Amman, July 26, SPA -- The Arab Bank Group, one of the Arab world's largestbanking establishments, raised its net profits in the first sixmonths of the year by 25.8 per cent compared with the same period of2007 to 465.9 million dollars, the group's chairman Abdul HamidShoman said Saturday. He attributed the jump in the group's semi annual profits mainlyto the financing of projects in the oil-rich Gulf area and to the"effective administration" of assets. Shoman also reported a 32-per-cent increase in the Arab BankGroup's assets at the end of June to 47.1 billion dollars from 35.7billion dollars a year earlier. He said that the shareholders' rights also jumped by 22.2 per centon June 30 from a year earlier, to 7.7 billion dollars. The Arab Bank Group operates worldwide through over 350 branchesin 35 countries.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/577115