Chu Huan's private plane landed at Kai Tak Airport in Hong Kong.
Cao Yunshang came to pick up Chu Huan in person.
"What are you doing here with your big belly?"
After seeing Cao Yunshang, Chu Huan said worriedly.
Cao Yunshang was sitting in the back seat of the car, stroking her belly and smiling: "It's okay, the little guy is very honest. This matter is too important. If I don't come to pick you up, I won't worry at home!"
Chu Huan said softly: "In fact, it's not that important. As long as you have money, there is nothing you can't do. The same is true for the politicians in London."
Cao Yunshang asked excitedly: "So, everything went well?"
Chu Huan nodded and said: "Of course it went smoothly. After all, I only talked about Standard Chartered Bank this time."
Chu Huan went to London this time to convey benefits, but in fact it deepened the cooperative relationship between the two parties. As for what he was going to do next, he definitely couldn't tell them.
Only when the interests of both parties are deeply entangled, even if Chu Huan does something detrimental to England later, these people will turn a blind eye or close one eye!
But Chu Huan also needed a specific reason for going to London this time, and this reason was about Alder Commercial Bank's acquisition of Standard Chartered Bank of England.
If it were the past two years, Chu Huan's acquisition of Standard Chartered Bank would definitely have been blocked by some people in England. However, as they have gained more and more benefits from Jiaku in the past two years, a company in England is not
Standard Chartered Bank, which is so important, does not seem to be so troublesome.
Cao Yunshang asked excitedly: "So, we can start taking action?"
Chu Huan shook his head and said: "Don't worry, there are still two leads to this matter. When these two leads break out, we can start!"
Cao Yunshang asked: "What's the introduction?"
.
When Chu Huan returned to Xiangjiang and sent Cao Yunshang back to No. 12 Mount Galley Road, he went directly to HSBC without rest and met Roy Bentley.
"My friend, why did you suddenly think of coming to see me today?"
After seeing Chu Huan, Roy Bentley laughed and stood up to hug Chu Huan.
In the past two years, HSBC and Jiaku, the two largest financial groups in Hong Kong, have developed peacefully and have many cooperations. This has significantly improved HSBC's strength compared to the previous two years.
But what makes Roy Bentley happy the most is that without the help of Jiaku, they supported the two consortiums of Jiani and Great Eagle.
In the past two years, Roy Bentley mentioned Carin and Great Eagle many times on the board of directors of HSBC, saying that these two consortiums were the Bao Yugang of HSBC in the 1980s.
This shows how much Roy Bentley values Jianing and Yingjun.
It is precisely because HSBC's development is going well that Roy Bentley is in a very good mood.
Chu Huan smiled and said: "I just came back from London and came to see you!"
When Roy Bentley heard what Chu Huan said, he was a little confused and a little excited. He was confused about Chu Huan going to London, but at the same time, as soon as Chu Huan came back from London, he came to see him. If he could let this person
It was definitely not a small matter for Chu Huan to act like this at that time.
Judging from Chu Huan's expression, it seems to be a good thing.
"I wonder if Director Chu has any happy news to tell me?"
Chu Huan nodded and said: "I went to London this time and met with Ferdinand, Chairman of the British Monopoly and Mergers Commission."
Roy Bentley couldn't sit still, and hurriedly said: "Dr. Chu, wait a moment, I will call Shen Bi and Pu Weishi."
Chu Huan naturally had no objection to this.
After a while, Shen Bi and Pu Weishi arrived at Roy Bentley's office.
"Director Chu, if you have any news, just tell me!" Roy Bentley stopped Shen Bi and Pu Weishi from asking and asked Chu Huan.
Chu Huan said: "When I met with Ferdinand this time, I specifically talked about HSBC's acquisition of the Bank of England. Ferdinand no longer had the same negative attitude towards HSBC's repurchase of the British bank. Things are open-ended!”
The three giants of Roy Bentley, Shen Bi, and Pulisi HSBC all had excited expressions on their faces at this time.
Last year, even with Chu Huan's help, HSBC's acquisition of the Royal Bank of Scotland was still scrapped.
However, this time is different from another time and space. In another time and space, the British Monopoly and Mergers Commission denied this acquisition. But this time, it was because of the determined protest of the Scots. In order to stabilize the mood of the Scots, the British government The only option is to stop this transaction.
However, after HSBC failed to acquire Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC did not give up its observation of European banks. In the end, HSBC selected Bank of Midland, one of the four largest settlement banks in the UK!
The Bank of Midland was founded in 1836, about 30 years earlier than HSBC. It was known as the Bank of Birmingham and Midland at the time and was headquartered in Birmingham, a major industrial town in England. It was a bank that started in the industrial area of central England.
In the late 19th century, Midland Bank's business developed rapidly and its headquarters moved to London.
In 1891, Midland acquired London's Central Bank and became Britain's leading bank.
After the First World War, Mitland followed the expansion of Britain and became known as the world's largest bank. It had been the leader of the British banking industry for a long time.
However, after World War II, with the disintegration of Britain and the decline of British national power, the Bank of Midland also went from bad to worse.
By the end of the decade, NatWest and Berkeley had emerged one after another, and Bank of England was ranked at the bottom of the four major settlement banks in the UK, not even inferior to Lloyds Bank.
One reason for this is the bank's rigid management system.
From the 1990s to the 1980s, Mitland, like other major Western banks, was committed to expanding its international business, and was especially keen on large-scale loans to developing countries such as Mexico and Brazil, resulting in large amounts of bad debts and losses of up to US$2.4 billion.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! However, after all, Bank of Midland is one of the four largest settlement banks in the UK, ranking third in terms of asset value and fourth in terms of number of branches.
Bank of England is headquartered in London, has 2,100 branches in the UK, and also has a huge business network in Germany, France, Switzerland and other European countries.
The acquisition of Midland will undoubtedly greatly strengthen HSBC's foundation in Europe to complete its coveted "three-legged stool" strategic deployment.
But the difficulty of acquiring this bank is actually no less difficult than when HSBC acquired Royal Bank of Scotland.
Although Bank of England is no longer as powerful as it was at its peak, it is still one of the four largest settlement banks in the UK.
The British are proud. Even now that their national power has begun to decline seriously, they are still proud.
The proud British people naturally cannot accept a bank registered in Hong Kong acquiring their own settlement bank.
Therefore, this acquisition was rejected by the British Monopolies and Mergers Commission at the initial stage, but this time HSBC obviously did not want to give up so easily.
Therefore, based on the experience of its previous acquisition of Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC acquired a London-based securities company called James Bond, and based on this company, it once again proposed the acquisition of Bank of Midland.
But the process was not very smooth.
This matter can be said to be the most troublesome issue currently plaguing HSBC. In order to complete the acquisition of Bank of America, HSBC issued new shares to raise funds for the first time last year!
To put it simply, the two parties have been talking about this matter, but there has been no result.
Chu Huan looked at the excited expressions of the three people and said with a smile: "I have already negotiated with Ferdinand. The other party will allow HSBC to acquire part of the shares of Bank of Mitland first, and then deepen the cooperation between HSBC and Bank of Mitland, and send directors in
The board of directors of Bank of Midland is familiar with the operations of Bank of Midland."
"Director Chu, what happened this time is really..."
Roy Bentley held Chu Huan's hand and said excitedly: "I really don't know how to thank Director Chu!"
Chu Huan smiled and said: "The relationship between you and me is a partnership. HSBC can complete its layout in Europe. In fact, it will be of great help to Jiaku's business in Europe. These are all what I should do!"
"
Compared to Roy Bentley's excitement, Shen Bi's expression seemed a bit complicated.
"Director Chu, he was able to persuade Ferdinand to agree to HSBC's acquisition of Mitlan Bank. This shows that the relationship between Director Chu and Ferdinand is extraordinary!"
Shen Bi said with a smile.
Chu Huan smiled lightly and said, "Mr. Shen is overthinking it."
Shen Bi continued to ask: "What about the funds required to acquire the shares of Midland Bank?"
Chu Huan waved his hand and said: "This is what should be discussed between your bank and the board of directors of Mitlan Bank. I will not participate!"
Roy Bentley said excitedly: "I am very grateful to you, Director Chu, for being able to do this!"
After saying this, Chu Huan left HSBC. Now that the bait has been put down, the rest depends on whether HSBC will take the bait!
After Chu Huan left HSBC, Roy Bentley, Shen Bi, and Pu Weishi sat together and began to discuss the matter.
"Shen Bi, go to London immediately to discuss with Bank of Midland about acquiring their shares and joining the board of directors of Bank of Midland!"
Roy Bentley sat there and preached with some excitement.
However, Shen Bi did not immediately agree to Roy Bentley's instructions, but asked suspiciously: "Roy, is something strange this time?"
Roy Bentley was stunned for a moment, then thought of something and said, "Are you trying to tell Chu Huan's motive for doing this?"
Shen Bi nodded and said: "Although we are cooperating with Chu Huan on many projects, these cooperations are more from Xiangjiang than Europe. In fact, Alder Commercial Bank also has their business in Europe. Chu Huan There is absolutely no need to cooperate with us, but now he suddenly flew to London to help us solve our biggest trouble. Doesn’t this make sense?
I think there should be a motive for everything we do. Now we don’t know Chu Huan’s motive for doing this. I’m worried that if we act too hastily, we will easily fall into passivity later!”
Roy Bentley also fell into a brief silence. After many years of experience in this position of HSBC's Taipan, Roy Bentley has also made great progress in business acumen compared to the past.
Naturally, I understand what Shen Bi means, and I also know that if Chu Huan really has a plan for this matter, they will definitely be in a difficult situation to deal with it.
"This matter is a bit difficult to handle. I think Chu Huan will definitely understand our worries. He is actually giving us a multiple-choice question now. Should we choose to continue our triangle stool strategy or because of some things we don't know yet? I gave up this opportunity due to circumstances!”
Pu Wei Shi also expressed his opinions.
"Should we first consider, if we really agree to acquire the shares of Midland Bank during this period, how much cash will we need to pay?"
"If you want to acquire the shares of Bank of Midland, you will definitely have to pay a premium. I think that the board of directors of Bank of Midland will definitely open their mouths. By then, our premium will be at least between 50% and 50%. That is to say We have to pay at least HK$5.5 billion!"
In his heart, Roy Bentley very much hopes to complete HSBC’s strategic layout of the triangle stool during his term of office.
Now the scale of Jiaku led by Chu Huan in Xiangjiang has exceeded that of HSBC. This incident will definitely be recorded in the history of HSBC.
As the top executive of HSBC during this term, if he does not achieve more dazzling results, he will be nailed to HSBC's pillar of shame.
Previously, HSBC completed the acquisition of the North American Ocean Milan Bank, which was able to make up for a little reputation. However, if it wants to change its name from the pillar of shame to the honor roll, it is imperative to complete the acquisition of the Bank of Milan. OK!
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! So Roy Bentley knows the situation of Midland Bank very well.
"Wait a minute!" Shen Bi suddenly said, then looked at Pu Weishi and asked, "What did you just say?"
Pu Weishi couldn't understand what Shen Bi meant, but he still repeated what he just said.
After hearing this, Shen Bi muttered: "This period? This period?"
Roy Bentley and Shen Bi both looked at Shen Bi and asked, "Did you guess something?"
Shen Bi did not answer the two people's questions directly, but asked them: "What do you think is the most important thing for Xiangjiang during this period?"
Does this still need to be answered?
During this period, the most important issue for Xiangjiang was naturally the future of Xiangjiang.
Shen Bi said: "Do you still remember what Chu Huan once said when we acquired the Royal Bank of Scotland? If we want to complete the acquisition of European banks, there is one of the most critical things. Problem, that’s why we at HSBC are in Hong Kong.”
Roy Bentley also figured it out at this time and immediately preached.
"So what you're saying is that this time Chu Huan actually wants us to move our registered office and leave Xiangjiang? And thus reduce our influence in Xiangjiang. Under the circumstances, the Jiaku Bank Group will be able to replace us?"
Pu Weishi also understood what Shen Bi and Roy Bentley meant, but he had his own ideas.
"If this is the case, could it be that Chu Huan is having some whims? Even if the problem of Xiangjiang is really solved by China, according to the agreement at that time, Xiangjiang will not change until 1997, and As long as the British are managed in Hong Kong, no matter where HSBC is registered, it is impossible for any banking group to replace HSBC's position.
In addition, according to the situation in China, even if Hong Kong returns in the future, the only one that can compare with our HSBC in Hong Kong’s banking industry is the Huayin Group, and it can’t be the Jiaku Bank Group?”
Shen Bi shook his head and said: "That can't be the case. Even now, the Jiaku Bank Group has grown into an important force in the banking industry in Hong Kong. If we choose to relocate and leave Hong Kong at this time, we will inevitably be affected. Impact, if Huayin Group wants to grow, it will take time and policies. This will not happen until at least the 1990s. In other words, the entire 1980s will be the time when the Huayin Bank Group will expand crazily in Hong Kong. .
In the past ten years, based on Jiaku’s influence in Hong Kong, I can’t imagine what kind of behemoth Jiaku Bank Group will grow into in ten years’ time!”
Pu Weishi said: "If this is the case, then we will give up this acquisition of Midland Bank!"
Roy Bentley and Shen Bi shook their heads at the same time.
It was Shen Bi who still explained: "Chu Huan has set up a conspiracy for us. There is one thing we must understand. Until now, no one can be sure what the future situation of Xiangjiang will be like. If Hong Kong continues to be under British management, everything will be fine.
But if Xiangjiang is really taken back by China, then the status of our HSBC will definitely change. We can try our best to cooperate with China during this period of time to ensure that we can retain more rights and interests in the future. , but China has its own Huayin, which means that no matter how we cooperate with Huayin, it is impossible to replace Huayin's position in Hong Kong.
Under such circumstances, our triangular stool strategy becomes even more important, because we have more choices and will not hang ourselves on this tree in Hong Kong.
But the timing.”
When he finished speaking, Shen Bi shook his head helplessly.
This multiple-choice question is really difficult to choose!
In the end, it was Roy Bentley who made the final decision: "Since it is difficult to make a choice, then don't make a choice first. Shen Bi, you can still go to London to discuss the investment with Midland Bank, but there is no need to be in such a hurry. We have to Just wait a moment, I believe the negotiations between Hua Guo and Ying Ling will be held this year, let’s see how the negotiations go between them first, and then we will make the final decision!”
Shen Bi and Pu Weishi looked at each other. At this time, they had no choice but to agree to Roy Bentley's suggestion!
"Boss, will HSBC relocate its registered office?"
After Chu Huan returned to the Chinese Bank, Xu Yi asked Chu Huan about his trip to HSBC.
Chu Huan sat on the sofa and said with a smile: "HSBC has no other choice. In fact, even if HSBC doesn't want to relocate, the British side will definitely let them relocate."
Xu Yi asked with some confusion: "Is it because the acquirer of Bank of Midland must be a bank registered in London?"
Chu Huan waved his hand and said: "Not only this reason, but also a deeper reason."
In another time and space, when the British were competing with China, they chose Jardine as a bargaining chip for their economy in Hong Kong. At that time, in order to cooperate with the British negotiations, Jardine moved away from Xiangjiang under the intervention of the British government. This triggered a wave of relocation in Xiangjiang.
It has dealt a blow to Hong Kong's economy.
Now that Yihe is in the hands of Chu Huan, if the British side wants to achieve such results, they must have a consortium of similar level to Yihe to do this.
HSBC is the only one with such a level in Xiangjiang!
In fact, when Chu Huan went to London for negotiations this time, the London side also hinted that Chu Huan hoped that Chu Huan could cooperate with them to allow an important group under Jiaku to relocate and leave Xiangjiang.
However, Chu Huan rejected London's request at that time.
"Hong Kong is the base of Jiaku. If Jiaku leaves Xiangjiang, it will be like duckweed without roots. This will not only affect Jiaku's business in Xiangjiang, but also affect Jiaku's business around the world."
This was the answer Chu Huan gave at that time.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Seeing that Chu Huan had no intention of doing so, the other party was worried that his own interests would be harmed, so he didn't say anything more.
“Although HSBC is an enterprise and is not affiliated with any department of the UK, it is undeniable that the development of HSBC is inseparable from the support of the UK.
Especially when the problem in Xiangjiang is determined, HSBC themselves will understand that their position in Xiangjiang will become embarrassing, and they will have to take the road of re-registration even if they don't want to!"
After listening to Chu Huan's analysis, Xu Yi nodded, then smiled and said: "If this is the case, the next ten years will be a particularly important year for the development of Jiaku Bank Group!"
Xu Yi actually also understood that as long as the problem of Xiangjiang was determined, no matter how good the relationship between Chu Huan and his hometown was, Huayin's rise would be unstoppable.
And at Chu Huan's current level, to put it bluntly, his hometown will definitely have some precautions.
"The two most important points are the acquisition of Standard Chartered by Alde Commercial Bank, the acquisition of Hang Seng by Jiaku Bank and some small and medium-sized banks in Hong Kong. For us, these two points are the most important things this year!"
Chu Huan preached seriously.
As always, Xu Yi knows Chu Huan's plan best. Although Chu Huan cannot tell Xu Yi the exact situation of the future environment, he can tell Xu Yi his plan and let Xu Yi complete it in detail.
And Xu Yi is also the most loyal person among all people to do things according to Chu Huan's wishes. Even in this plan, there are actually many uncertain factors. From the outside, it seems that things require a lot of luck, but Xu Yi
Still faithfully executing Chu Huan's orders.
"Xu Yi, this battle can actually be regarded as our last battle in Xiangjiang. As long as it can be completed, there will no longer be any group or individual in Xiangjiang alone in the future.
Maybe the forces have affected our Jiaku."
Chu Huan rarely reminded Xu Yi many times about how seriously he paid attention to this matter.
Controlling the banking industry in Xiangjiang basically means controlling the financial industry in Xiangjiang, plus the monopoly of the three real estate groups Zhulu Real Estate, Real Estate, and Hehui in the real estate industry in Xiangjiang, as well as the control of other industries in Xiangjiang by other companies under the name of Jiaku
monopoly.
That's why Chu Huan said that this year's battle will be Jiaku's last battle in Xiangjiang!
Xu Yi also said solemnly: "Boss, don't worry, I will confirm the problems in every link again and ensure that there will be no mistakes in this operation!"
Chu Huan nodded with satisfaction, then smiled: "Very good!"
.
After dealing with the company's affairs, Chu Huan returned to No. 12 Mount Calais Road. Cao Yunshang went to pick up Chu Huan before. The reason why Chu Huan was nervous was because Cao Yunshang's due date was within these days.
Therefore, Chu Huan will definitely stay at No. 12 Mount Galley Road during this period.
"Is everything settled?" Cao Yunshang asked Chu Huan again after seeing Chu Huan.
Chu Huan nodded and said with a smile: "I have already given the order, now I am waiting for the second introduction to break out!"
Cao Yunshang asked curiously: "The international gold price has been falling in the past two years. Is it really possible that it will skyrocket?"
The second clue that Chu Huan was waiting for was actually the increase in the international gold price!
"Skyrocketing is impossible!" Chu Huan shook his head and said: "The international gold price has been falling since the last surge, which makes many people feel uneasy. As long as the current international gold price rises slightly,
For many people, this is an opportunity that cannot be missed, and when the time comes, Xie Liyuan Gold Shop will definitely trigger a wave of squeezes!"
The run on Xie Liyuan Gold Shop will trigger a run on banks in Hong Kong that will last for two to three years. What Chu Huan is doing now is actually waiting for this to happen. After this happens, and Jia Ku adds to the flames, this
This squeeze wave will far exceed that of another time and space, and will be more concentrated.
Cao Yunshang nodded and said: "Xie Liyuan Gold Shop has a history of a hundred years in Xiangjiang. After experiencing this wave of squeeze, I am afraid that it will not be able to continue operating!"
"The business world has always been ups and downs. There are some things that can't be helped. Taking risks may bring more benefits, but at the same time, it may also bring greater risks to oneself. Everyone must pay the price for their choices!"
Chu Huan preached silently.
In fact, there is no conflict between Chu Huan and Xie Liyuan, and they have even met many times at gatherings of the Xiangjiang business community. But now it involves the development of Jiaku itself, and Xie Liyuan Gold Shop is indeed the most suitable introduction.
Then there is no other way but to use him to sacrifice to heaven!
Just after Chu Huan finished speaking, he found that Cao Yunshang's face was a little pale, and he was sweating immediately. Chu Huan saw this and asked quickly.
"What's wrong? I'm about to give birth? Isn't there still five days left before the due date?"
Cao Yunshang held her stomach and said, "She probably couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to see the world as soon as possible!"
"Doctor Hu, Doctor Hu!" Chu Huan quickly stood up and cheered loudly for Dr. Hu, the resident doctor. At this time, the servants in the entire villa also started to get busy!
Thank you everyone, typos will be corrected first and then~