My 1999

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 remain the most popular funds, each raising more than US$1 billion.

As the news spread, Hanhua Capital became even more famous among Southeast Asia’s wealthy circles.

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.

Next is CP 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 worth over 100 million.

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.

Jingle Bell…….

The phone rang.

Picked it up, looked at the caller ID, and 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%, consisting of the equity of Standard Chartered Bank. Standard Chartered is already regarded as a company owned by Xu.

The person who was once an equal has suddenly become his boss. John Humphrey can't help but feel ups and downs, and it is 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 no fool and heard what he was implying.

They are friends at ordinary times, but they are subordinates at work.

"Xu, 16.8% of the shares are enough to influence Standard Chartered's decision-making. Why do you continue to acquire it? Do you intend 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 will definitely have to acquire more to meet the requirements.

As for the acquisition of Standard Chartered, haha, why should I acquire it?

I just need total control.

And even if I want to acquire it outright, it’s actually not that difficult. After all, Hanhua Capital now has a lot of 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 mentally.

It's a done deal, and it's useless even if he regrets it.

"I understand and I will submit my resignation if necessary."

"John, I think you have misunderstood. You are a qualified CEO, and I have no plans to fire 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."

Xu Liang's lips curled up.

He usually has a tough mouth, but when it comes to his own interests, can his body 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, my energy is limited and I won't ask too much about Standard Chartered. I leave the company's development to you on weekdays. However, starting from today, Standard Chartered will make every effort to develop the East and Southeast Asian markets, especially the Chinese market.

I hope that within five years, Standard Chartered Bank can surpass HSBC and JP Morgan D.com and become the foreign bank with the highest market share in China.

Of course, I will help you as much as possible 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.

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?"

asked Kevin Hannon, who was wearing a black coat next to him.

"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 has raised the status of the Chinese market too high. .

Let us become the foreign bank with the largest market share in China, surpassing HSBC and J.P. Morgan within five years.

And he said he would help us. "

"It turned out pretty good."

Kevin Hannon breathed a sigh of relief.

Humphrey nodded slightly. The previous call to resign was his test.

If Xu Liang agrees, then 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 could 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 has not continued to rise, which means that there are no institutions in the market that are buying up Standard Chartered shares in a big way.

It also means that Hanhua and Hongyan have not continued to acquire the equity of Standard Chartered.

"Keep an eye on company stock prices."

"OK."

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."

"OK."

After Humphrey put down the phone, there was a hint of solemnity in his expression.

He didn't 100% believe Xu Liang's words. Just in case, some things had to be done in advance.

——

"How are you doing 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. The main reason is that there are some things that need to be resolved at Hongmeng Zhongnan Company."

Xu Liang smiled.

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?"

"Following your instructions, I have rented 27 warehouses in coastal provinces in China, which can store at least 5 million tons of soybeans.

Procurement is also in progress. 1.83 million tons have been ordered so far and are currently being shipped to China. Follow-up orders are also being made, but what we currently buy are last year's inventory.

New soybeans won’t come down until after August.

In addition, we are also talking about the domestic aspect. We have already negotiated purchase contracts with 39 farms in the Northeast. If everything goes well, we can harvest at least 3 million tons of soybeans from China in September. "Jiang Xiaoyang said.

"It's not enough." Xu Liang said.

“Purchasing can continue, but for planting, we still have two months, and we expect to increase our purchasing volume by about 10 million tons.

No more can be done.

After all, domestic soybean planting will end after June. "

The soybean planting period in the north is mainly April and May, while the soybean planting period in the south is May and June. Xu Liang also knows this common sense.

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.

The same applies to the Overseas Purchasing Department. "

Xu Liang doesn't mind spending a little 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 having these soybeans in your hands?"

Jiang Xiaoyang asked.

"The United States has been planning this for several years. Do you think they will give up when things get tough? Even if they give up this year, what about next year?

Soybeans are shelf-stable, so 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, isn't $2 billion in soybean futures and three times leverage too little?" Jiang Xiaoyang said.

“If we eat everything in our own mouths, how can others take the bait if they don’t have 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 Hongyan Fund.

The soybean futures market is not big, and Kunpeng Fund has bought too much. What else does his Hongyan buy?

As for fishing, that’s what it should be.

Jiang Xiaoyang did not doubt his statement.

"How much money has Kunpeng 2 raised now?" Xu Liang asked.

"It's already $10.9 billion."

"Already so many?" Xu Liang was a little surprised.

It seems that it has only been a little over a month since Kunpeng No. 2 was publicly raised.

"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 the fund."

"Closed funds? Don't you think the more the better? Why, are you scared?" Jiang Xiaoyang laughed.