-how make Clariant a preferred partner for its customers.

Clariant, which is represented on five continents with over 100 group companies, employs around 23,000 people. Headquartered in Muttenz near Basel, Switzerland, it generated sales of around CHF 8.2 billion in 2005.

Clariant's businesses are organized in five divisions: Textile, Leather & Paper Chemicals, Pigments & Additives, Functional Chemicals, Life Science Chemicals and Masterbatches.

Clariant is committed to sustainable growth springing from its own innovative strength. Clariant's innovative products play a key role in its customers' manufacturing and treatment processes or else add value to their end products. The company's success is based on the know-how of its people and their ability to identify new customer needs at an early stage and to work together with customers to develop innovative, efficient solutions.

www.clariant.com