PRESS RELEASE Paris and London, 2 April 2014 SPTEC Advisory and Merrill DataSite enter into preferred supplier agreement for Virtual Data Room services SPTEC Advisory and Merrill DataSite have entered into a preferred supplier agreement to provide best-in class virtual data room services to the oil and gas industry with primary focus in Africa and the Middle East. The agreement allows our clients to benefit from state-of-the-art virtual data room solutions at competitive terms. With this agreement, SPTEC Advisory strengthens its data room audit and management services. Merrill DataSite and SPTEC Advisory will capitalise on the significant growth occurring in the African oil and gas sector, with a highly differentiated and value-added service proposition for clients already present on or willing to expand into this continent. At SPTEC Advisory, Mr Roger Carvalho, Managing Partner, remarked: “With DataSite from Merrill Corporation, SPTEC Advisory teams-up with the best virtual data room service provider, with an in-depth understanding of the oil and gas industry specificities and user-friendly interface accessible on our website.” Access SPTEC Advisory VDR : www.sptec-advisory.com/VDR.html About SPTEC Advisory (www.sptec-advisory.com) SPTEC Advisory is an independent financial advisory firm focusing on the oil and gas industry in Africa and the Middle-East. Our firm delivers un-biased advice supported by an in-depth knowledge of the sector value chain. We specialise in strategic consulting, mergers - acquisitions and divestitures advisory, as well as financial structuring and fund raising advisory. About Merrill DataSite (www.datasite.com) Merrill DataSite is a secure virtual data room (VDR) solution that optimises the due diligence process by providing a highly efficient and secure method for sharing key business information between multiple parties. Merrill DataSite provides unlimited access for users worldwide, as well as real-time activity reports, site-wide search at the document level, enhanced communications through the Q&A feature. Merrill DataSite’s multilingual support staff is available from anywhere in the world, 24/7/365. Merrill DataSite is the first VDR provider to understand customer and industry needs by earning an ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certificate of registration – the highest standard for information security – and is currently the world’s only VDR certified for operations in the United States, Europe and Asia. Merrill DataSite VDR solution has become an essential tool in an efficient and legally defensible process for completing multiple types of financial transactions.