Cisco Capital Financing Partners Add $2 Billion of Short-Term Inventory Financing to Fuel Growth in Emerging Markets



    As part of Cisco's continued investment in emerging countries,
    Cisco(R) Capital has expanded its financing capabilities through
    agreements, announced today, with Citibank, GE Capital Solutions and
    Standard Chartered Bank. The three Cisco Capital financing partners
    have agreed to provide $2 billion of short-term inventory financing
    capacity on an annual basis to Cisco channel partners in the Middle
    East, Africa, Latin America, Russia and the Commonwealth of
    Independent States, and Central and Eastern Europe. This additional
    financing is enabled in part by the $500 million short-term growth
    capital fund Cisco announced last year. Cisco Capital also announced
    expanded coverage of its end-user leasing programs in emerging
    markets.

    To address the needs of customers in emerging markets, especially
    small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), Cisco has created an
    infrastructure to accelerate the adoption of Cisco technology in
    emerging markets. In the past 12 months, Cisco has added seven
    specialty distributors focused on expanding regional coverage in
    emerging markets, and increased its base of certified channel partners
    in the theatre by approximately 20 percent. In many of the emerging
    market regions, working capital is not readily available, and channel
    partners face long order-to-cash cycles due to a variety of factors,
    including isolated geography and government regulations. To help grow
    Cisco's business in these regions, Cisco Capital has established
    strong relationships with its emerging market financing partners to
    help enable greater access to working capital, the lack of which has
    until today been a key constraint in achieving growth potential in
    these markets. Cisco Capital works closely with its financing partners
    to implement the channel financing and to support the channel partners
    throughout the entire order-to-cash cycle.

    "The financing announced today provides the liquidity and working
    capital necessary to help our emerging market channel partners grow
    significantly, which is key to Cisco's Emerging Markets strategy,"
    said David Rogan, president of Cisco Systems Capital Corporation. "Our
    financing partners provide both local presence and cross-border
    capabilities as well as an in-depth understanding of our Emerging
    Markets theatre. With nearly $10 billion in third-party
    inventory-financing capability today, Cisco Capital has created and
    implemented a global banking infrastructure, providing significant
    competitive advantage for Cisco with limited financial risk to the
    company."

    Cisco created the Emerging Markets theatre last year to address
    the specific local market requirements and unique needs of emerging
    countries. These regions are undergoing major transformation as they
    grow and diversify their economies, improve government efficiency, and
    educate their citizens. By focusing resources and investment in these
    regions now, Cisco intends to shape demand and accelerate growth for
    years to come.

    "Although many countries in the emerging markets are undergoing
    major social and economic transformation by implementing the most
    advanced technology, the lack of capital remains a formidable
    barrier," said Paul Mountford, president, Emerging Markets Theatre,
    Cisco. "The breadth of financing solutions offered by Cisco Capital
    and its financing partners puts Cisco technology within the reach of
    our channel partners and will bring clear benefits, to both the end
    customer and the people and businesses they affect."

    Cisco Capital has also expanded its end-user financing
    capabilities in emerging markets and now offers loan and leasing
    products to Cisco customers in 15 countries. Cisco Capital recently
    implemented leasing programs in South Africa, Russia, Brazil, Mexico
    and Colombia. Along with its regional finance partners, Cisco Capital
    plans to offer SMB financing capabilities in 14 new countries in FY07,
    including those in Central America and the Caribbean, plus Saudi
    Arabia, Turkey, Poland, Argentina and Chile. Cisco entered the
    commercial/SMB market with the introduction of Easy Lease, a leasing
    platform that provides competitive financing solutions to complement
    Cisco's SMB growth initiatives. This program supplies Cisco channel
    partners with a valuable tool to capture leasing opportunities in the
    rapidly growing commercial/SMB market.

    By utilizing Cisco Capital's short-term growth capital through
    third-party financiers, Cisco can expand more rapidly and quickly help
    channel partners meet their inventory-financing and cash-flow needs in
    longer project payment cycles. In FY2006, more than 750 partners in 46
    countries took advantage of extended terms financing.

    About Cisco Capital

    Cisco Systems Capital(R), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cisco
    Systems, Inc., specializes in financing networks by providing
    innovative, flexible financial programs to Cisco customers and channel
    partners worldwide. Cisco Capital offers attractive, flexible and
    short-term financing solutions that make it possible for customers to
    obtain higher credit lines and longer and more flexible terms that
    ultimately help them build stronger and healthier businesses. For more
    information, visit www.cisco.com/go/ciscocapitalpartners/us.

    About Cisco Systems

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