1977: The beginning of the blind date with the daughter of the king

Chapter 519: Calculating Standard Chartered Bank
At the end of the meal, Li Changhe vowed that he would never eat Indian food again.

He even suspected that the old man Shen Bi was deliberately using Indian food to trick him.

But seeing how deliciously Shen Bi was eating, he didn't think it was necessary?
Could it be that the British like Indian food?

After all, there are quite a few British foreigners in the restaurant.

So, it’s just a matter of dietary taste?
Shen Bi finally seemed to realize that Li Changhe was not interested in Indian food, but he didn't say anything.

I have already clicked on everything, what else is there to change in the end?

Just change the cuisine next time.

On the way back, Li Changhe, sitting in the car, rethought his attitude towards HSBC.

Originally, he wanted to cooperate fully with Standard Chartered and temporarily give up HSBC.

In fact, even if Shen Bi didn't say it, Li Changhe had given up on the so-called independent director issue.

HSBC's situation is too special, and Li Changhe had already decided not to get involved.

But it seems that HSBC is still valuable now.

At least in the Middle East, HSBC can still provide him with help.

Let’s keep it for now.

Li Changhe made a decision in his mind, and at this time, the car left Hong Kong Island and returned to Kadoorie Hill.

"My dear, are you back?"

"Well, come on, go out with me for some midnight snack."

Li Changhe didn't eat much of the Indian food, so he decided to take Guan Zhilin out for a midnight snack.

This time, they did not go to Central and Kowloon, but came to Mong Kok.

Today, this place is a paradise for food stalls and has a more down-to-earth feel.

Of course, the other side of the worldly atmosphere is the complexity of social forces.

However, according to Li Changhe's observation, due to the crackdown on corrupt police and triad forces by the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau, the public security in Hong Kong Island is actually still acceptable.

It is estimated that the real chaos will not occur until after 84, when the negotiations are over and the Governor's Office lets things take their own course. Only then will the forces below expand and rise, becoming unbridled.

With the image of Li Changhe and Guan Zhilin, they really attracted attention when walking on the streets of Mong Kok, and even some gangsters stared at them.

However, when they saw the group of men in black suits led by Ah Hu behind them, these hooligans immediately turned their eyes away cautiously.

As the training of Ming Wang's security agency was completed, more people followed Li Changhe.

At least in a place like Hong Kong Island, there is no harm in bringing more bodyguards.

After eating something and strolling around, Mong Kok became boring in Li Changhe's eyes.

The streets of Portland, where men seek pleasure, no longer have any appeal to him.
In the following days, Li Changhe actually had nothing to do. On the one hand, he followed up on the negotiations between his financial team and Standard Chartered, and on the other hand, he waited for Dr. He's reply.

Surprisingly, after so many days, there has been no response from Dr. He.

There was no agreement, and no means of fighting back, which actually surprised Li Changhe.

When something goes wrong, there must be a monster.

"Boss, are you familiar with a prince in the Middle East?"

Inside the office, Li Zhengguang asked Li Changhe with full curiosity.

"Huh? How did you know?"

Li Changhe looked at the financial report in his hand and asked curiously.

In recent times, in addition to negotiating with Standard Chartered, Li Zhengguang and his colleagues' tasks have been to help him review the financial reports submitted by the Jardine Matheson Group and the clothing group.

Of course, they have no decision-making power, they just review the reports to see if there are any unreasonable places, which is Li Changhe's "Military Affairs Office"

"It wasn't me, it was Standard Chartered that found out?"

"They consulted me and it seems that they got the information from the airport. I don't know the details, but Standard Chartered is very concerned about it."

“They have been trying to expand their banking network in the Middle East, but progress has been slow.”

"What they are saying now is that if they agree to our terms, they hope you can help them expand their banking channels in the Middle East."

Standard Chartered Bank's influence is now concentrated in East Asia, South Asia and Africa. Especially after the merger with Standard Bank, they have a huge bank network from South Africa to North Africa.

However, Standard Chartered Bank has never entered the Middle East, which is separated from Africa by only the Red Sea.

This made them very jealous. After all, the Middle East today is where wealth gathers.

Especially with the skyrocketing oil prices, the wealthy people in the Middle East spend money like water and have so much money that they can't spend it all.

Such high-quality customers are what banks dream of.

Unfortunately, Standard Chartered has not been able to open up the market there.

They have no shortage of money, and the business support that banks can provide is of no appeal to these big players in the Middle East.

The Middle Eastern royal families’ first target is the United States, followed by Britain and France.

The banking industry in the United States is well developed, and in Britain and France, there are giants such as HSBC, Barclays, BNP Paribas, and Societe Generale, so Standard Chartered has no chance of success.

However, the location of the Middle East is very important. Once the Middle East is opened up, Standard Chartered will be able to build a banking channel around the entire Indian Ocean, and then use it to break into the East Asian market, such as Japan.

Japan is now the world's second largest economy, and Standard Chartered is well aware of Japan's demand for Middle Eastern oil.

And now, they saw a glimmer of hope in Li Changhe.

Prince Tarak is not an ordinary prince in Saudi Arabia. He is entrusted with an important mission for Saudi Arabia.

Therefore, after several meetings, Standard Chartered's senior management became increasingly inclined to agree to Li Changhe's conditions.

After all, if Li Changhe is introduced as a director, we can fully leverage his energy to break into the Middle East and US markets, and even the Japanese market.

Therefore, Standard Chartered contacted Li Zhengguang and revealed its intentions.

After listening to this, Li Changhe closed the financial report.

“Do you think we have a chance to slowly acquire Standard Chartered Bank?”

Li Changhe asked Li Zhengguang curiously.

Hearing Li Changhe's words, Li Zhengguang's expression changed slightly.

He didn't expect that his boss actually wanted to acquire Standard Chartered?

"Boss, are you serious?"

Li Zhengguang looked at Li Changhe and asked hesitantly.

"of course."

"A Guang, you know, my businesses are becoming more and more complex, including real estate, clothing, and finance. And this is just in Hong Kong Island."

"There are also many investments in the United States and Japan."

"In this case, it is not convenient for me to rely solely on a third-party bank."

"The prerequisite for integrating these resources is that I must have my own bank, which is the core of linking these industries together."

"For a bank like this, you either start your own or acquire a suitable one."

"Hong Kong Island issued many banking licenses last year, but I think the slow development is too slow and can't keep up with my pace. Acquisition is the most appropriate."

"In Hong Kong Island, besides HSBC, Standard Chartered should be considered a second-tier bank. It is similar to Hang Seng Bank and Citibank. Not only does it have a good brand, but its overseas expansion is also good." "So, I actually intend to acquire Standard Chartered. What do you think the success rate is?"

Li Changhe said calmly.

Seeing that his boss was determined in his thinking, Li Zhengguang also started to analyze the situation.

"Boss, if it is a forced acquisition in a short period of time, I think it will be difficult. Both shareholders and management will probably resist."

"But in the long run, boss, I think there is hope."

"The biggest flaw of Standard Chartered now is that its shareholders behind the scenes are not strong. There is no strong consortium to support them. This is one of the gaps between them and HSBC."

“Although independent operation ensures autonomy, it also makes them weaker than their peers in development.”

"Today, Standard Chartered has entrusted the development of other regions, including India, in addition to its business in Hong Kong and Africa."

"That's why they want to reach a strategic cooperation with us. They want to leverage our business development to complete their expansion simultaneously."

"But boss, if you want to acquire Standard Chartered, you cannot complete a deep strategic tie-up with Standard Chartered now."

"Only when it is about to die will it ask us for help, and only then will we have a chance to buy it."

Li Zhengguang said to Li Changhe seriously.

Although Standard Chartered is quite famous and is also known as the Centennial Standard Chartered, before its merger with Standard Bank of South Africa, its main business areas were only two, one on the mainland and the other in India.

Later, the mainland was forced to withdraw completely, and after India's independence, it no longer gave face to the British. In fact, the only area where Standard Chartered focused its full efforts on fixed income was Hong Kong Island.

This is also one of the reasons why it later merged with Standard Galaxy of South Africa, as it had to expand its business territory.

In fact, the current situation of Standard Chartered is not very good.

Li Changhe nodded thoughtfully: "What you said makes sense. It just so happens that I don't want to give up HSBC either. Its channels are currently useful to us."

"You can communicate with Standard Chartered. Hong Kong Land can cooperate with Standard Chartered. Then you can serve as an independent director of Standard Chartered Bank and slowly build a good relationship with their senior management."

"Then we will wait for the right opportunity to acquire Standard Chartered Bank."

Li Changhe said to Li Zhengguang in a serious tone.

Li Zhengguang was a little confused: "Boss, is it inappropriate to use the name Landmark?"

"In fact, in terms of capital flow, the cash flow of the clothing group is much less than that of Hong Kong Land, so it is more appropriate for them to cooperate with Standard Chartered. After all, the amount of capital is small, and the clothing industry has fast cash flow, so it does not really need bank loans."

"If it is Hong Kong Land, the real estate market in Hong Kong Island is hot right now and the amount of capital is huge, which is a real boost to Standard Chartered Bank."

Li Zhengguang wondered if his boss had gotten it wrong.

Real estate companies are often big clients of banks because they have large amounts of capital and high cash flow. A house or a shop can mean tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars in cash.

Therefore, real estate companies are often the favorites of banks. In comparison, clothing companies do not actually need loans much, especially those that are developing well.

Isn't this what my boss said the opposite?
"No, just use the land. I have my own plans."

“Using Hong Kong Land can highlight my importance to Standard Chartered.”

Li Changhe spoke seriously to Li Zhengguang at this moment.

He would not tell Li Zhengguang that in two years, Hong Kong real estate would plummet and the real estate industry would suffer heavy losses.

A real estate crash is often the beginning of a bank crash.

Since StanChart is now half-dead, Li Changhe doesn't mind giving it another big bomb.

And now that the Hutchison Whampoa is being given to it, I believe Standard Chartered will thank him sincerely.

After all, the current Jardine Matheson is a golden brand in Hong Kong Island.

"Okay, then I'll use Hutchison Whampoa to negotiate with Standard Chartered."

"By the way, tell them that I can help them expand their channel network in the United States and the Middle East, but I can't guarantee the final results."

Li Changhe then spoke seriously to Li Zhengguang.

Li Zhengguang nodded: "I understand."

After Li Zhengguang left, Li Changhe called Wei Li up.

"Bill, I want to discuss something with you."

After Li Changhe called Wei Li up, he said to Wei Li with a smile.

"You're the boss, of course I have to do what you tell me to do."

Wei Li also started joking with Li Changhe at this time.

The two have been working together for more than half a year, and Wei Li has discovered that Li Changhe is not a high-handed person. The power that was agreed to be delegated to him is almost complete, and he rarely interferes in the operation of the company.

Of course, Wei Li did not object to the implementation of some strategic directions, such as urban complexes and supermarkets. Mainly speaking, Li Changhe did not force him to do these directions, but proposed them and improved them with him.

Besides, he is still the one leading the project, which is enough trust for a hired manager.

"It's like this. I want Hutchison Whampoa to strengthen its cooperation with Standard Chartered. Hutchison Whampoa will give up on HSBC for the time being."

Li Changhe said to Wei Li with a smile.

Wei Li was a little curious when he heard this: "Vick, are you planning to cooperate with Standard Chartered?"

He also knew something about Standard Chartered Bank's attempt to win over Li Changhe. After all, people from Standard Chartered often came to the building to communicate with Li Zhengguang and others, so Wei Li could naturally get the news.

"About the same. Standard Chartered is much more sincere than HSBC now, and I think Standard Chartered is more suitable for the integration of my industries."

"I want to try to cooperate with it first through Landmark Land."

Li Changhe said to Wei Li.

Wei Li was thoughtful when he heard this: "Do you want to turn Standard Chartered into your own bank?"

The connection between these large financial groups must involve banks.

Weir was known as a surgical doctor, and the reason he was able to lead Hutchison Whampoa was because he was invited by HSBC.

His ability to slowly sort out hundreds of Hutchison Whampoa companies was also inseparable from the help of HSBC at the time.

In a sense, HSBC was the core of Hutchison Whampoa at that time.

Therefore, for Wei Li, he could understand the elegant meaning of the song by hearing the music. Although Li Changhe did not say it explicitly, he guessed Li Changhe's intention.

"It's not the acquisition stage yet. I plan to wait and see. If it's appropriate, I will further cooperate with Standard Chartered."

“If Standard Chartered’s operations are too bad, we’ll see what happens then.”

Li Changhe said with a chuckle.

Wei Li smiled and nodded: "I see, I have no objection to this, I will cooperate when the time comes."

Make Standard Chartered's operations worse?

Wei Li understood Li Changhe's intention, but it would be very convenient if he could have a fully cooperative bank.

After Wei Li left, Li Changhe smiled.

Wei Li is indeed a veteran in this field, and his comprehension is much stronger than Li Zhengguang. He knows that Wei Li will definitely get things done.

This guy is so cruel and ruthless.

However, relying solely on Jardine Matheson is not enough. Li Changhe feels that he still has to help Standard Chartered "expand".

After all, only by expanding can money be spent, and only by spending money can assets be dispersed. When the real estate market crashes, Standard Chartered will be weak enough.

(End of this chapter)