Sony Bank to Start Handling "SonyCard Gold"

November 9, 2006

Sony Bank Inc., an 88.0%-owned subsidiary of Sony Financial Holdings, today announced that on November 13, 2006, it would begin handling "SonyCard Gold," the premium official Sony credit card issued by Sony Finance International, Inc.

SonyCard Gold uses Sony's FeliCa contactless IC card technology and is equipped with multi-payment functions, including the eLIO credit service for shopping over the Internet, VISA for general-purpose credit settlements and Edy for prepaid e-money. The addition of SonyCard Gold raises the number of credit cards that Sony Bank handles to four, including My Sony Card, MONEYKit SAISON American Express Card and MONEYKit SAISON JCB Card. By expanding its credit card lineup, Sony Bank will offer customers a broader range of choices.

Going forward, Sony Bank will continue expanding its settlement services in response to customers' diverse financial needs.

Note: This is an English-language summary of a Japanese announcement made by Sony Bank on November 9, 2006. The summary was prepared by Sony Financial Holdings Inc. solely for the convenience of non-Japanese readers.