Press Release

August 25^th 2005

Mergent’s EventsData.com North American corporate actions service is enhanced with international data from London-based EDI

New York, NY August 25, 2005 – Mergent, Inc. announced today that its EventsData.com North American corporate actions database service is integrating comprehensive international data from London-based Exchange Data International (EDI).

The combined EventsData.com International Corporate Actions and Events service, will provide a global source for corporate actions and dividends – North American and International – easily accessible within the same platform. The new service is available through a Web-based application.

The new service, which is now available, is based on a partnership agreement between the two firms.

Mergent, a Xinhua Finance (Tokyo Mothers: 9399) company, is the preferred leading provider of critical business and financial data on global publicly listed companies, indices and exchanges. 

EventsData.com is a web-based solution that combines Mergent’s multiple financial databases into a unified, easily managed data delivery system covering corporate actions and events affecting both North American equities and fixed income securities. The events/actions covered include mergers and acquisitions, dividend announcements and distributions, consolidations, stock splits, corporate name changes, leveraged acquisitions, bond calls, redemptions, and a lot more. EventsData.com covers up to 10 years of information on over 64,000 dividend-paying stocks, mutual funds, ADR’s, GDR’s, and their underlying foreign shares.

EventsData.com utilizes Mergent’s first-source, highest-quality business intelligence covering current and historical information, renowned data gathering and processing, and advanced online technology to keep subscribers informed throughout the day about important events as they take place.

EDI is the premier provider of state-of-the-art back office solutions and securities data, with a world-wide reputation for the high quality and accuracy of its international securities administration data. It specializes in providing original solutions to securities houses’ problems. Today, the company provides back office solutions and securities data to most of the major investment banks, brokerage houses, custodians and data vendors.

The International Data

The EDI international corporate actions information included in the new EventsData.com service will cover data from 135 international exchanges, with detailed announcements on 54 corporate action event types. The international dividend announcements derive directly from over 130 exchanges on a daily basis. With data sourced directly from all of the world’s major stock exchanges, the International Corporate Actions and Dividends service provides up-to-date and accurate equity-based corporate actions information.

Users now have the ability to select North American-only corporate actions and dividends or select International events.

“We are delighted to be working with Mergent on this extension of both of our products,” said Jonathan Bloch, Managing Director of EDI. “They are the kind of company we like to work with – given their dedication to produce the highest-quality data and their commitment to total customer service.”

 “The integration of EDI’s corporate actions and dividends data into Mergent’s EventsData.com creates an outstanding new service that will provide Mergent subscribers with true value added,” said Jonathan Worrall, Mergent’s CEO. “We have been aware for some time of EDI as an excellent company, and we are gratified to be working with them.”

 About EDI

Exchange Data International (EDI), based in London , is the premier provider of state-of-the-art back office solutions and securities data, with a world-wide reputation for the high quality and accuracy of its international securities administration data. It specializes in providing original solutions to securities houses’ problems. It has won acclaim for the innovativeness of its business solutions; the company was one of the very first to make back office data available to customers via the Internet. In recent years, EDI has considerably expanded both its product range and its geographic coverage. Today, the company provides back office solutions and securities data to most of the major investment banks, brokerage houses, custodians and data vendors. EDI provides customized solutions and standardized data sets. For more information about EDI, visit www.exchange-data.com.

About Mergent

Mergent, Inc., a Xinhua Finance company (TSE Mothers: 9399), is the preferred leading provider of critical business and financial data on global publicly listed companies, indices and exchanges.  The company is headquartered in New York , NY , and Charlotte , NC , with sales offices in key North American cities as well as London , Tokyo , Toronto , Sydney and Hong Kong. Its product and service offerings include: Mergent Online; Mergent Manuals, Handbooks and Investment Guides; EventsData, web-based reporting of corporate actions and news events; BondSource, access to municipal and corporate fixed income data and end-of-day evaluation pricing; Ford Equity Research, independent equity research with buy, sell and hold recommendations; Mergent Active, a quantitative analytical research tool; Dividend Achievers Indexes, licensed index solutions, including ETF's and other investment funds; China Insight, comprehensive information for investment in China.  Mergent's databases include information on more than 35,000 global listed companies in more than 100 countries. More information about Mergent, Inc. can be found at www.mergent.com

About Xinhua Finance Limited

Xinhua Finance Limited is style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">China's premier financial services and media company, listed on the Mothers Board of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (symbol TSE:9399). The Company provides financial news and information, as well as a broad array of financial products and services unique to the China markets. Xinhua Finance provides real time coverage of Chinese and Asian equity markets, delivering an integrated platform of China-specific indices, financial news feeds, credit ratings, and investor relations services to global financial institutions and re-distributors via leased line, Internet, and satellite technology. Founded in 1999, the Company is headquartered in Hong Kong and has 21 offices and 19 news bureaus across Asia, Australia , North America and Europe. For more information, see http://www.xinhuafinance.com.

For more information please contact:

Lew Koflowitz	Jonathan Bloch, Managing Director
Strategic Design Group of NY, Inc.	Exchange Data International
Tel  + (212) 683-8860; cell (914) 924-5311	Tel +44 (0)778 5550 043
1123 Broadway, New York, NY	Email: j.bloch@exchange-data.com

Please contact us if you have any questions or wish to discuss your data needs.