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

Chapter 661: Of course, it's a win-win situation through cooperation!

The club model was not unfamiliar to Ron.

Because on Hong Kong Island, there is a club that is famous throughout Asia, namely the Hong Kong Island Jockey Club.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is nominally a charity for horse racing and Mark Six lottery authorized by the Hong Kong government, but in reality, it is a gathering place for the top wealthy families in Hong Kong Island.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has a strict hierarchy, especially the highest-level memberships, which are only open to the wealthiest individuals in Hong Kong and Asia.

Moreover, there is a huge flow of funds within the Jockey Club. The Jockey Club's own profits alone amount to an astronomical figure in a year, not to mention the flow of funds generated by the social interactions among its members.

This club is undoubtedly comparable to a top-tier conglomerate.

However, the Hong Kong Jockey Club is HSBC's territory, making it difficult for Standard Chartered to get involved.

Now, Victor showed him another club template, and most importantly, this club was completely different from the Hong Kong Island Jockey Club.

Ron was quite tempted by the club's various innovative service models.

To be honest, if we weren't currently discussing the core business of the club bank, Ron himself would have wanted to sign up and get a club membership.

Because looking at this club's system, the convenience for members is just too great.

"Mr. Victor, rest assured, Standard Chartered Bank will unconditionally cooperate with your club's development and there will be no mistakes whatsoever."

Ron said to Li Changhe in a serious tone.

After listening, Li Changhe smiled slightly: "Mr. Ron, I also believe in Standard Chartered's sincerity."

"But to be honest, in my opinion, Standard Chartered is not qualified yet!"

"First, the club's future service system will not be limited to Hong Kong Island, but will be global, realizing a three-in-one integration of Asia, Europe and North America, while also radiating to the Middle East, South America and Africa."

"Standard Chartered Bank currently only has a certain influence in East Asia, South Asia, and South Africa. Am I right?"

After listening to Li Changhe's explanation, Ron was stunned for a moment, then nodded somewhat awkwardly.

“Mr. Victor, you are right.”

Although Standard Chartered Bank is a British bank, embarrassingly, it actually has very little business in the UK and even Europe; its core business is still in Hong Kong and India.

Then there's Standard Bank of South Africa, which it merged with earlier, and it has a certain influence in Africa.

In essence, Standard Chartered is a small bank that relies on its former British colonial territories to swagger around in the colonies. It is nothing in the UK and Europe, let alone North America.

“Mr. Victor, I know you must have your own reasons, otherwise you wouldn’t have met with me today. If you have any intentions, you might as well say them directly.”

Ron wasn't stupid; he knew that Li Changhe must have his reasons for asking to see him today, otherwise there would be no need for him to meet with him at all.

The other party's current pointing out of Standard Chartered Bank's shortcomings is nothing more than a prelude to lowering the price or negotiating terms.

Li Changhe smiled slightly after listening.

"Very well, Mr. Ron, I'll get straight to the point."

“I have a very positive view of Standard Chartered Bank and I think it is a good fit for my current company.”

“Now that my businesses are spread across Europe, North America, and Asia, and later the Middle East, I think I need a bank to act as the central coordinator for these businesses.”

"I wonder if Standard Chartered would be interested in joining in?"

After seeing Li Changhe finish speaking calmly, Ron looked at Li Changhe with some surprise: "Mr. Victor, you want to acquire Standard Chartered?"

Li Changhe nodded, then continued, "I just have this idea."

"Simply put, my current business size requires a bank as a core support. Between acquiring a bank and starting my own, I prefer to acquire a suitable bank."

"At present, Standard Chartered Bank is the most suitable first choice in my opinion. I personally think that I should also be the most suitable shareholder candidate for Standard Chartered Bank at present."

"As far as I know, Standard Chartered is not currently backed by a very powerful conglomerate, which is why your expansion has been slow to extend beyond Hong Kong Island and Africa."

“My businesses are now expanding too fast and are not interconnected enough. I need a bank to connect them.”

"Of course, I respect the opinions of Standard Chartered's management, so I do not intend to make a hostile takeover of Standard Chartered Bank. Instead, I will consult Mr. Ron first."

"If the management welcomes me, then I can take over Standard Chartered, and we can support each other and move forward together."

"Conversely, if you feel that being acquired is intolerable, then I will not take forceful action."

"Banks are not like other businesses; you can't force a good thing to work out. I understand that principle."

After Li Changhe calmly finished speaking to Ron, Ron fell into deep thought.

Banks are indeed different from ordinary enterprises. It is an industry that requires a high degree of professionalism and personal connections, so banks often expand through mergers and acquisitions.

The best way to expand business in a region is to acquire a local bank and then integrate it with your own banking network.

Standard Chartered Bank is unable to expand because it lacks both funds and personnel.

And now Li Changhe possesses both of these things. Everyone knows that Victor is now incredibly wealthy, with deposits and loans in various banks totaling over a billion US dollars.

This is just his business in Hong Kong. People in Hong Kong don't know much about his overseas businesses, but he does have some understanding of them.

As for connections, needless to say, the fact that Bank of America facilitated the deal is enough to prove Li Changhe's capabilities.

After thinking for a moment, Ron sighed: "Mr. Victor, I was quite surprised and at a loss when you suddenly brought this up with me."

“You know, I had never thought about these things before.”

"I've only been thinking about this recently. Firstly, I do need a bank to coordinate things with, and secondly, to be honest, Mr. Ron, I need to consider things from the perspective of the northern continent."

"I think you should know that Governor MacLehose has been to Beijing several times to discuss the issue of Hong Kong Island. I don't know the specific results, but no matter what the outcome is, I, or rather Mr. Bao, must take action."

"The recent investment by the Bao family in the north is just a gesture, after all, we can't abandon our business in Hong Kong and leave completely."

"As far as I know, Standard Chartered should also be facing a similar predicament."

"Standard Chartered's business used to be mainly concentrated in mainland China. Shanghai used to be your home base, but you later shrank back to Hong Kong Island."

“HSBC and Citibank are also actively contacting the North. Standard Chartered wants to gain the North’s recognition before HSBC and Citibank, but it will be difficult for them to do so on their own.” “In this regard, I think we can also join forces. The Bao family’s brand and funds, combined with Standard Chartered’s foundation in Asia, could form a merger. Especially in the North, you have a certain level of recognition, and we have investment.”

"To some extent, it can be said that everyone gets what they need and the two sides join forces."

Li Changhe said these things because he had just discussed them with Director Lu and learned some more confidential information.

For example, in the past, Standard Chartered Bank was one of the foreign banks that secretly cooperated with China, and of course, HSBC was also among them.

Several foreign banks in Shanghai have been operating continuously, even for the past ten years or so, including HSBC and Standard Chartered.

Therefore, compared to European and American banks such as Citibank and Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Standard Chartered have actually had longer contact with China and have a better understanding of the domestic market.

Upon hearing this, Ron sighed, "Mr. Victor, you are truly remarkable. These reasons are enough to convince me."

“I also think that, according to what you said, it would be a very suitable choice for you to lead Standard Chartered Bank.”

"But unfortunately, I am only the person in charge of the Hong Kong Island area. My influence over headquarters is far less than you imagine."

Li Changhe smiled and said, "I think Mr. Ron is capable."

“If I were to take the helm of Standard Chartered, I would have great faith in Mr. Ron’s abilities. Moreover, for Standard Chartered, the Asian business is its core business area, far exceeding that of Africa and Europe.”

"Standard Chartered's management has always had a lot of say on the board of directors."

“Mr. Ron, if nothing unexpected happens, China and Britain will negotiate on the Hong Kong Island issue next. I believe that at that time, some shareholders of Standard Chartered Bank may intend to withdraw.”

"Perhaps that will be the beginning of our cooperation."

Li Changhe smiled and continued to reveal some information to Ron, who, upon hearing it, had a sudden thought.

As the head of Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong, Ron certainly had little influence over headquarters' decisions, but that doesn't mean he lacked connections at headquarters.

If the behind-the-scenes shareholders were to leave because of the future of Hong Kong Island, given Ron's network of connections, he would certainly be able to know in advance.

If he really helps Victor take over Standard Chartered, and if Standard Chartered rewards him for his contributions, wouldn't Ron also be able to take control of the entire Standard Chartered?

Thinking about all this, Ron felt a surge of excitement.

"Mr. Victor, may I ask if you are curious, do you intend to privatize Standard Chartered and turn it into a bank within the consortium, or do you simply want to maintain your influence over Standard Chartered as a major shareholder?"

At this moment, Ron asked Li Changhe seriously.

Li Changhe smiled and said, "Of course, it's the latter."

"Standard Chartered is now a mature listed bank, and I have no need to delist and privatize it. That would not be the best option for my company."

"But we want to work more closely with Standard Chartered and support its faster development, which is impossible without a closer relationship."

"After all, banks have their own unique characteristics. They can easily build up a group or easily destroy it, so necessary influence is indispensable."

“Mr. Ron, if you have like-minded friends or colleagues, you can tell them that I have no intention of replacing the management of Standard Chartered Bank, just as I will not carry out any purge of Hongkong Land.”

"I prefer to work together to achieve win-win results, so that we can work together to make Standard Chartered better and better serve the various companies under my umbrella."

Li Changhe said very sincerely.

Ron nodded solemnly.

If someone else had said this, he might have scoffed, but since Victor said it, he was quite inclined to believe it, given the precedent set by Landsea.

As Standard Chartered's business collaborations with Jardine Matheson have grown, their understanding of Jardine Matheson has also increased.

Therefore, Standard Chartered is very clear that Li Changhe really did not do anything underhanded with Hongkong Land, and there was no such thing as a promotion in name only to demote and purge. Hongkong Land's management system is almost the same as before.

This is completely different from what Li Ka-shing did after acquiring Hutchison Whampoa.

After Li Ka-shing acquired Hutchison Whampoa, he outwardly maintained the original model, but in reality, his private purges never stopped until now, when he has complete control of Hutchison Whampoa.

Of course, from a business perspective, Li Jiacheng's methods are beyond reproach, and can even be described as quite brilliant.

However, from the perspective of a partner, a partner like Victor is more worthy of Ron's trust, and the promises he makes make Ron feel more sincere.

“Mr. Victor, I need to think about this matter carefully and will be able to give you an answer in a while.”

Ron neither refused outright nor agreed outright.

He was very interested in the idea Li Changhe proposed, but he couldn't make the decision on such a big matter.

So he has to go back and talk to the bigwigs at Standard Chartered to see their attitude first.

"Of course, the reason I invited Mr. Ron here today is simply because I feel that Mr. Ron is my most trustworthy partner within Standard Chartered Bank, so I wanted to share my thoughts with him first."

“I can also assure Mr. Ron that I will not engage in any unethical acquisition of Standard Chartered’s shares in private, nor will this matter affect our cooperation.”

"I am simply offering a sincere proposal to help us take our cooperation a step further. As for the final decision, I respect Standard Chartered's opinion."

Li Changhe said with a light laugh.

Hearing Li Changhe say that, Ron breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as the other party isn't fixated on Standard Chartered and attempting a hostile takeover, it's fine.

Of course, he understood the hidden meaning in Li Changhe's words: past cooperation would not be affected, but what about future cooperation?
Clearly, Victor has already begun looking for banks to build his own internal financial system. He has first extended a goodwill gesture to Standard Chartered, and whether Standard Chartered accepts it or not is up to Standard Chartered itself.

"Thank you for your understanding, Mr. Victor. I will return to London as soon as possible and give you a reply on this matter. I also hope to achieve closer cooperation with Mr. Victor in the future."

Ron smiled and "hinted" at that moment.

For him, this seems like a great opportunity to soar to new heights!

"Then let's look forward to our future!"

Li Changhe then raised his wine glass, and the two clinked glasses meaningfully before smiling and drinking their wine.

This meal was definitely worth it!

(End of this chapter)