Chapter 446 Humphrey’s Phone Call
The dinner party held by Xu Liang in Singapore was just like London, with a large number of guests, including wealthy people from all over Southeast Asia who had heard the news.
Hanhua Capital has raised more than US$2.5 billion, and Kunpeng 2 and Qinglong 2 are still the most popular funds, each raising more than US$1 billion.
As the news spread, Hanhua Capital became even more famous among the wealthy circles of Southeast Asia.
Xu Liang looked at the information in his hand. Not surprisingly, Temasek was the one that invested the most.
Kunpeng 2 and Qinglong 2 funds each invested US$200 million.
The next step is Charoen Pokphand Xie Jia, with two funds each investing US$100 million.
Next is the Qiu family, with two funds each investing US$50 million.
From now on, there will be almost no one with over 100 million yuan.
Although there are many wealthy people in Southeast Asia, the investment atmosphere is not as strong as in Europe and the United States.
"But it's pretty good."
$2.5 billion is a lot of money.
Dingle bell….
The phone rang.
Picked it up and looked at the caller ID, then pressed the answer button.
"John, why did you remember to call me?"
John Humphrey felt a little complicated when he heard the familiar voice on the phone.
Although he had expected that Xu Liang had other plans for Standard Chartered and that his shareholding would not be limited to the original 16.8%, he did not expect that this day would come so quickly.
36.7% is composed of the equity of Standard Chartered Bank. Standard Chartered is already considered a company owned by Xu.
The person who was once an equal, now suddenly became his boss, John Humphrey could not help but feel ups and downs, and it was difficult to calm down.
After taking a deep breath.
"Xu, should I call you BOSS now?"
"Haha, John. Work is work, friendship is friendship. We are very good friends now." Xu Liang said.
John Humphrey was not a fool and heard what he meant.
We are friends in normal times, but subordinates when we work.
"Xu, 16.8% of the shares are enough to influence Standard Chartered's decision-making. Why do you continue to acquire? Are you planning to completely acquire Standard Chartered? This is not easy. Government-level review is a big problem."
Xu Liang said calmly: "John, 16.8% of the shares still made Standard Chartered reject my decision to use Jianlibao for mortgage loans, so I must acquire more to meet the requirements.
As for the acquisition of Standard Chartered, haha, why should I Want to acquire?
All I need is complete control.
And even if I want to acquire it completely, it’s actually not that difficult. After all, Hanhua Capital has many clients in the UK.
Otherwise, why did the London Securities Commission approve my acquisition of Standard Chartered shares so easily without conducting more review? ”
John Humphrey was silent.
He attended the dinner organized by Xu Liang and knew very well how many big shots had become clients of Hanhua Capital.
They will automatically become Hanhua or Xu Liang's contacts in the UK and Europe, and will be happy to provide some less troublesome help.
At this moment, Humphrey suddenly felt regretful.
If he had played a role and agreed to the Jianlibao mortgage loan, would Xu Liang not have continued to acquire Standard Chartered shares?
He shook his head inwardly.
The matter is a foregone conclusion, and it is of no use even if he regrets it.
“I understand, I will submit a resignation report if necessary.”
“John, I think you misunderstood. You are a qualified CEO, and I have no intention of firing you. Moreover, unless Standard Chartered makes a major mistake in your hands, you will always be the CEO of Standard Chartered.”
John Humphrey felt relieved.
As one of the top 100 banks in the world, the position of CEO of Standard Chartered can bring him a lot of income and social status. If possible, he would not want to leave.
After a slight hesitation, Humphrey's tone became a little lower.
“BOSS, thank you very much for your trust.”
The corner of Xu Liang’s mouth curled up.
I usually have a tough mouth, but when my own interests are involved, my body can also become very soft.
Of course, he could also hear the reluctance in Humphrey's tone.
But it doesn’t matter.
Over time, you will get used to following orders.
"John, I have limited energy and will not ask too much about Standard Chartered. On weekdays, the development of the company is left to you. However, starting from today, Standard Chartered will make every effort to develop the East and Southeast Asian markets, especially China. Market.
I hope that within five years, Standard Chartered Bank can surpass HSBC and JPMorgan D.com and become the foreign bank with the highest market share in China.
Of course, I will try my best to help you during this process. ”
John Humphrey quickly agreed to expand Asia, especially the East Asian market, which was originally the next development strategy of Standard Chartered Bank.
And he is also very optimistic about the Chinese market.< br>
It’s just that he doesn’t take the Chinese market as seriously as Xu Liang does.
After hanging up the phone, John Humphrey let out a long breath.
"How's it going, John?"
Kevin Hannon, wearing a black coat next to him, asked.
“He asked me to continue to serve as CEO of Standard Chartered, and promised not to interfere in the daily management of Standard Chartered. Moreover, Standard Chartered’s development plan is consistent with our original strategy. The only difference is that he put the Chinese market Our status has been raised too high.
Let us become the largest foreign bank in China in terms of market share, surpassing HSBC and J.P. Morgan within five years.
And he said he would help us. ”
“The result is pretty good. "Kevin Hannon breathed a sigh of relief.
Humphrey nodded slightly. The previous resignation on the phone was his test.
If Xu Liang If he agrees, he will immediately activate all the connections at hand to compete with the other party
Although 36.7% of the shares is large, it does not exceed 50%.
Although he cannot dilute Xu Liang's equity through capital increase, share expansion, private placement, etc., he can influence other large and small shareholders through public opinion and compete for controlling rights.
Or it may influence the London Securities Commission and the government to veto the transaction.
Even though Xu Liang’s Hanhua Capital has attracted many people through fundraising, his foundation in the UK is too shallow.
Far inferior to him who has been in charge of Standard Chartered for many years.
"Kevin, how much has Standard Chartered's stock price increased during this period? It rose to 12.6 pounds per share some time ago and then entered a volatile range. It has never exceeded 13 pounds."
The stock price did not continue to rise, which means that the market There are no institutions in the world that have made large purchases of Standard Chartered shares.
It also means that Hanhua and Hongyan have not continued to acquire the equity of Standard Chartered.
“Keep an eye on the company’s stock price.”
“Okay.”
After he left, Humphrey pondered for a moment and picked up the phone on the table.
"Ellie, help me make an appointment with Mr. Olson from Fidelity Investments. I would like to invite him to play golf."
"Okay."
Hanfer After Lay put down the phone, there was a hint of solemnity in his expression.
He did not 100% believe what Xu Liang said. Just in case, some things had to be done in advance.
——
“How are you busy with your affairs in Singapore?”
Jiang Xiaoyang asked on the phone.
"Standard Chartered's shares have been acquired, and the fund-raising is still in progress. It is going smoothly so far. Mainly because there are some things that need to be resolved at Hongmeng Zhongnan Company."
Xu Liang said with a smile .
He didn't want Jiang Xiaoyang to pay attention to his long-term stay in Singapore, so he quickly changed the topic.
"How are you preparing for soybeans now?"
"According to your instructions, I have rented 27 warehouses in coastal provinces in China, which can store at least 15 million tons of soybeans.
Procurement is also in progress. 28.3 million tons have been ordered and are currently being shipped to China. Subsequent orders are also being made. ”
“So easy? ”
"Now is the season for soybeans in the southern hemisphere. Brazil and Argentina have a combined soybean production of more than 200 million tons. Together with South America, Africa and Australia, there is now an abundant supply of soybeans on the market.
As long as you have money , it’s easy to buy.”
Xu Liang nodded, “What about the domestic side?”
“We are still negotiating. We have already negotiated purchase contracts with thirty-nine farms in the Northeast. If everything goes well, at least 3 million tons of soybeans can be harvested from China in September," Jiang Xiaoyang said.
“Not enough.” Xu Liang said.
"We can continue to purchase, but for planting, we still have two months, and it is expected that we can increase the purchase volume by about 10 million tons.
Any more will be impossible.
After all, domestic soybean planting ends after June.”
The soybean planting period in the north is mainly in April and May, while the soybean planting period in the south is in May and June. This is common sense, Xu Liang also said. clear.
Think for a moment.
"If you do this, the marketing department will continue to expand its recruitment. In addition, set up stepped rewards for them. For every 10,000 tons of planting area negotiated, they will be given a reward of 10,000 yuan. The more you work, the more you will get.
Overseas The same goes for the purchasing department.”
Xu Liang doesn’t mind spending more money.
If they could get themselves 100 million tons of soybeans, he would be happy to invest 100 million Chinese coins.
“Aren’t you afraid of these soybeans being crushed in your hands?”
Jiang Xiaoyang asked.
"The United States has been planning this for several years. Do you think they will give up when the time comes? Even if they give up this year, what about next year?
Soybeans are very shelf-stable. I don’t mind waiting.
I’m afraid they can’t wait.” Xu Liang said calmly.
“Since you are sure that the Americans will intervene, is the soybean futures price of US$2 billion and triple leverage too little?” Jiang Xiaoyang said.
"If we eat everything in our own mouths, how can others take the bait without a chance?
Moreover, we cannot eat all the meat, otherwise we will become the target of public criticism."
Having said that, the reason why Xu Liang does not plan to let Kunpeng Fund invest too much in soybean futures is to leave opportunities for his own Hongyan Fund.
The soybean futures market is not big. Kunpeng Fund has taken too much, what else can his Hongyan take?
As for fishing, that is what it should be.
Jiang Xiaoyang did not doubt his statement.
“How much money has Kunpeng 2 raised now?” Xu Liang asked.
"Already 10.9 billion US dollars."
"Already that much?" Xu Liang was a little surprised.
It seems that it has only been a little over a month since the Kunpeng No. 2 public offering.
"The United States alone has raised US$4.9 billion, and it is still growing. If it continues for another two months, Kunpeng 2 will definitely exceed US$15 billion."
Xu Liang nodded in agreement, " If it reaches 15 billion US dollars, let’s close it.”
“The more the better,” Jiang Xiaoyang said with a smile.
(End of this chapter)