London - Reuters, the global information and news group, said today that Instinet.com, the retail arm of its brokerage subsidiary Instinet Corporation, now expects to launch its equity brokerage service for private investors in the fourth quarter.

Originally targeted for May, Instinet.com will use the intervening period to resolve outstanding issues related to scalability and to perform more vigorous testing of the service to ensure the highest standards of security and reliability. These live tests will continue through the summer.

Instinet will deliver a different model of retail brokerage by offering investors direct access through Instinet.com to its pool of institutional liquidity.

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Contact:

Peter.V.Thomas Tel: 020 7542 4890
Director, Media Relations
peter.v.thomas@reuters.com

Adrian Duffield Tel: 020 7542 4728
Manager, Group Corporate Relations
adrian.duffield@reuters.com

This news release may be deemed to include forward-looking statements relating to Reuters within the meaning of Section 27A of the US Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the US Securities Act of 1934. Certain important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those disclosed in such forward-looking statements are described in Reuters 1999 Annual Report to Shareholders under the heading "Operating and Financial Review – Cautionary Statements". Copies of the Annual Report are available on request from Reuters Group PLC, 85 Fleet Street, London EC4P 4AJ.

Note to editors

Reuters supplies the global financial markets and news media with the widest range of information and news products. It provides news and information to over 900 internet websites reaching an estimated 40 million viewers and generating approximately 140 million pageviews per month. Reuters provides global solutions and technologies for the financial markets including enterprise-wide integration, market information and data distribution, equity and foreign exchange transactions as well as risk and trade management. It also supplies technologies and portal capabilities for clients to supply their retail customers. Reuterspace concentrates on services in the business-to-business, consumer finance and media markets. Reuters is the world's largest news and television agency with 2,100 journalists, photographers and camera operators in 184 bureaux serving 154 countries. News is gathered and edited in 23 languages. Instinet, an independently managed subsidiary of Reuters, is the world's largest electronic agency brokerage firm. It covers the equities and fixed income markets. On 31 December 1999, the Group employed 16,546 staff in 212 cities in 97 countries.

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