Media release: Helvetia places EUR 500 million hybrid-bond

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About the Helvetia Group

In over 150 years, the Helvetia Group has grown from a number of Swiss and foreign insurance companies into a successful international insurance group. Today, Helvetia has subsidiaries in its home market Switzerland as well as in the countries that make up the Europe market area: Germany, Italy, Austria and Spain. With its Specialty Markets market area, Helvetia is also present in France and in selected regions worldwide. Some of its investment and financing activities are managed through subsidiaries and fund companies in Luxembourg and Jersey. The Group is headquartered in St.Gallen, Switzerland.

Helvetia is active in the life and non-life business, and also offers customised specialty lines and reinsurance cover. Its business activities focus on retail customers as well as small and medium-sized companies and larger corporates. With some 6,500 employees, the company provides services to more than 5 million customers. With a business volume of CHF 8.51 billion, Helvetia generated underlying earnings of CHF 491.8 million in the 2016 financial year. The registered shares of Helvetia Holding are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbol HELN.

General Notice

This announcement appears as a matter of record only. All the above-referenced bonds have been placed, and this announcement constitutes neither an offer or a solicitation to purchase, buy or subscribe for the bonds described herein or other securities of the Helvetia Group, nor does it constitute (i) an offering prospectus pursuant to article 652a or article 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations, (ii) a listing prospectus as defined under the listing rules of the SIX Swiss Exchange Ltd, (iii) a prospectus or a supplement prospectus pursuant to Directive 2003/71/EC, as amended, of the European Parliament and Council dated 4 November 2003 (the "EU Prospectus Directive") or (iv) a prospectus or similar document under any other applicable laws. No action has been taken or will be taken in the relevant member states of the European Economic Area permitting a public offering of the bonds. A "relevant member state" is any member state which has implemented the EU Prospectus Directive.

Investors should make their decision to sell, purchase, buy or subscribe for the bonds described herein or other securities of the Helvetia Group solely on the basis of the relevant offering documents. This announcement is also available in German. The German version shall prevail in the case of any inconsistencies.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES (INCLUDING ITS TERRITORIES AND DEPENDENCIES, ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA), CANADA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA OR ANY JURISDICTION INTO WHICH THE SAME WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR FORM A PART OF ANY OFFER OR SOLICITATION TO PURCHASE, SUBSCRIBE FOR OR OTHERWISE ACQUIRE SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA OR ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH AN OFFER OR SOLICITATION IS UNLAWFUL. THE BONDS HAVE NOT BEEN AND WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE US SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, (THE "SECURITIES ACT"), OR UNDER ANY SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TAKEN UP, EXERCISED, RESOLD, RENOUNCED, TRANSFERRED OR DELIVERED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, WITHIN THE UNITED STATES EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN APPLICABLE EXEMPTION FROM, OR IN A TRANSACTION NOT SUBJECT TO, THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT AND IN COMPLIANCE WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATES. SUBJECT TO CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS, THE BONDS ARE BEING OFFERED AND SOLD ONLY OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES IN ACCORDANCE WITH REGULATIONS UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT. THERE HAS BEEN AND WILL BE NO PUBLIC OFFER OF THE BONDS IN THE UNITED STATES.