In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 408: Available Funds Are Abundant Again
"Mr. Lin, good evening. You are calling me at this time. Is there something urgent?" There was a hint of surprise in Shen Bi's voice, but more of it was politeness and doubt.

In the business world, especially between British and Chinese financial groups, interests are paramount and true friendship is often hard to find.

Like the previous conflict between him and Lin Haoran, after the matter of Jardine Matheson was over, Shen Bi naturally did not bear grudge against the previous conflict between the two parties.

"Haha, Mr. Shen Bi is really a prophet. I do have something to trouble you with." Lin Haoran said with a smile.

Shen Bi was even more curious when he heard this, but he didn't know what Lin Haoran was up to, so he said, "Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."

"Mr. Shen Bi should have heard the news that I invested in Apple and successfully listed it?" Lin Haoran asked deliberately.

"Naturally, Mr. Lin's investment vision is admirable. The successful listing of Apple is undoubtedly a huge affirmation of your investment vision." Shen Bi's words were full of praise, but he was secretly alert in his heart, wondering what the deep meaning of Lin Haoran's mention of this matter was.

"Mr. Shen Bi should also know that in order to completely privatize the Jardine Matheson Group, I am now heavily in debt and very short of money. This time Apple went public and its market value soared, and my original investment also had a good return, so I want to take this opportunity to sell Apple shares to reduce my personal debt!" Lin Haoran directly stated his purpose.

Lin Haoran is making preparations for both scenarios this time. Although he has asked Citibank to look for a target, he is not sure whether he can find a suitable buyer in the end.

Even if he finds a buyer, the price offered might not be what he wants.

Among the consortiums in Hong Kong, many British consortiums have now shown a strong interest in overseas investment, such as Jardine Matheson, Swire, and Wheelock.

The consortiums behind these British trading companies are all seeking to reduce the proportion of their assets in Hong Kong.

Although the individual financial strength of these British consortiums may not be outstanding, when they unite, their financial strength cannot be underestimated.

Just like the case of Jardine Matheson's reacquisition, the amount of money they invested was quite considerable.

Their individual entities may not be able to bear huge amounts of money independently, but they are good at joint actions or clever use of corporate capital.

Investing in high-quality companies in the United States, the world's largest economy, is undoubtedly a direction that many British financial groups are keen on.

For example, Jardine Matheson has made a lot of investments in the United States, such as the acquisition of Hawaii's Dai Hui Si Company, which cost more than 10 billion Hong Kong dollars.

And Huifeng Bank is now also seeking to acquire the US Haifeng Bank.

Investments like this are not uncommon among British-owned companies in Hong Kong.

Apple has just gone public and has a very good reputation in the United States. It is undoubtedly a very high-quality company.

If someone really wants to enter the technology industry, the Apple shares held by Lin Haoran will appear extremely attractive.

After all, according to the analysis of articles in many business newspapers, Apple not only has cutting-edge technology and broad market prospects, but its brand value and market influence are also immeasurable.

This is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for consortiums that want to get involved in the technology field or seek diversified development.

"Mr. Lin, Apple's future prospects must be good. Are you really willing to sell it like this?" There was a hint of curiosity and regret in Shen Bi's voice.

After all, the sensation created by Apple's first day of listing has fully demonstrated its potential as a high-quality company.

Hearing this, Lin Haoran smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Shen, I am also optimistic about the future of Apple. In fact, I had already invested in Apple before it went public, which is enough to show my confidence in it.

However, the business in Hong Kong is my core business. In order to completely privatize Hong Kong Land, I have incurred heavy debts. Therefore, although I am extremely reluctant, I have no choice but to sell my shares in Apple. ”

He paused and continued, "What's more, in a few months, the loan I took from Huifeng Bank will also expire. By then, it will be very difficult for me to raise such a huge amount of money to repay the loan. Therefore, selling Apple's shares is also a helpless move."

Upon hearing this, Shen Bi nodded to show his understanding.

"That's right, Mr. Lin. I believe that many financial groups will show great interest in your Apple shares. Don't worry, it's just a piece of cake. I will spread the news immediately. I believe that not only Hong Kong but also the British circle will quickly know about this without waiting until tomorrow."

After a brief thought, Shen Bi continued, "But then again, it may take some effort to find a suitable buyer and reach a transaction price that both parties are satisfied with."

After hearing this, Lin Haoran smiled and said, "Mr. Shen is right. Huifeng Bank's excellent reputation and connections in the industry are exactly the key to my cooperation. As for price negotiation, that will be a follow-up matter."

Shen Bi smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Lin, you are too kind. However, since you asked, I will do my best. Besides, you are also a member of the board of directors of Huifeng Bank. This is just a matter of convenience."

The reason why Lin Haoran looked for Shen Bi was mainly out of thorough consideration, to make preparations for both scenarios.

Citibank has a strong influence and extensive connections in the United States. With the assistance of Citibank in the United States, Lin Haoran believes that he can cover most of the potential American buyers.

The Bank enjoys a good reputation and influence in both Hong Kong and the United Kingdom.

Asking Huifeng Bank to help spread the news will undoubtedly allow more powerful consortiums to know about this matter, thereby increasing the chances of finding an ideal buyer.

Since he has decided to sell his shares in Apple, Lin Haoran naturally hopes to maximize his profits.

He was well aware that the more people knew about it, the more potential buyers there would be.

With so many consortiums competing, the value of these shares is likely to rise.

If there are multiple consortiums interested in Apple shares, the bidding between them is likely to push the price up.

In this way, Lin Haoran can get more substantial benefits from it. "With Mr. Shen Bi's words, I feel relieved. Thank you very much. It should be very late in Hong Kong, so I won't disturb your rest!" Lin Haoran said with a smile.

"Okay, goodbye Mr. Lin!"

After hanging up the phone, Lin Haoran walked out of the office.

In Su Zhixue's office, he is still busy at this moment.

So Lin Haoran said goodbye to him and left the office of Huanyu Investment Company.

In the blink of an eye, the weekend has passed and it is December 12th.

Today, the stock market is taking off again.

During the two days of the weekend, Apple has been the subject of discussion among many people, especially among stock investors. During their conversations, every sentence seems to be related to Apple.

Yesterday, Lin Haoran received a call from a large consortium in California, USA. The other party wanted to offer US$2 million to buy the shares held by Lin Haoran.

Naturally, he would not agree to this easily. The price offered was even lower than the market price. How could he possibly offer it?
Anyway, he is not in a hurry about this matter and can just wait slowly.

As for slowly selling it through the secondary market, it is not impossible, but Lin Haoran has no such plan because it will easily lower Apple’s stock price.

Apple executives under Jobs have also learned that Lin Haoran is interested in selling Apple shares.

Although he felt sorry for Lin Haoran's decision, Jobs could understand the reasons behind it.

At the beginning, the 10 million US dollars invested by Lin Haoran was undoubtedly a timely help to Apple and greatly promoted the company's development.

Now, Lin Haoran hopes to transform this investment into substantial returns, which is also the right he deserves.

Apple executives also know that in the business world, everyone's decisions are influenced by their own financial situation and market environment.

Therefore, they respect Lin Haoran's decision and hope that the two sides will be able to work together again in a more stable and mutually beneficial way at some point in the future.

As for a certain shareholder of Apple directly purchasing Lin Haoran’s shares?

This idea is simply unrealistic.

Currently, no Apple shareholder can come up with more than $200 million to acquire these shares.

No one can even come up with $100 million, let alone $200 million.

Like Jobs, if he didn't sell his shares, he would only have a few million dollars in cash at most.

While Apple's IPO did create several billionaires, their wealth is mainly reflected in the market value of their holdings.

Without selling their shares, these shareholders actually have very little liquid funds available, far from the amount needed to purchase Lin Haoran's shares.

Even Apple itself had limited cash reserves before its IPO.

Although the IPO successfully raised US$100 million, after deducting various expenses, the actual available funds were less than US$100 million.

Moreover, this funding will soon be invested in intensive R&D work to promote the company's continued innovation and development.

Therefore, Lin Haoran knew very well that Apple did not currently have sufficient financial resources to buy back the shares he held.

Lin Haoran went to Huanyu Investment Company early in the morning.

As soon as he arrived at the company, Lin Haoran received a call from Burton, with good news.

The Wan'an Building was eventually sold for HK$3.8 million, and the newly built unnamed building in North Point was also successfully sold for HK$2.1 million.

In addition, several plots of land were successfully sold again, with the intended sales amount reaching HK$8.6 million, but some of the funds have not yet been received.

The HK$10.68 billion that the Carrian Group used to purchase the International Building has also arrived.

In total, Qingzhou Cement Company and Wan'an Real Estate Company under Wanqing Group sold more than HK$36 billion in funds during these days.

Most of this money has already been received, and there are still hundreds of millions of Hong Kong dollars that will be received in succession.

It can be said that Lin Haoran’s available funds are now abundant again.

This rumor did bring great help to Lin Haoran.

Not only did it successfully enable the Swire Properties Group to sell off some bad real estate projects at high prices, but now, in just over a week, the Wanqing Group has successfully sold all the land and commercial buildings that it had previously hoarded, thus killing two birds with one stone.

(End of this chapter)