Nationwide Building Society has launched a new investment bond.

The new guaranteed equity bond, will return the original investment plus ten per cent, or up to 55 per cent pf any growth in the FTSE 100, Nikkei 225 and DJ EuroSTOXX 50 indices.

Nationwide also offers an early investor bonus for customers who invest in the bond, which increases any investment made between August 29th and October 21st 2006, by up to 0.55 per cent.

Clive Parkinson, managing director of Nationwide Investments, said: The Nationwide guaranteed equity bond is ideal for those people who wish to take that first step towards becoming an investor.

It enables them to benefit from the performance of some of the world's top companies which are listed on the stock markets of the UK, Europe and Japan, without taking any risks with their original capital and providing the opportunity to receive even greater returns.

Nationwide provides a wide range of financial services for its members, including credit cards, mortgages, personal loans, savings, investments and a number of banking options.