Bekaert: Publication transparency notification Norges Bank - Regulated information 15 Mar 2017

15 March 2017, 17:45

Press - Investors

Katelijn Bohez

T +32 56 23 05 71

Company Secretary Isabelle Vander Vekens T +32 56 23 05 11

www.bekaert.com

NV Bekaert SA ("Bekaert") has received a transparency notification dated 13 March 2017 indicating that Norges Bank now holds, by virtue of an increase in shares held as collateral on 10 March 2017, 3.00% of the voting rights of the company. Therefore the threshold of 3% was crossed.

The notification dated 13 March 2017 contains the following information:

• Reason for the notification: acquisition or disposal of voting securities or voting rights.

• Notification by: a person that notifies alone.

• Person subject to the notification requirement: Norges Bank (the Central Bank of Norway), Bankplassen 2, PO Box 1179 Sentrum, Oslo, 0107, Norway.

• Transaction date: 10 March 2017.

• Threshold that is crossed: 3%.

• Denominator: 60 347 525.

• Notified Details:

  A) Voting rights	Previous notification	After the transaction
  	Number of voting rights	Number of voting rights		% of voting rights
  Holders of voting rights	Linked to securities	Not linked to securities	Linked to securities	Not linked to securities
  Norges Bank	1 508 780	1 812 832	0	3.00%	0.00%

  B) Equivalent financial instruments	After the transaction
  Holders of equivalent financial instruments	Type of financial instrument	Expiration date	Exercise period or date	Number of voting rights that may be acquired if the instrument is exercised	% of voting rights	Settlement
  0	0.00%

  Total (A & B)	Number of voting rights	% of voting rights
  1 812 832	3.00%

• Chain of controlled undertakings through which the holding is effectively held: Norges Bank is the central bank of Norway. As part of its central bank activities, Norges Bank manages Norway's foreign exchange reserves and is responsible for management of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG). The formal responsibility for management of the GPFG is placed with the Ministry of Finance, but is delegated to Norges Bank. All investments are executed by Norges Bank acting as principal and all holdings are registered in the name of Norges Bank.

• Additional information: This notification was triggered by an increase in shares held as collateral.

Bekaert (www.bekaert.com) is a world market and technology leader in steel wire transformation and coating technologies. We pursue to be the preferred supplier for our steel wire products and solutions by continuously delivering superior value to our customers worldwide. Bekaert (Euronext Brussels: BEKB) is a global company with almost 30 000 employees worldwide, headquarters in Belgium and € 4.4 billion in annual revenue.