Pareto acquires Orkla Finans from Orkla

Date:  1 October 2010

Pareto has today signed an agreement to buy Orkla Finans. The primary objective
of this acquisition is to strengthen focus on asset management and project
financing.

Under the acquisition Pareto AS will buy all the shares in Orkla Finans AS. The
agreement is subject to the approval of the Financial Supervisory Authority of
Norway and the Norwegian Competition Authorities.

Pareto already manages securities and projects on behalf of clients for over NOK
79 billion, while Orkla Finans manages assets totalling around NOK 20 billion.
"Through the purchase of Orkla Finans, Pareto will acquire products and
expertise that will complete the range of services we offer in the fields of
asset management and project financing," says Svein Støle, Managing Director of
Pareto.

Competence and scale economies
"The financial sector is evolving in a direction that demands larger-scale
operations and growing in-depth expertise on the part of each player. We have
focused on finding an industrial owner for Orkla Finans who will promote this
type of development," says Roar Engeland, head of financial investments at
Orkla.

Industrial match
"The Pareto Group and Orkla Finans go hand in glove. This is a good industrial
match that will benefit our clients and our employees alike. We have expertise,
projects and products that can be further developed and grow in a partnership
with Pareto. At the same time, we gain access to new competence and new
products. For our investors, this translates into exciting, new investment
opportunities," affirms Bjørn Slåtto, Managing Director of Orkla Finans.

About Pareto:
Pareto is a leading, independent player on the Norwegian financial services
market. The company operates in the fields of securities brokerage, financial
advisory services, project financing, bank services, asset brokerage and asset
management. Pareto has offices in Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen, Trondheim,
Kristiansand, Bryne, Singapore and New York. The Group has over 400 employees
and equity capital of close to NOK 3.3 billion.

About Orkla Finans:
Orkla Finans is an investment management company that develops, arranges and
manages investment solutions. The company has a broad product platform and
offers investment opportunities in real estate, energy/raw materials,
derivatives and bonds, shipping, private equity, and Norwegian and foreign
securities funds. The company has offices in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger,
Kristiansand, Tønsberg and Hamar. The Group has 75 employees.




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