GMT Communications Partners Acquires Asiakastieto, Leading Finnish Business Information Company; GMT to Expand Suomen Asiakastieto's Market Leadership Throughout Region

GMT Communications Partners (GMT), the leading private
equity investor focused on the European communications sector, today
announced that it has acquired 91% of Suomen Asiakastieto Oy
(Asiakastieto), the leading business and credit information company in
Finland.
Asiakastieto management will invest in the company alongside GMT
and will continue to aggressively build Asiakastieto's business. In
2005, Asiakastieto generated total revenues of EUR 19.8 million.
Based in Helsinki, Asiakastieto was founded by a group of Finnish
banks, wholesalers and retail chains in 1961 to provide information in
support of credit and purchase decisions. Over the years Asiakastieto
has expanded its operations and service offerings both organically and
through mergers and acquisitions. Its core business remains providing
information to businesses for risk management, credit, customer
acquisition and relationship management decisions. Asiakastieto now
enjoys an over 70% market share in the Finnish business and credit
information market.
Asiakastieto Chief Executive Mikko Parjanne has been one of the
key individuals responsible for the rapid growth of the Finnish
business and credit information industry. Under his leadership,
Asiakastieto's "Aarre" database has become the most comprehensive
business and credit information database in Finland.
The business has been acquired from Nordea Bank (32.3%), Sampo
Bank (16.1%), OP Bank Group Central Cooperative (16.1%), Luottokunta
(16.1%), and a number of other minority shareholders.
Commenting on today's transaction, Jeff Montgomery, Managing
Partner at GMT, said, "Asiakastieto is a trusted source of high
quality business and credit information and enjoys an unrivalled
customer base that includes more than 15,000 businesses representing
almost all Finnish firms using company and personal credit
information. We are backing Mikko Parjanne and his team because they
have achieved and sustained the Company's leading market position in
Finland. We are looking forward to working with them to grow and
develop the company further with new services and in new regions."
Mikko Parjanne, Managing Director of Asiakastieto, stated, "GMT is
an ideal partner for Asiakastieto because of their sector expertise
and track record of investing in and helping expand mid-market
European companies. This is an exciting period for Asiakastieto, and
GMT's backing will help us expand organically and through potential
acquisitions."

About GMT Communications Partners

GMT Communications Partners is Europe's largest independent
private equity group focused exclusively on the communications sector,
having actively invested in the European marketplace for the past 13
years. GMT's founders created the first pan-European fund focused on
the media and telecommunications sectors, Baring Communications
Equity, in 1992 with the backing of ING Barings. Since that time, the
Group has completed 25 investments across 16 countries and has managed
a series of successful funds comprising EUR 500 million of capital.
The Partners of GMT have together completed over 100 transactions
(including bolt-on acquisitions) in the European media and telecoms
industry. Further information is available at www.gmtpartners.com