Kuwait, May 28, 2008: Global Finance, the world's most influential finance publication, has named Gulf Bank as the 'Best Bank in Kuwait' following a survey of regional banks by the prestigious magazine in its annual report on 'Best Emerging Market Banks in the Middle East.'

The criteria for selecting Gulf Bank as the winner in Kuwait included growth in assets, profitability, strategic partnerships, customer services, competitive pricing and innovative products.

This is the latest of a number of awards that Gulf Bank has received from Global Finance ? in 2007 it was named as the ?Best Bank in Kuwait?, ?Best Consumer Internet Bank in Kuwait? and ?Best Foreign Exchange Bank in Kuwait? in early 2008.

Commenting on the award, Mr. Bassam Y. Alghanim, Chairman & Managing Director said: "An international award like this provides global recognition for the quality of the services we deliver and the way that Gulf Bank is a leader in the financial services sector in Kuwait. We are very proud to be identified as a leader in the emerging markets that are increasingly important to the growth and continued prosperity of the global economy."

CEO Louis Myers added: "The award is also recognition and just reward for the outstanding work done by our staff who deliver the highest quality banking services to our customers across our network of 43 branches throughout Kuwait."

This is the 15th year that Global Finance has selected top banking performers in emerging markets. Publisher Joseph D. Giarraputo commented: "Emerging markets are attracting increased attention as the global economy expands. We have identified banks such as Gulf Bank that provide services to corporations seeking to take advantage of substantial opportunities for growth in a sometimes challenging environment."

Global Finance has more than 250,000 readers in more than 158 countries and is an authoritative source of information for CEOs, CFOs, Treasurers and other financial officers responsible for making investments and strategic business decisions for global companies and financial institutions.