Chapter 256 Investing in Hongkong and Shanghai Bank
It was still early, and Lin Haoran knew the Lee family wouldn't have a result that quickly.
For now, his most pressing issue was raising money.
He needed funds to buy TVB shares and to continue increasing his stake in Hongkong Land.
Realistically, his liquidity wouldn't ease up until autumn.
Thus, the best solution was to take out a bank loan.
After all, he didn't particularly care about a bit of interest.
At 1 p.m., as the stock market prepared to reopen, Su Zhixue had already left the office to attend to the investment department's business.
Lin Haoran sat in the office for a while, then decided to visit Hongkong and Shanghai Bank.
Before leaving, he first called Shen Bi's office to confirm he was available, then headed out from Wanqing Building.
Unlike other British tycoons, Shen Bi was willing to befriend Chinese entrepreneurs.
He had good relationships with people like Bao Yugang and Li Ka Shing, which made Lin Haoran feel more comfortable approaching him.
However, Lin Haoran had actually only visited Shen Bi's office twice before—the first time was over a year ago.
Back then, Lin Haoran had sold Kowloon Wharf shares to Bao Yugang, making his first real fortune of over ten million Hong Kong dollars.
That visit to Hongkong and Shanghai Bank had stirred such excitement that he still remembered it vividly.
He recalled how at that time, he had to rely on loans just to get enough principal to invest.
Now, less than two years later, he already controlled assets worth tens of billions of Hong Kong dollars.
The Rolls-Royce slowly pulled away from Wanqing Building and headed the short six-hundred-meter distance to the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank headquarters.
In less than ten minutes, Lin Haoran's car arrived at the bank's open-air parking area.
"Mr. Lin, our Taipan is already waiting for you in his office!"
Much to Lin Haoran's surprise, senior customer manager Miss Huang Yulan was waiting in the lobby and respectfully came forward to greet him.
"Thank you, Manager Huang," Lin Haoran smiled politely.
Hearing him remember her name, Huang Yulan was thrilled.
Leaving bodyguards Li Weidong and Li Weiguo downstairs, Lin Haoran followed Manager Huang to the elevator.
Soon, they stood outside Shen Bi's office.
Huang knocked on the door, but Shen Bi himself was already there to open it.
Previously, Lin Haoran had always waited seated when visiting.
Now, Shen Bi personally opened the door and sent someone to the ground floor to welcome him.
This alone showed how much more highly Shen Bi regarded Lin Haoran now.
Indeed, Lin Haoran's status had undergone a dramatic transformation.
Today, he was on par with the top circle of figures in Hong Kong.
"Mr. Lin, hello! Long time no see!" Shen Bi greeted warmly, extending his hand.
"Mr. Shen, long time no see," Lin Haoran responded with a smile.
It had been several months since they last met—at the Governor's Chinese New Year banquet.
Back then, Lin Haoran had only just squeezed into the top circle and still sat at the bottom.
Now, after forcing Jardines Matheson to bow, he stood shoulder to shoulder with the city's most powerful.
"Please, Mr. Lin, have a seat," Shen Bi gestured to the sofa in the meeting area.
Lin Haoran nodded and sat down.
"Mr. Lin, you must have something important to discuss today.
Frankly, even if you hadn't come, I was planning to invite you over for a chat," Shen Bi said with a smile.
"Oh? Mr. Shen also wanted to see me?" Lin Haoran was surprised.
At this point, he decided not to reveal his purpose just yet.
"I'm here today on behalf of Hongkong and Shanghai Bank to invite you to join our board of directors.
We are prepared to offer you 1% of our shares at half the current market price to become a shareholder.
Mr. Lin, what do you think?" Shen Bi said solemnly.
Lin Haoran was genuinely surprised.
They wanted him on the board?
He had never even considered it.
But thinking about it—it wasn't a bad idea.
In his memory, three or four decades later, Hongkong and Shanghai Bank would still be a trillion-dollar company and one of the world's top ten banks.
While it wasn't comparable to the explosive growth of companies like Apple, it remained an extremely promising investment.
Currently, Hongkong and Shanghai Bank was the most valuable publicly listed company in Hong Kong, with a market cap of about HK$16 billion.
1% of that was HK$160 million—even at half-price, he would need HK$80 million.
Right now, Lin Haoran didn't even have HK$50 million in cash, let alone HK$80 million.
Thinking quickly, he understood why Hongkong and Shanghai Bank valued him.
Most of their business was still concentrated in Hong Kong.
Although they were expanding overseas and trying to acquire banks in Britain and the United States, progress was slow.
No matter what, Hong Kong remained their base.
And given the uncertainty about Hong Kong's political future, many British firms were trying to diversify or leave.
Jardines Matheson was aggressively expanding overseas.
Wheelock was selling properties to buy ships and move assets abroad.
But Hongkong and Shanghai Bank was different.
Their success was rooted in Hong Kong, and they had nowhere else to run.
With British companies steadily withdrawing, Hongkong and Shanghai Bank's leadership clearly foresaw that the future of Hong Kong belonged to Chinese enterprises.
Thus, they aimed to build strong ties with Chinese business leaders, even supporting figures like Bao Yugang and Li Ka Shing.
Without Hongkong and Shanghai Bank's help, neither Bao nor Li would have achieved their later heights.
Lin Haoran, however, was different.
He had risen on his own.
Which made him even more valuable to Hongkong and Shanghai Bank—they had to befriend him at all costs.
"Mr. Shen, I'm very interested in becoming a shareholder.
I'm willing to accept your invitation.
However, to be honest, my cash flow is tight right now.
That's why I'm also here today to request a loan," Lin Haoran said frankly.
"Mr. Lin, if I'm not mistaken, you have a close relationship with Citibank, no?" Shen Bi asked, probing.
Indeed, many in Hong Kong mistakenly believed Lin Haoran was backed by Citibank.
He had never denied it.
In fact, some misunderstandings worked to his advantage.
"I do have a good partnership with Citibank.
They have been very supportive.
But this time, I've chosen Hongkong and Shanghai Bank based purely on business judgment.
Does Hongkong and Shanghai Bank not wish to work with me?" Lin Haoran joked lightly.
"Of course not!
We are honored to have your business.
How much would you like to borrow?" Shen Bi asked sincerely.
In banking, lending to a client like Lin Haoran was highly desirable—low risk and prestigious.
"I want to borrow HK$2 billion.
Can Hongkong and Shanghai Bank meet this demand?" Lin Haoran asked directly.
The number was carefully calculated.
For ordinary people, HK$2 billion was unimaginable.
But for Lin Haoran, as long as he had time, earning that amount was entirely feasible.
Even with an interest rate as high as 10%, he wasn't concerned.
"Two billion Hong Kong dollars?
Mr. Lin, if it were just a few hundred million, I could approve it myself without any collateral.
But for a HK$2 billion loan, we would need substantial collateral," Shen Bi said seriously.
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