FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
David M. Kober
Executive Vice President
American Banknote Corporation
201-592-3400
kober@americanbanknote.com

American Banknote (ABnote) Acquires Keystone Manufacturing (Plastics) Limited

Expands into Canadian Card Manufacturing Arena
ABnote Increases Capacity and Broadens Worldwide Footprint

Fort Lee, New Jersey, March 20, 2008 - American Banknote Corporation, parent of the ABnote Group, announced today that it has acquired Keystone Manufacturing (Plastics) Ltd., of Toronto, Canada, for an undisclosed amount of cash.  

The acquisition of Keystone, one of Canada’s premier plastic card companies, provides the world-wide ABnote Group access to Keystone’s richly diversified suite of customers, along with the ability to take advantage of Keystone’s highly regarded reputation in smart cards.  In addition, ABnote announced Bud Kronenberg would remain at the helm of the company together with the current management team.

As a result of the transaction, Keystone will gain immediate access to a wide range of new technologies including Arthur Blank’s “green” initiatives. Keystone will supplement its existing product lines through ABnote’s global strength in secure card issuance and cutting-edge identification products, as well as through its complimentary secure printing, warehousing, fulfillment services and information technology.

“We are extremely proud to be able to acquire a company of the quality, experience and stature of Keystone,” stated Steven Singer, Chairman and Chief Executive of American Banknote Corporation.  “Keystone allows us to enter Canada at a very exciting time as the banking community migrates towards EMV and as cross border identification becomes paramount between the USA and Canada”.

 “Keystone has built a unique brand in Canada - being able to leverage the dominant skill sets and exceptional knowledge base that ABnote has attained means that Keystone will be able to become an even more significant force in the Canadian marketplace”, stated Bud Kronenberg, CEO of Keystone. “ABnote is accelerating into one of the world’s largest secure document, transaction and fulfillment companies and it is with a great sense of pride that my team joins forces with a market leader”.

Notes Justin D’Angelo, Chief Operating Officer of American Banknote, and one of the credit card industry’s most respected figures, “Acquiring Keystone fulfills in part our strategic growth plan, further enabling us to become a major global force in both the secure and non-secure elements of card production and fulfillment. Keystone has carved out a unique niche in the non-secure smart card market and we intend to leverage this knowledge globally”.

About American Banknote Corporation

American Banknote Corporation is a holding company and the parent of the ABnote Group, which operates through its subsidiary companies: American Banknote S.A. in Brazil, Leigh Mardon in Australia, ABnote NZ in New Zealand, CPS Technologies in France, ABnote Europe, s.r.o. in the Czech Republic, and American Bank Note Company and Arthur Blank & Co. in the United States.  ABnote, which traces its founding to 1795 and American patriot Paul Revere, is a global supplier of secure documents, services and systems.  Principal products include plastic cards, phone cards, paper certificates, lottery tickets, passports, state titles, certificates of origin, stock certificates, and checks.  Services include print production, personalization, secure warehousing, distribution, and fulfillment.  For more information on American Banknote, visit www.americanbanknote.com or call 201-592-3400.

About Keystone Manufacturing (Plastics) Ltd.

Founded in 1984, Keystone is a leading Canadian producer of plastic cards.  Head office and card production facilities are located in Toronto, Ontario. Keystone has a sales and fulfillment facility in Montreal and sales offices in Calgary and Vancouver and has the capacity to print and personalize more than 150 million cards per year.  Keystone supplies cards for casinos, hospitals, retail gift cards, Federal and Provincial government card programs, drivers licenses, loyalty cards, membership and both memory and processor smart cards. For more information on all of Keystone’s card products, visit www.keystoneplastics.com or call 416 293 3842.

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