HANSAPANK

ANNOUNCEMENT



POSITIVE OUTLOOK FOR MOODY'S RATING



Moody's Investors Service today placed Hansabank’s and 37 other

issuers’ long-term foreign currency bonds and notes on review for

upgrade. Hansabank’s current long-term foreign currency rating is at

sovereign ceiling of Baa1. The reviews are the result of a change in

the rating agency's long-standing approach to rating the foreign

currency bonds of debt issuers that will now permit ratings of bonds

and notes of some issuers to exceed their country ceilings.

In a Rating Methodology also released today Moody’s emphasizes that

the ability of a borrower to exceed the ceiling of its country of

domicile will hinge on three factors: the creditworthiness of the

issuer (including external support mechanisms); the probability that

there would not be a generalized moratorium in the event of default by

the government in question on its own foreign currency obligations;

and the special circumstances of the borrower in terms of access to

foreign exchange.



The complete Rating Methodology is available on Moody's website,

<a href='http://www.moodys.com.' target='_blank'>http://www.moodys.com.</a>





Mart Tõevere

Head of investor relations

+372 6131 569