Chola MF is now DBS Chola MF

NEW DELHI, May 30, 2006:Chola Mutual Fund is now DBS Chola Mutual Fund.

This follows the conversion of the fund’s sponsor Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Limited, into Cholamandalam DBS Finance Limited, a joint venture of the Murugappa Group with DBS Bank of Singapore, the largest bank in South East Asia.

Accordingly, all existing schemes of Chola Mutual Fund have been rechristened. For.eg. Chola Contra Fund is now called DBS Chola Contra Fund. All necessary regulatory approvals have been received by the Mutual Fund. Further, Cholamandalam AMC Limited, the investment manager to the Fund, will now be DBS Cholamandalam Asset Management Limited.

Ms Amy Yip, Managing Director and Head, Wealth Management at DBS Bank said, “DBS Asset Management (DBSAM) welcomes and applauds the renaming of the Chola Mutual Fund series into the DBS Chola Mutual Fund series. We see this as a first step in the cooperation between ourselves in the Indian fund management market; and we look forward to many more collaborative projects as the industry continues its exponential growth”.

Mr Sashi Krishnan, Chief Executive, DBS Chola MF said, “With this alliance, DBS Chola Mutual Fund has the unique advantage of working with a large and reputed Asian partner. The company can offer superior value to our investors on all fronts. In the fast moving wealth management business, DBS Chola MF is well poised to adapt to the changing market needs in terms of offering products and access to global markets. We are delighted that all of our stakeholders can benefit from this partnership.”

About DBS Chola Mutual Fund
DBS Chola Mutual Fund, is promoted by Cholamandalam DBS Finance Ltd. a joint venture between India’s Murugappa Group and DBS Bank, Singapore. DBS Chola MF established in 1996, manages funds in excess of INR 27.5 billion across 17 schemes with over 231,000 investors. It offers the entire range of cash, debt and equity products. DBS Chola MF is present in over 14 locations and also has a strong distribution network in place.

About DBS
Headquartered in Singapore, DBS is one of the largest financial services groups in Asia. The largest bank in Singapore and the fifth largest banking group in Hong Kong as measured by assets, DBS has leading positions in consumer banking, treasury and markets, asset management, securities brokerage, equity and debt fund raising. Beyond the anchor markets of Singapore and Hong Kong, DBS serves corporate, institutional and retail customers through its operations in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and The Philippines. In China, the Bank has branches and representative offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Fuzhou, Tianjin, Dongguan and Hangzhou. The Bank's credit ratings are one of the highest among banks competing in the Asia-Pacific region, and the highest among banks in Singapore. More information about DBS Group Holdings and DBS Bank can be obtained from our website (www.dbs.com).

About Cholamandalam DBS Finance Limited
Cholamandalam DBS Finance Limited (Chola DBS) along with its subsidiaries and affiliates offers individual and institutional customers a range of financial services – automobile finance, personal loans, capital market finance, mutual funds, securities broking and distribution of investment and insurance products. Chola DBS shares are listed on Bombay (BSE) and National (NSE) stock exchanges. (www.cholamandalam.com).

Chola DBS is a joint venture of India’s Murugappa Group and DBS Bank of Singapore, the largest bank in South East Asia. The Rs.7300-crore Murugappa Group, is a pioneer and market leader in several fields with over 40 manufacturing operations across 12 states in India, and a strong presence in farm inputs, engineering and cycles, sugar, abrasives, finance, general insurance, sanitary ware, plantations, bio-products and nutraceuticals.

For more information please contact:

Vineet Potnis
Chief Marketing
Cholamandalam AMC Ltd
Mumbai
Tel: 022-5657 4021 (M) 9867016302
E-mail: vineet@chola.murugappa.com


Archana J Sharda
Manager IPAN
New Delhi
Tel: +91-11-4249 2100
E-mail: archana@ipan.com