BANGKOK, January 8, 1997--Reuters announced today that it has acquired a 49% stake in Bisnews Information Services Limited, a supplier of domestic real-time data and news to over 7,600 Thai financial market participants.

Reuters (NASDAQ Symbol: RTRSY) paid Thai baht 445 million (£10.6 million) in cash for its shareholding in Bisnews.

Bisnews, based in Bangkok, provides market information services to meet the needs of domestic equity, fixed income and corporate market participants. It also supplies a Thai/English-language textual database service to meet the business information needs of the corporate, institutional and media sectors.

Reuters will assume responsibility for the management of Bisnews and for setting future corporate direction.

Mark Robson, Reuters Manager, Thailand said: "Through its investment in Bisnews, Reuters will substantially increase its share of Thailand's real-time information market. The Bisnews product range complements our existing services. It has innovative and highly qualified staff, and a loyal customer base.

"Looking to the future, Bisnews' technical development group will be working closely with Reuters to build on its experience and deliver a new version of Bisnews' market-leading real-time information product, Apex. Our combined objective will be to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of Thailand's developing financial markets."

Mr. Jalthong Patamapongs, founder of Bisnews, will assume the role of Managing Director with focus on the launch of Newscenter, a Thai/English-language business information service developed in the last two years.

Mr. Patamapongs said: "This investment by Reuters presents exciting opportunities to provide our customers with new products and services of the highest calibre. Reuters and Bisnews can together offer the best local and global services, now and in the future. We are now well positioned to meet the challenges and to reap the benefits from the rolling liberalization of the Thai financial markets and the increasing sophistication of our customers' needs."

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