章節 599: Chapter 599: Three Banks
With Gerard Pat tied to the chariot, Xia Yu felt much more at ease.
This meant that he finally had a pawn in British politics that could give him a certain amount of help at many critical times.
Although he also had a good relationship with the Howard family, the Howard family was too powerful, and Xia Yu did not yet have the confidence to tie them to the chariot. Therefore, when using their power, he had to be on his guard.
In the face of interests, even the best relationships could break down. As the head of a consortium, he had to be extremely cautious in this regard, to give himself more options and leverage, so as to avoid being caught in a weak position and suffering irreparable losses!
He only believed in his own strength!
Relying on others was ultimately no better than relying on oneself!
In the following period, Xia Yu focused his attention on the Bright Foundation.
His business was still in its infancy, and although he now seemed to have a huge amount of capital, it was not enough in the face of a truly large consortium.
There was nothing wrong with the strategy of investing in the stocks of major British companies.
However, there were too many major British companies, and not only British companies listed on the London Stock Exchange, but also major companies from various European countries. Xia Yu's thirty billion US dollars would only make a small splash.
Moreover, he was carrying a wealth of memories of infinite value, and investing it in the stock market to preserve its value was actually a poor choice. His goal, from beginning to end, was to expand his influence or lay the groundwork for future acquisitions.
Just as in the previous acquisitions of Centrica, SSE, and National Grid, there was a strategic plan.
As long as he could find a company that would multiply tenfold or even dozens of times in the future, he would make a huge profit.
Therefore, when the Bright Fund wanted to invest in bank stocks, Xia Yu also got involved and selected three stocks after some screening.
They were HSBC Holdings, Standard Chartered Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland!
HSBC Holdings has several subsidiaries, including the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, which has a huge influence.
At this time, HSBC Holdings was among the top five banks in the UK, both in terms of capital and market value.
Although HSBC Holdings' shares are relatively widely dispersed, they are all in the hands of major British families or consortia. He heard that the Duke of Howard owns a small portion of them. So if he wants to acquire HSBC Holdings, even if he has enough capital, he will face major British families and consortia. This is not something that money can solve. With his current strength, connections, status and influence, it will be too difficult.
However, this does not prevent him from Bright Foundation becoming a shareholder of HSBC Holdings. If he can hold a 5% stake and take a seat on the board of directors, that would be ideal.
Fortunately, HSBC Holdings has long been listed, and it is possible to absorb a 5% stake in the secondary market, if you pay a high price.
As long as Bright Foundation becomes a director of HSBC Holdings, then in the future Xia Yu will be able to leverage the energy of HSBC Holdings to accelerate his own rise.
If one day he becomes extremely powerful, it is not impossible that he will covet HSBC Holdings.
The second is Standard Chartered Bank, which is much worse than HSBC Holdings. Its total capital is not even in the top ten of British banks. If we only consider the strength of British banks, it is unlikely to be in the top ten, let alone the top 20.
If we count those foreign banks, it is even less likely.
Standard Chartered Bank, also known as Standard Chartered Bank, was formed by the merger of two British overseas banks, namely the British South African Standard Bank and the Indian New Gold Mountain Huaxia Standard Chartered Bank in 1969.
Locally in the UK, Standard Chartered Bank is very weak. It was only after the merger and listing in 1969 that it acquired the local British companies Hodge Group and Wallace Brothers Group that it gained some influence in the UK, but it is not strong.
Standard Chartered Bank's strength lies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
For example, in Africa, Standard Chartered Bank now has more than 900 branches and offices, which is terrifying.
If Xia Yu can acquire Standard Chartered Bank, then his financial tentacles can instantly reach into Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, and with the help of Standard Chartered Bank's advantages, he will have a certain advantage in energy, mining and other fields in these places.
Not to mention that Standard Chartered also has the right to issue 10% of Hong Kong dollars and is the second largest bank in Hong Kong.
If the acquisition is successful, with Standard Chartered and Jiuding Bank in his hands, Xia Yu can definitely compete with HSBC and become one of the two overlords. His influence will also skyrocket, and he will become the number one Chinese tycoon in Hong Kong.
This is because Standard Chartered Bank has business and loan relationships with more than 60% of the companies in Hong Kong. Such a high proportion is also because a company may have loans from several banks, and it can be a customer of Standard Chartered Bank and also a customer of HSBC.
Of course, this is not important, as long as Xia Yu becomes the master of Standard Chartered Bank, then he will instantly become the benefactor and major creditor of 60% of the companies in Hong Kong.
By then, it would be very easy for him to acquire any company he wanted, and he would even be pleasantly surprised to find that Standard Chartered Bank held a portion of the equity of the company he wanted to acquire.
Just think of the possibilities!
It so happened that Standard Chartered Bank was not listed in Hong Kong, but in London, which was extremely advantageous for Xia Yu's acquisition. Before Standard Chartered Bank in Hong Kong could react, Xia Yu had already become their boss.
The last target, the Royal Bank of Scotland, was actually the one Xia Yu valued most highly. It was also expected to be the most difficult, but also the most valuable.
The future Royal Bank of Scotland had once ascended to the throne as the largest commercial bank in the UK, the second largest in Europe, and the fifth largest in the world.
In 2004, its market value had risen to nearly 50 billion pounds, and the group's total assets had reached 520 billion pounds. By 2009, its total assets had reached 1.5 trillion US dollars.
However, the future dominant Royal Bank of Scotland was at this time just a regional British commercial bank with little international reputation, ranking several hundred in the world bank rankings.
Nevertheless, the Royal Bank of Scotland was not too bad. Founded in 1727, this ancient bank was the largest bank in Scotland, with more than 700 branches and a 40% market share in Scotland.
The second largest bank in Scotland was the Bank of Scotland, which was only second to the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Both banks have one characteristic in common: they have relatively small capital bases, but are very well managed, with particularly low cost-to-income ratios.
At the time, the cost-to-income ratio of Royal Bank of Scotland was only 54%, and the cost-to-income ratio of the runner-up, Bank of Scotland, was even lower, at only 48%. Now, Lloyds Bank and Barclays Bank both have cost-to-income ratios of over 60%.
Because of their low cost-to-income ratios, these banks are more conducive to management and operation. Although they have relatively small capital bases, they are undeniably high-quality potential banks in the banking industry.
In the future, the Royal Bank of Scotland will be able to make a name for itself around the world, and this characteristic has contributed greatly to this.
Of course, from this point of view, the Bank of Scotland has a greater advantage over the Royal Bank of Scotland. Why doesn't Xia Yu set his sights on the Bank of Scotland?
Why can't the Bank of Scotland achieve what the Royal Bank of Scotland has achieved?
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