GRUPOSURA Opens its Doors to Thousands of Investors

USA - English

• Latin America - español

MEDELLIN, Colombia, Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- As of today and until November 22, GRUPOSURA shall be offering local and international investors the opportunity to become part of one of the top investment companies in Colombia through an issuance of 120 million non-voting shares with preferred dividend (preferred shares) which shall be launched on the local stock market at COP 32.500 per share for a total value of COP 3.9 billion.

The process which the Company is beginning today is much more than just a share issuance, it is a key stage in the transformation that GRUPOSURA is currently undergoing, striving to conquer new international markets and become the leading player on the Latin American pension fund industry and a top player in the insurance, savings and investment sectors of the region.

With a minimum capital of COP 5 million, GRUPOSURA opens its doors to thousands of shareholder and potential investors wishing to purchase these preferred shares. International investors may participate of this issuance through the Colombian stock brokerage firms associated with this issue.

The main aim of this new issue of preferred shares is to provide financial support for the Group's acquisition of ING's pension, insurance and investment fund assets in Latin America, as announced last July, for a total value of USD 3,765 million. This transaction is expected to be completed at the end of 2011 once due authorization has been given by the respective authorities in Chile, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Colombia.

"The proceeds obtained from this issue of shares, together with the Company's own available funds, loans from domestic and international banks, as well as a group of minority investors complete the financing package for the purchase of the ING assets,  which shall convert the Company in the No. 1 multi-Latin player in terms of pension funds and a major participant in the insurance, savings and investment sectors," stated David Bojanini, Chief Executive Officer of Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana.

In defining the corresponding subscription price, the Board of Directors of GRUPOSURA took into account the fact that these shares are totally different to the Company's ordinary shares and that they indeed represent an attractive proposition for investors given a preferred dividend of 3% of its subscription price payable over a three-year period.

The Company hopes to continue producing the same excellent results as it has done over the last ten years. This can be seen with the 31-fold increase in the price of its ordinary shares over this last decade. All this has been made possible by GRUPOSURA's business strategy, its permanent search for opportunities to expand its market within the region, the sound focus it provides for its investments and its commitment to the sustainable development of its business.

"At GRUPOSURA we invest in companies who play a leading role within their sectors and show an outstanding performance, all of which ultimately benefit our shareholders," stated David Bojanini.

ABOUT GRUPO DE INVERSIONES SURAMERICANA

Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana is a multi-Latin company listed on the Colombian stock exchange and registered with the ADR- Level 1 program in the United States. It is also listed with the Latibex Market for Latin American Stocks in Euros hosted by the Madrid Stock Exchange. It is also the first Colombian financial institution to be admitted to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), which monitors a worldwide group of high-performing companies who have become global benchmarks in terms of sustainability. The Company has two fields of investment. The first being its strategic investments in the financial service, insurance, social security as well as complementary service sectors. The second corresponds to its portfolio investments in the food, cement and energy sectors

Contacts:

Bogota
Dattis Consultores
Alejandra Aljure
(1) 651 52 00
Cell: 312 449 08 45
[email protected]

Medellin
SciTech Media
Elkin Pumarejo Daza
Cell: 315 498 72 83
[email protected]

SOURCE Grupo de Inversiones Suramericana