Chapter 695 Meeting (Two in One)

Two hedge funds surfaced, and the Bank of China was in a mess. The leaders above were furious, and domestic peers looked at it sideways.

Fang Zhuo watched this chaotic situation and couldn't help but sigh to Kong Yu who was also paying attention to the situation.

"Paulson seemed to be holding a whip in the United States. The force of his shaking at the end of the whip was transmitted to the tail of the whip in China through the whip, and there was a crisp sound here at the Bank of China."

"Although it took a few days longer than expected, this thing was done flawlessly."

Find two wild funds that have no relationship with Goldman Sachs on the surface, get through Merrill Lynch's sales decision, mobilize the media to convey the situation, and finally become a white knight.

It's easy to say, but it's not so easy to do.

What's more, it was done in such a short time.

As an insider, Fang Zhuo was awe-inspiring when he saw it.

It's worthy of Goldman Sachs and Paulson.

In this case, we must connect the line of MIGA Fund and promote CDO collateralized debt obligations to it more.

Kong Yu looked at Mr. Fang's complex expression and said, "If you put it that way, Mr. Fang, didn't you pass the whip to Paulson?"

Who is the mastermind behind this?

It's hard to say.

Fang Zhuo looked at Kong Yu calmly and asked, "Have you raised enough funds?"

Kong Yu was a little embarrassed, and left tactfully, and continued to urge the progress of the US fund.

This time, the negotiation with Bank of China has not started yet. Now everything is compared with the cooperation between Royal Bank of Scotland and it, and the ratio is set at $750 million for Goldman Sachs to take 1GA Fund and $750 million for Deutsche Bank.

Among them, Deutsche Bank gave up joining the board of directors of Bank of China and would also sign a concerted action agreement with MIGA Fund on its shareholding.

It is still difficult for MIGA Fund to continue to raise funds after raising funds from ICBC.

Fortunately, Zhou Xin and Su Wei cleared out their Yike stocks one after another, and they were able to take out a total of 0.5+1.4=190 million US dollars. Fang Zhuo, as a major shareholder and chairman, had to sell his stocks more slowly, and the planned goal was to provide 200 million US dollars.

In the end, the MIGA fund needed to raise 7.5-1.9-2=360 million US dollars.

Fang Zhuo was considering how much the fund could raise. If it was not enough in the end, he would take his old friends to make a fortune. For example, Lao Xiong must have some personal property over the years, so such a bright opportunity to make a fortune should not be difficult to judge.

On October 25, foreign financial media continued to talk about this wave of Bank of China, and domestic reporters continued to explore the truth.

Under such circumstances, Paulson came to Beijing from the United States again, and ICBC held a formal signing ceremony and media conference on this day, confirming that Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, United Bank, Mutual Aid, and MIGA would become strategic partners.

Compared with the previously signed memorandum of understanding, this signing excluded Allianz and American Express, and such changes still aroused the interest of reporters on the scene.

In particular, although Fang Zhuo tried to downplay the impact and did not attend the press conference, people who were well-informed or in the circle knew who was behind the MIGA fund, and it was inevitable to ask questions.

As a result, Paulson, the head of Goldman Sachs, praised the achievements of the MIGA fund on the spot, saying that it was enough to make 99% of the funds in the United States ashamed and that it was a private equity fund with a promising future.

Including Zhang Hongli, President of Deutsche Bank Asia Pacific, Gary, Senior Vice President of U.S. Bank, and President Jiang, the head of ICBC, all expressed their great recognition of the MIGA fund, which seemed to be a joint guarantee.

ICBC and its strategic partners are united, and the outside world has the bigger melon of Bank of China. This signing and press conference, which had a few twists and turns, did not cause a big wave, and only waited for the approval of the regulatory authorities above.

With the contract in black and white, ICBC's strategic investment was 99% settled, which also meant that its shareholding reform had taken a big step forward.

Because of ICBC's size and situation, the leaders and the industry did not have high expectations for its progress. It was generally believed that there would be substantive actions next year. Now that the situation was settled, President Jiang was both excited and happy.

After finishing the dinner with his colleagues that day, he called Mr. Fang, who did not show up.

First, they flattered each other.

Then, he also asked about the situation of Bank of China.

Others did not know, but President Jiang knew clearly that it was after he introduced Mr. Fang to Lao Li that Bank of China seemed to be in chaos.

He thought it was impossible to say that there was no connection between them.

Fang Zhuo heard President Jiang's question and said, "President Jiang, I do know some things about this matter, but there are also many things I don't know. If I say it casually, it is likely to mislead you."

"I can only say that you are indeed very discerning, and Goldman Sachs really should not be underestimated."

"That night, Paulson and I went to see President Li together."

"Today, I saw the current situation of Bank of China, which not only proves the mistake of its cooperation with the Royal Bank of Scotland, but also proves that President Jiang, you asked me to check and balance Goldman Sachs."

"I believe that the cooperation agreement signed between ICBC and Goldman Sachs, including the lock-up period and business scope, is not only beneficial to ICBC, but also to the entire domestic banking industry."

Fang Zhuo was sincere and admired President Jiang's foresight.

President Jiang didn't say much. Indeed, the root of the problem lies with the Royal Bank of Scotland, and even Merrill Lynch's distribution of investments is only a matter of time.

He finally asked, "Can you reach a cooperation with Bank of China?"

"I hope to help Bank of China and bring our advanced experience in cooperation with ICBC to Bank of China." Fang Zhuo first affirmed the achievements here, and then said, "But it depends on what President Li means."

I am not a behind-the-scenes manipulator, just a plug-and-play knife. How to use it depends on the leader.

President Jiang ended the call. President Fang was still reassuring in both his work and his words.

However, he also paid more attention to the progress of his peers and old friends.

In late October, the chaos in Bank of China did not last too long. President Li insisted on working despite his illness and encouraged many people in the bank. His spirit also made the leader nod.

However, the real evaluation depends on whether the head can save the situation. This is not only related to the development of Bank of China, but also to his personal future.

Unfortunately, the external situation did not change according to the will of Bank of China.

Merrill Lynch insisted on responding publicly and responded to the equity distribution to the media for the second time, believing that this was an action within the contract framework and fully in line with the terms signed between it and Royal Bank of Scotland.

The Royal Bank of Scotland remained silent for quite a long time, and finally gave the same response to the Bank of China and the media. It would guarantee the professionalism of its business cooperation with the Bank of China, and would also exercise shareholder rights on behalf of the two hedge funds and the Li Jiacheng Foundation. The entire acquisition consortium would only get one board seat.

Such a response did not satisfy the Bank of China and the media.

As a well-known commercial bank in the UK and Europe, it is impossible for it not to be aware of the impact of the hedge fund appearing before the Bank of China's IPO. Its response was neither professional nor responsible.

This caused widespread doubts.

Similarly, there were more backlashes within the senior management of the Bank of China.

But even with the backlash, when President Li tentatively proposed to terminate the cooperation, everyone still looked at each other in bewilderment. The contract had been signed, and they were foreign banks. Would this bring a worse impact to the Bank of China?

Is it more reasonable to deal with it coldly now? Is it to keep things quiet?

President Li expressed his dissatisfaction on the spot.

Just half a day later, he convened a high-level meeting with fewer people and higher levels.

The meeting did not last long, but the content of the meeting was widely circulated within the Bank of China.

It is said that President Li, who was dragging his sick body, angrily denounced the Royal Bank of Scotland and resolutely stopped hedge funds from becoming shareholders of the bank at such a time.

When a vice president opened his mouth and asked a question: "The contract is there, what about the reputation of Bank of China? What about the impact? What about this responsibility?"

President Li coughed and slammed the table, and said angrily: "Just do as I say, the responsibility is mine! The responsibility is mine!"

For a time, everyone in Bank of China was in awe.

But there is still a problem. The time for Bank of China's IPO international roadshow has been set. If it really wants to terminate its cooperation with the Royal Bank of Scotland at this time, how can it clean up this mess in a short time?

This not only tests attitude, but also tests ability.

A vice president who has always been at odds with President Li said privately: "If he had this ability, he would not have chosen the Royal Bank of Scotland."

On the last day of October, President Li held a meeting again and announced the results of his communication with the leaders, and that he would officially terminate the cooperation with the Royal Bank of Scotland.

Moreover, it was not Bank of China that came forward, but the regulatory level called a halt.

In this way, the Bank of China's apparent responsibility is reduced a lot.

"What about our roadshow? Do we have to start from scratch for new strategic investments?"

In response to such inquiries, President Li simply said: "The long road ahead is like iron, but now we are starting from the beginning. I believe that with the performance and prospects of the Bank of China, we will not lack partners."

"Today is the last day of October, the day we put aside the old bad partners, and tomorrow is the first day of November, which is just right for us to screen new high-quality partners."

President Li said this with full confidence, which surprised many executives present.

In any case, today, since President Li has taken the initiative to communicate with the leadership and let the regulator take action, the next unified responsibility will inevitably be borne by him, good or bad, it will not be too far away.

That afternoon, the regulatory level notified the Royal Bank of Scotland and immediately stopped its cooperation with the Bank of China.

This situation caught the Royal Bank of Scotland off guard. Why? Why!

However, the regulatory response was - considering financial security.

The Royal Bank of Scotland, which had been sitting pretty steady since the Merrill Lynch incident, panicked and called Bank of China in a hurry to find a better solution. However, Bank of China explicitly refused and said that it would obey orders from above.

The duck that was about to be delivered flew away?

Could an investment involving 3.1 billion US dollars be in vain?

The Royal Bank of Scotland protested from multiple angles and was also looking for someone to mediate the matter.

The British Sir Li Jiacheng, who also had an interest in the matter, came into view and the latter immediately agreed. This gave the Royal Bank of Scotland a lot of hope. After all, Li was also very influential in China.

Li Jiacheng did not delay and personally called President Li of Bank of China to request a visit.

President Li considered it again and again and set a meeting time at the head office the next day.

Li Jiacheng believed that the matter had become quite tricky, but it was not impossible to solve it.

…

On November 1, the sky was clear in Beijing.

Accompanied by Zhou Kaixuan, Li Jiacheng drove to the headquarters of Bank of China.

At 9:30 in the morning, they arrived at Bank of China half an hour earlier than the agreed time.

"Mr. Li, uh, the president is in the office. He has guests. I'll call him." After hearing the news, the president's assistant looked embarrassed and wanted to call the leader for instructions.

Li Jiacheng smiled heartily and said: "No, I believe I am your bank's biggest customer today. I am here to make friends today. Since President Li has friends, I also want to chat with them."

At this time, he showed the courage of the richest man in China.

This time, the president's assistant had a strange look on his face.

But he did not insist anymore and led Li Jiacheng, a well-known entrepreneur and the richest man in China, and his entourage to the president's office.

Knocked on the door and got a response.

The president's assistant opened the door and stepped aside.

Li Jiacheng and Zhou Kaixuan walked into the office with smiles on their faces.

However, before they could say anything, the smiles on their faces froze at the same time.

The president's office is quite spacious, but it seems very crowded at the moment.

Apart from Mr. Li, there was only one other guest.

This person's name is Fang Zhuo.

Li Jiacheng and Zhou Kaixuan were stunned on the spot, and they began to doubt the Bank of China incident and Fang Zhuo's despicable behavior.

Fang Zhuo was drinking tea, and when he heard the knock on the door, he wanted to stand up to show courtesy. Suddenly he saw Li and Zhou, and he stopped moving again.

From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Mr. Li, whose expression remained unchanged, and knew that it might have been deliberately arranged.

"Mr. Li, Ms. Zhou, please sit down, please sit down." Seeing the cold atmosphere, President Li welcomed them quickly and closed the door.

Li Jiacheng had experienced strong winds and waves. After being shocked, he quickly calmed down and looked at the young president whom he had just met not long ago. He said, "I didn't expect to see Mr. Fang here. There is really no trouble without trouble in the matter of Bank of China." "

Fang Zhuo didn't expect that Mr. Li would prove his innocence out of thin air. He quickly put aside the embarrassment of being exposed. He understood that President Li would use himself to bear the pressure of the richest Chinese man in front of him. He smiled slightly and said: "One slap can't make a difference. Today I am under pressure." I didn’t expect to meet Mr. Li when I invited him over.”

Li Jiacheng didn't know how far things had deteriorated, so he asked directly: "Why two slaps? As far as I know, Bank of China just stopped cooperating with the Bank of England yesterday. Is it possible that Mr. Fang and Bank of China have already been in love?"

Manager Li was unwilling to follow the truth and was thinking about how to answer, but he saw that Mr. Fang responded without hesitation.

"The complete cooperation capabilities of our MIGA Fund, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs are a slap in the face." Fang Zhuozhuo said calmly, "It is another slap in the face that you Scotland, Merrill Lynch, and Li Fund made things into a mess. It would be a mess without you." Otherwise, I wouldn’t be invited today.”

Zhou Kaixuan, who was next to him, couldn't help but said: "Now it seems that it is not certain who is causing the trouble in this mess!"

Fang Zhuo laughed: "It's the Bank of England, it's Merrill Lynch. As for whether there is Mr. Li's foundation, I don't know. There are some things, even if I ask, even if President Li asks, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find out from Zhou. The real answers come from a lady’s mouth.”

Zhou Kaixuan said angrily: "You..."

Fang Zhuo didn't wait for her to finish her anger and said immediately: "I only have one sentence when I come here today. Whatever your consortium can do, we can do it. What you can't do, we can do even better."

Zhou Kaixuan's face was covered with frost.

Li Jiacheng actually smiled: "Mr. Fang has such a strong tone."

Fang Zhuo raised his teacup and said, "It's a matter of loyalty to someone when you're invited. I'm afraid this trip will disappoint Mr. Li."

Li Jiacheng saw this kind of farewell and looked at the owner of the office.

Manager Li was embarrassed for a while because Mr. Fang was too direct.

But then he thought about it, it was better to end it early to avoid a long night of dreams.

"After all, we signed a contract with the Royal Bank of Scotland and have never had any cooperation with Mr. Li's foundation." President Li said slowly, "I'm afraid... it will be difficult to have cooperation this time."

At the beginning, Li Fund did not say hello to Bank of China and signed a contract directly with the Bank of England.

Now, that's the most legitimate reason to respond.

The smile on Li Jiacheng's face disappeared little by little.

He looked at President Li and then at Fang Zhuo, who was drinking tea, and stood up slowly: "Mr. Fang still has the means, and the president has the courage, knowledge, and experience."

Fang Zhuo put down the tea cup and said calmly: "If Mr. Li insists on saying this, then I can only say, accept, accept."

Li Jiacheng turned and left.

Zhou Kaixuan glared at Fang Zhuo fiercely.

"President, I won't see the guests off, because I'm afraid Mr. Li will be upset when he sees me, and I'm afraid that Ms. Zhou will lose my grace again when she sees me." Fang Zhuo said with a smile.

President Li really needs to be polite.

He wanted to send these two away.

However, Mr. Li's footsteps were not old at all, and he quickly got in the car and left.

President Li returned to the office and said helplessly: "Mr. Fang, are you a little offended?"

"Offend, offend, once you get used to it, you'll get used to it." Fang Zhuo said with a smile, "Boss, your tea is really good, I'll give you more tea."

Mr. Li, who was presiding over the work even though he was ill, saw that the young CEO who had spoken fiercely against the richest man in China was smiling broadly, and he felt both useful and indescribable...feelings.

It's just that it doesn't matter how you look at Fang.

The important thing is that at this moment, Mr. Fang is the best choice for Bank of China.

I found out that the v group was full, so I created a new one.