For Immediate Release

The Bank of East Asia ¡V
First Foreign Bank to Offer Internet Banking in China

Hong Kong, 30 December 2002 ¡V The Bank of East Asia (BEA) is pleased to announce the launch of its Internet banking service, BEA Cyberbanking, in China.

BEA is the first foreign bank to offer Internet banking services on the China mainland. This new service removes time and geographical constraints on banking transactions, allowing BEA customers to access their bank accounts and other BEA banking services anytime, anywhere. All holders of personal / joint accounts and local / off-shore corporate accounts at any BEA branch in China are now eligible to enjoy BEA Cyberbanking completely free of charge.

Customers may operate up to 12 registered accounts through their BEA Cyberbanking account. Transfer funds, make account enquiries, check interest and foreign exchange rates, manage time deposits, send remittance instructions ¡V our online services bring a whole new banking experience to China.

BEA Cyberbanking offers the highest standards of international data encryption to provide a secure transaction environment. Employing Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) 128-bit encryption technology, all information transmitted between customers and BEA through the Internet is protected at all times.

This brand new world of banking may be accessed worldwide at http://www.hkbea-cyberbanking.com.cn.

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For press enquiries, please contact:

Mr. Chan Kay Cheung
Executive Director and Deputy Chief Executive, BEA
Tel: (852) 2842 3203