Absa Group: Trading Statement

Barclays PLC
25 July 2006


                                  Barclays PLC


Shareholders are advised that Absa Group Limited, in which we have a
shareholding of over 56%, and Absa Bank Limited have today issued the Trading
Statement set out below.


ABSA GROUP LIMITED                         ABSA BANK LIMITED
(Incorporated in the Republic              (Incorporated in the Republic of  
of South Africa)                           South Africa)
(Registration number: 1986/003934/06)      (Registration number: 1986/004794/06)
ISIN: ZAE000067237                         ISIN: ZAE000079810
JSE share code: ASA                        JSE share code: ABSP
Issuer code: AMAGB                         (Absa Bank)
(Absa or the Group)

                     ABSA GROUP LIMITED: TRADING STATEMENT

In terms of the Listings Requirements of the JSE Limited (the JSE Listings
Requirements), a listed company is required to publish a trading statement as
soon as it becomes apparent that the financial results for the next period to be
reported on are expected, with a reasonable degree of certainty, to differ by at
least 20% from those of the previous corresponding period.

The favourable trading environment that has persisted for the first half of 2006
has resulted in an improvement in the results of the Group's banking operations.
Shareholders are accordingly advised that the Group's headline earnings per
share for the six months ended 30 June 2006 are expected to increase by
approximately twenty percent (20%) compared with the pro forma headline earnings
per share of 432,3 cents per share for the same period in 2005.

The earnings per share for the six months ended 30 June 2006 are not expected to
differ much from the headline earnings per share for the same period. The
pro forma earnings per share for the six months ended 30 June 2005 were 448,7
cents per share.

The financial results on which this trading statement is based have not been
reviewed or reported on by Absa's auditors.

The Group's results for the six months ended 30 June 2006 will be released on
Sens on 3 August 2006.

Enquiries
Eric Wasserman
Group executive: Group Finance
Absa Group Limited
4th floor, Absa Towers East, 170 Main Street, Johannesburg
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
e-Mail: [e-mail]

Issued by:
Jacques Badenhorst
Investor Relations
Absa Group Limited
4th floor, Absa Towers East, 170 Main Street, Johannesburg
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
e-Mail: [e-mail]

Lead sponsor:
Merrill Lynch South Africa (Proprietary) Limited

Co-sponsor:
Absa Capital - Corporate Finance, a division of Absa Bank Limited

Johannesburg
25 July 2006

Barclays PLC
For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations                     Media Relations
Mark Merson/James S Johnson            Jason Nisse/Alistair Smith
[phone]/2927              [phone]/6132









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