"Josie, do you know what Continental Illinois Bank means?" John Lebil looked at the young man in front of him amusedly and asked.
In his opinion, there is no doubt that Josh Kahn is a very outstanding young man, even far better than his eldest son, whom he has always considered worthy of pride.
But I have to say that young people are still a little too ambitious.
Do you think you can buy a bank if you have some money?
Of course, he knew about the fact that Qiao Xi received a large order from the military in Europe, namely the Bright Lamp Potion worth 200 million US dollars.
In addition to this order, he estimated that Qiao Xi's other businesses in Europe might also earn hundreds of millions.
To be honest, with two to three hundred million dollars, it is not impossible to acquire a first-class bank in the United States.
But the problem is, Continental Illinois Bank is not an ordinary first-class bank.
In later generations, many people may be unfamiliar with Continental Illinois Bank compared to famous banks such as American, American, Mellon, Morgan, and Wells Fargo during the flowering period.
This is normal because the bank collapsed in the 1980s.
But please don't think that this bank is weak just because it collapsed.
In fact, before its collapse, Continental Illinois Bank was the largest bank in the Midwest and the seventh largest bank in the United States, with a market capitalization of US$2.3 billion and assets of over US$42 billion. It was one of the top ten financial institutions in the United States.
one.
This alone may not be intuitive, but it is very clear when compared with another bank, Wells Fargo, which will be ranked third in the United States in 2022.
In 1986, Wells Fargo had a market value of less than 1 billion and assets of only over 20 billion.
But in 2022, Wells Fargo's assets have reached 180 billion, and its assets are close to 2 trillion.
Such a comparison can actually show how awesome Continental Illinois Bank is.
The reason why Continental Illinois Bank failed was precisely because it was too strong.
It is so powerful that the management is overconfident and blindly expands various high-leverage projects, so that a debt crisis leads to a wave of bank runs.
The failure of this bank eventually became a classic example in the history of world finance, and for the first time broke the perception that "banks that are too big will not fail".
Its collapse was also one of the important reasons for the decline of the Chicago Consortium in the original world.
Today's Continental Illinois Bank is naturally not as strong as it was in the 1980s, but its market value still exceeds one billion, and it is the core bank of the Chicago consortium.
It’s no wonder that John Lebiler thinks that Josie is fanciful. Why does Josie think that he can acquire such an important bank, and why does he think that the tycoons of the Chicago consortium will sell it?
"Of course I know what Bank of Chicago means. It is the core bank of the Chicago consortium and has a market capitalization of over 1 billion." Qiao Xi replied.
"You know? Then why do you think you can acquire the Bank of Chicago? And why do you think we, the shareholders, will sell it? Qiao Xi, I know you want to join the Chicago consortium. In fact, you are absolutely qualified to join us, but acquiring mainland China
Bank, that's too much!" John Lebil said, shaking his head.
"Uncle John, don't deny it in a hurry. Of course I understand the importance of Continental Bank to the consortium. I also know that what I have in my hands so far is not enough to buy Continental Bank. I have no intention of acquiring it as a whole, I just want a controlling stake.
In addition, I don’t plan to use cash to acquire it, but to use exchange.” Qiao Xi explained with a smile.
It is simply unrealistic to acquire Continental Bank with cash. It seems to have a market value of only a few billion, but because of its importance, the other party will not be able to sell it unless the premium exceeds 50% or more.
Such a high price may not be enough even if all of Qiao Xi’s gray income is taken into account and all of his assets are cashed out.
But if you replace it, the situation is different.
Not only does it cost nothing, it can even save a lot of money.
"Replacement? What do you use to replace it?" John Lebiler was puzzled.
"Austrian National Bank, Austrian Central Bank, Bayerische Bank, BNP Paribas, and Lloyds Bank!" Qiao Xi named the five banks in one breath.
All are well-known banks in the world.
Especially the Austrian National Bank. If Johan Lebiler is sure that he remembers correctly, that is the central bank of Austria!!!!!
There is also the Bayerische Bank, which is also a state bank, and the outflow of shares is extremely rare.
War is war, but who the hell would sell bank assets of this level?
How did Josie have these bank shares?
In fact, it is very simple. The two banks in France and the United Kingdom were exchanged for materials. Because of the war, the life of these two banks was not easy. Unfortunately, the shareholders were almost bankrupt. For them, Qiao Xi used hard currency in exchange for materials.
, far more practical than buying it with money.
As for the Austrian National Bank and the Austrian Central Bank and the Bayerische Bank, those are the assets of Hydra...
Well, to be precise, it was Schmidt's personal asset.
Although Schmidt was "killed" by Team USA and the Strategic Science Corps.
However, it is not the Americans’ turn to dispose of these theoretical “state-owned” assets.
After all, Austria is only cooperating with you, the United States, and is not occupied by you.
And since Qiao Xi has gathered Schmidt's remaining forces, it is natural that these assets should fall into his hands.
Although Qiao Xi’s shareholding in these five banks is not large, the total value is far less than one billion US dollars.
But the significance it represents to the Chicago consortium is far more than one billion US dollars.
"Are you serious?" John Lebil's face suddenly became extremely serious.
"Of course I am serious. Although the shares I own are not many, they are genuine!" Qiao Xi nodded and said, he would not feel any pain at all about exchanging these shares, because the exchange is not a sale.
If these shares are exchanged for the shares and voice of Continental Bank, these shares will still belong to Continental Bank and not be owned by a private person. In other words, the actual voice of these shares will still be in the hands of Qiao Xi.
What is shared is only the income that these shares may bring.
There is endless money to be made, so Qiao Xi cares more about the right to speak than money.
"...Josie, please set a time for the baptism of the children. How about setting the location at Holy Name Cathedral? I have a good relationship with Archbishop Cody. I will convince him to baptize the two children in person. In addition, I promise
On that day, all the core members of the Chicago Consortium will appear at the christening ceremony!" John Lebil pondered for a long time.
Compared to other consortiums, the Chicago consortium may be a little slower in responding to capital, but that doesn't mean they are all stupid.
When Qiao Xi took out the shares of these banks, it would be equivalent to feeding half of the big fat meat of Europe to their mouths. If they don't eat it, the consortium headed by John Lebil will
The members themselves cannot forgive themselves.
However, the specific replacement method and amount cannot be decided casually by the two of them, and it will definitely need to be negotiated.
But this does not prevent the Chicago Consortium from establishing Josie's status in the Chicago Consortium through a certain baptism ceremony.
"Why don't Uncle John come to my place for a potluck dinner to discuss the baptism and see the child? Margo hasn't seen you for a long time!" Josie knew this after hearing John Lebil's promise.
Once things were settled, the invitation was immediately sent out.
"Of course, I am very happy to accept this invitation!" Josie's invitation made John Lebiler feel very pleased, and he began to think about what gifts to bring to his two children and Margot.