China: Citigroup-China Banking Association 2006 Microentreneurship Awards Launched

The China Banking Association (CBA)
The China Banking Association (CBA) is a national banking self-governing organization and is a non-profit institutional legal entity registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs with the approval of the China Banking Regulatory Commission. National financial institutions within banking sectors established with the approval of China Banking Regulatory Commission with independent legal entity qualification, as well as foreign financial institutions operating in China may apply to join the Association.

The Association aims to promote the members' common interests by complying with the Constitution, laws, regulations, economic and financial policies, fulfilling the functions of self-discipline, protection of rights, coordination and service with due diligence in accordance with Law of the People's Republic of China on Commercial Banks, Law on the People s Bank of China, Law of the People's Republic of China on Banking Regulation and Supervision, protecting the legal rights and benefits of the banking sector, maintaining the market order of the banking sector, improving the quality of the banking practitioners, improving service level and promoting healthy development of the banking sector. Please visit www.china-cba.net for more information.

Citigroup China
Citigroup first established an office in China on May 15, 1902, in Shanghai. Today Citigroup is the premier foreign bank operating in China, offering the broadest product range of any foreign bank in China. Citigroup currently operates six corporate & investment bank branches: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, and Chengdu, twelve consumer bank outlets in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and one representative office in Xiamen. With operations in more than 100 countries around the world, Citigroup is the most global of all foreign banks in China.

The Citigroup Foundation
The Citigroup Foundation focuses its grants primarily in three areas: financial education, educating the next generation, and building communities and entrepreneurs. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com/citigroup/corporate/foundation/.

Citigroup
Citigroup, the leading 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, and Banamex. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com.


	Printer Friendly Page		FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) August 02, 2006 China: Citigroup-China Banking Association 2006 Microentreneurship Awards Launched Beijing – Citigroup and The China Banking Association today launched the second annual Microentrepreneurship Awards in China to recognize and support the entrepreneurial skills and dedication of some of the country's most outstanding microentrepreneurs. It is the second year that the Awards have been conducted in China. In 2005, China joined 30 other countries around the world to launch the Global Microentrepreneurship Awards. The 2005 Awards were a great success, with a total of 292 applications received from around China, and a total of 25 people selected as winners across nine categories. The 2006 Awards are being organized by a multi-member team led by the China Banking Association and Citigroup, and also involving: the China Association of Microfinance (Rural Development Institute of CASS; China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges, Ministry of Commerce and Department of Women's Development of All-China Women's Federation); China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation; Employment and Training Department of Ministry of Labor and Social Security; the China CMA Student Alliance; and the Credit Management Department of Port Saving Bureau of China Post. Mr. Liu Zhangjun, Executive Vice President, China Banking Association, said, "The promotion of microfinance in China is an important element of China's poverty reduction program. We are very pleased to be supporting the 2006 Microentrepreneurship Awards, which promote greater understanding of the power of microfinance and recognize those individuals already using their entrepreneurial skills to grow out of poverty." Mr. Richard Stanley, CEO of Citigroup China, noted, "Citigroup recognizes the strong imperative to support sustainable community programs in China. We are proud of our leadership in supporting microfinance in China, which is of proven value in the fight to eradicate poverty and raise living standards. This Awards program is a strong platform from which to encourage recognition of the role that microfinance has to play in China's ongoing social and economic development." The 2006 Microentrepreneurship Awards have the privilege of being supported by an Advisory Council, whose distinguished members include: Mme. Wu Xiaoling, Vice Governor, People's Bank of China (PBoC), Ms. Zhen Yan, Secretary General of All-China Women's Federation, Mr. Mao Yushi; renowned economist, Mr. Liu Zhangjun, Executive Vice President, China Banking Association and Mr. Renaud Meyer, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP. Additional members are to be confirmed in the coming weeks. Invitation letters to microfinance institutions with application forms have already been sent out to several thousand individual microfinance institutions (MFIs), asking them to submit detailed applications on behalf of clients who have shown outstanding performance, as well as those loan officers who have demonstrated dedication in supporting the needs of their clients. Contestants who meet the basic entry requirements will compete in ten categories: rural agriculture, rural animal husbandry, rural non-agricultural, urban trade, urban processing, urban services, urban loan officer, rural loan officer, most innovative microentrepreneur, and best microfinance institution. After several rounds of screening the final winners will be selected by an awards selection committee, consisting of several experienced dignitaries in Chinese microcredit. This year the winners will be announced in late October 2006. # # # The China Banking Association (CBA) The China Banking Association (CBA) is a national banking self-governing organization and is a non-profit institutional legal entity registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs with the approval of the China Banking Regulatory Commission. National financial institutions within banking sectors established with the approval of China Banking Regulatory Commission with independent legal entity qualification, as well as foreign financial institutions operating in China may apply to join the Association. The Association aims to promote the members' common interests by complying with the Constitution, laws, regulations, economic and financial policies, fulfilling the functions of self-discipline, protection of rights, coordination and service with due diligence in accordance with Law of the People's Republic of China on Commercial Banks, Law on the People s Bank of China, Law of the People's Republic of China on Banking Regulation and Supervision, protecting the legal rights and benefits of the banking sector, maintaining the market order of the banking sector, improving the quality of the banking practitioners, improving service level and promoting healthy development of the banking sector. Please visit www.china-cba.net for more information. Citigroup China Citigroup first established an office in China on May 15, 1902, in Shanghai. Today Citigroup is the premier foreign bank operating in China, offering the broadest product range of any foreign bank in China. Citigroup currently operates six corporate & investment bank branches: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Tianjin, and Chengdu, twelve consumer bank outlets in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and one representative office in Xiamen. With operations in more than 100 countries around the world, Citigroup is the most global of all foreign banks in China. The Citigroup Foundation The Citigroup Foundation focuses its grants primarily in three areas: financial education, educating the next generation, and building communities and entrepreneurs. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com/citigroup/corporate/foundation/. Citigroup Citigroup, the leading 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, and Banamex. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com.