In Hong Kong, we build a global business empire

Chapter 630: Plundering Small and Medium-sized Banks
Seeing everyone's anxious looks, Pu Weishi knew that he could not keep the secret any longer.

He cleared his throat, glanced at everyone in the conference room, and continued, "The first method is to take the initiative to seize market share from other banks in Hong Kong.

Today, Hong Kong's financial market is turbulent due to the rise of Bank of East Asia. Many small and medium-sized banks and financial companies are facing the dilemma of losing business and customers. This is a great opportunity for us, Huifeng Bank, to expand our territory, regain the market lost from Bank of East Asia, and consolidate our leading position.

It is undeniable that the success achieved by Bank of East Asia this time was largely due to the resource integration and strategic layout of Lin Haoran's companies, so it is basically impossible for us to take back Bank of East Asia's market share.

However, we can seize market share from other banks. If we can't take action against Bank of East Asia, can't we deal with other banks?

For example, what do small and medium-sized banks rely on? They rely on high interest rates to grab a portion of the market share from large banks! In other words, the market share of these small and medium-sized banks is actually very unstable.

In addition, the real estate industry in Hong Kong has begun to cool down significantly, and the demand for loans continues to decline. Even if they obtain deposits, it is difficult for them to use these deposits to make profits by lending. The pressure on capital turnover has increased sharply, and operating risks have continued to rise.

This is a great opportunity for us at Huifeng Bank to display our strength. We can rely on our strong financial strength, broad customer base and mature business network to launch a series of competitive financial products and services.

We can develop a series of targeted marketing strategies, such as launching more attractive deposit rates, more flexible loan solutions, and better customer service.

At the same time, we will leverage our deep roots and extensive connections in the Hong Kong financial community to actively contact these small and medium-sized banks and financial companies to explore the possibility of cooperation or mergers and acquisitions. In this way, we can quickly expand our market share and enhance our competitiveness. "

Pu Weishi's words immediately brightened the eyes of everyone present.

Yes, they can’t take over the market share of Bank of East Asia, so can’t they deal with these small and medium-sized banks and financial companies that are struggling in the storm?
This is simply the "fat meat" right in front of us, and it depends on how Huifeng Bank devours it.

Even Shen Bi couldn't help but cast an admiring look at Pu Weishi.

After hearing what Pu Weishi said, Shen Bi found that he had indeed fallen into a misunderstanding recently. He always thought that Huifeng Bank could only snatch back the lost market from Bank of East Asia, but he never considered that he could snatch it from other banks.

To be honest, among the hundreds of large and small banks and financial companies in Hong Kong, with the strength and status of Huifeng Bank, they dare not mess with a few banks such as Standard Chartered Bank and Citibank, and they really don't take other banks seriously.

Now, since Huifeng Bank has lost too much blood due to the continuous bloodsucking of Bank of East Asia, but it can do nothing about it, why not "suck blood" from these small and medium-sized banks?

The more Shen Bi thought about it, the more he felt that this plan was feasible. The worries he had been having over the past period of time due to the continuous decrease in market share seemed to gradually dissipate like a wisp of smoke at this moment.

As expected, Shen Bi was the successor chosen by him, and he became more and more proud of his vision.

Shen Bi sat up straighter, his voice somewhat excited: "Pu Weishi is right. Once you open your mind, the situation of our Huifeng Bank will be very different. We were too obsessed with the Bank of East Asia before and ignored other potential breakthroughs.

Then, we have to plan a specific implementation plan and make sure to grab more market share from other small and medium-sized banks to widen the gap with Bank of East Asia again!"

Other senior executives could not help but get excited, and some even took the lead in applauding, as if Huifeng Bank had already seized a lot of market share from other banks and had distanced itself from Bank of East Asia again.

Pu Weishi bowed slightly and responded modestly: "Mr. Shen Bi, colleagues, this is just my initial idea, and I know that this process will not be smooth sailing. We will inevitably encounter various obstacles and challenges, but as long as we unite as one and have firm beliefs, we will be able to overcome difficulties and achieve our goals."

The atmosphere in the conference room gradually became lively, and the senior executives began to whisper to each other and discuss the plan proposed by Pu Weishi.

Although some people still had doubts, more people were inspired by Pu Weishi's courage and determination and began to seriously consider the feasibility of this plan.

What's more, even Mr. Shen Bi approved of this method. Even if they thought it was too simple, they would not say it out loud.

Now no one knows how to deal with Bank of East Asia. Coming out to find fault with it now is tantamount to seeking death.

"What about the second method?" Shen Bi asked impatiently, his eyes full of anticipation.

Pu Weishi smiled and continued, "The second method, which we have actually been implementing, is to expand the international market. However, our expansion speed in overseas markets has been too slow in recent years, and we must speed up our internationalization.

At present, our most successful international market expansion is the acquisition of Haifeng Bank in the United States. In addition, we also have a certain market share in Southeast Asia.

But our expansion into the UK market failed, and I know this was a big blow to everyone.

However, there is an old saying in China that failure is the mother of success. Although our acquisition of the Royal Bank of Scotland has completely failed, the world is not just home to the Royal Bank of Scotland. We cannot stop expanding into overseas markets just because of this failure.

Simply acquiring an American bank and having a small market share in Southeast Asia is not enough to make our Bank of China an international bank.

It can be said that we still have a long way to go before we can compete with truly international banks, let alone international giants like Citibank.

Although the Hong Kong financial market is huge, it is ultimately limited. If we want to truly become a world-class financial giant, we must go beyond Hong Kong and expand overseas markets.”

Pu Weishi's statement indeed resonated with many people.

In April, with the complete failure of the acquisition of Royal Bank of Scotland by Huifeng Bank, the senior management of Huifeng Bank was indeed hit hard.

In recent years, their overseas market expansion has not been very smooth.

Although the acquisition was successfully completed by the US Haifeng Bank, Haifeng Bank suffered losses every year and needed financial subsidies from Huifeng Bank, which resulted in a significant reduction in Huifeng Bank's annual profits and even losses at times.

Therefore, some senior executives even felt pessimistically that since overseas markets are so difficult to develop, it would be better to just focus on the Hong Kong market.

As long as it maintains its dominant position in the Hong Kong market, Bank of Hong Kong will remain a very strong bank.

However, as a leader with great ambitions, Shen Bi naturally does not allow such thinking within the group. Basically, senior executives who come up with such ideas will eventually be excluded.

As time went on, no senior executive dared to bring up this matter anymore.

Pu Weishi paused and continued: "In recent years, with the acceleration of globalization and the opening of financial markets, the international financial market has provided us with broad space for development.

Of course, the internationalization process cannot be achieved overnight and requires long-term investment and hard work. But as long as we persist, we will be able to gain a firm foothold in the international financial market and lay a solid foundation for the long-term development of Huifeng Bank.

As long as Hong Kong and overseas markets expand further, the threat from Bank of East Asia will naturally cease to exist!"

The atmosphere in the conference room reached a climax, and the senior executives expressed their agreement and support for the proposal put forward by Pu Weiss.

Shen Bi also strongly agreed with Pu Weishi's subsequent words.

In fact, since he took office, he has been pushing Huifeng Bank to take an international route.

Now, what Pu Weishi said is exactly what he wants!

Shen Bi stood up from his chair and said loudly: "Mr. Pu Weishi is right! We, Huifeng Bank, must have a share of the big pie of the overseas market, and it must be bigger and sweeter!
We should not shrink back because of some setbacks in the past. We at Huifeng Bank have never been cowards."

As soon as Shen Bi finished speaking, warm applause broke out in the entire conference room.

At this moment, it seemed that the crisis from Huifeng Bank had been completely resolved.

Next, the meeting room began to discuss how to further plunder the small and medium-sized bank market in Hong Kong and how to accelerate the internationalization of Huifeng Bank.

Hengsheng Bank, Chairman’s Office.

After reading the information handed over by his subordinates, He Shanheng couldn't help but feel deeply moved.

"This young man Lin Haoran is really not a simple person!"

He couldn't help but think of the scene last month when Lin Haoran invited him to become the head of Bank of East Asia.

At that time, he even thought that under the fierce attack of Huifeng Bank, Bank of East Asia could only survive, and he did not agree with Lin Haoran's words.

Now it seems that I have underestimated this young man.

During this period, Hengsheng Bank's market share has also been affected by Bank of East Asia, and the impact is not small.

The amount of funds stored alone was reduced by nearly HK$3 billion.

You should know that the previous capital reserves of Hengsheng Bank were only more than 20 billion Hong Kong dollars.

As the second largest bank in Hong Kong, this result is already very good.

But now the market share of 3 billion Hong Kong dollars has been lost, which will naturally have a significant impact on Hengsheng Bank.

However, ever since the Oriental Daily reported the details of how Huifeng Bank used all means to acquire Hengsheng Bank, he gradually lost the deep sense of belonging to Hengsheng Bank. Those forgotten past events and the methods used by Huifeng Bank in secret were like thorns that pierced his heart, making him confused about the future of Hengsheng Bank under the Huifeng Bank system.

"Mr. He, Bank of East Asia is now on a strong momentum and has snatched away so much of our market share. Should we, Hengsheng Bank, just sit there and wait for death?" The general manager of Hengsheng Bank asked anxiously, his eyes full of worry.

He Shanheng leaned back in his chair, tapping the table with his fingers, and fell into deep thought.

Lin Haoran was able to make Bank of East Asia rise in such a short period of time. His methods and abilities are definitely not ordinary.

"Huifeng Bank has no solution, so what can we at Hengsheng Bank do? Now, we can only take it one step at a time. Let's first see what solution Huifeng Bank has, and then we'll follow suit!" He Shanheng said disapprovingly.

His words immediately left the general manager of Hengsheng Bank speechless.

The general manager of Hengsheng Bank is a foreigner and an important chess piece inserted by Huifeng Bank into Hengsheng Bank. His name is Smith.

Smith has always been loyal to Huifeng Bank. When he heard such negative remarks from He Shanheng, alarm bells immediately rang in his heart.

He naturally understood that if Hengsheng Bank continued to respond in this passive manner, it would not only be unable to withstand the impact of Bank of East Asia, but would also likely cause actual losses to its parent company, Huifeng Bank.

Moreover, this is not like Ho Sin Hang’s style at all!
In the past, if there was any problem with Hengsheng Bank's business, he would be as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, running around and trying every possible way to solve the problem.

But now, facing such strong competition from Bank of East Asia and with the business of Huifeng Bank seriously shrinking, he chose to sit on the sidelines. What was his thinking behind this?
"Mr. He, I understand your current concerns, but it is not wise to sit and wait for death." Smith cleared his throat and tried to make his tone sound sincere. "Our Hengsheng Bank also has a pivotal position in the Hong Kong financial community. We cannot give up resistance just because of temporary difficulties.

Moreover, although Bank of East Asia is strong, it is not invulnerable. We can definitely compete with them in a differentiated way in certain areas, or find new partners to jointly meet the challenges posed by Bank of East Asia.”

"Mr. Smith, it seems that you have a lot of ideas. How about this, as the general manager of Hengsheng Bank, I will leave the crisis that Hengsheng Bank is facing to you to handle. Let's see if you can find a way out for Hengsheng Bank.

You also know that I, He Shanheng, am already 81 years old and I won't be able to work for much longer. If you can really do this well, I will definitely support you strongly in the board of directors.

Who knows, you may be the chairman of Hengsheng Bank in the future!" He Shanheng laughed heartily, but an elusive light flashed in his eyes.

After learning the true story of how Hengsheng Bank was acquired by Huifeng Bank, He Shanheng no longer had the same care and enthusiasm in the management of Hengsheng Bank.

He understood that Hengsheng Bank was just a pawn in the huge financial empire of Huifeng Bank. In the eyes of the senior executives of Huifeng Bank, his efforts and contributions over the years might just be a necessary means to keep the pawn running normally.

Now, facing the strong rise of Bank of East Asia, he actually felt a sense of relief, even a feeling of schadenfreude.

However, for the time being, he is unable to just leave Hengsheng Bank.

After all, this place is the result of his life's hard work. How can it be easy to just leave like this?
However, at this moment he felt that perhaps he should start learning to let go of Hengsheng Bank.

When Smith heard what He Shanheng said, he was overjoyed.

He has always longed to have a greater say in Hengsheng Bank. If he can take this opportunity to demonstrate his abilities and gain the support of Ho Shanheng on the board of directors, he will be much closer to his goal of making further progress within the Huifeng Bank system.

The position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hengsheng Bank is the throne he has always dreamed of and most desires to sit on.

He seemed to have seen himself sitting on the chair that symbolized power and status, receiving the admiring gazes of all the employees of Hengsheng Bank.

"Mr. He, don't worry, I will do my best and live up to your expectations!" Smith said solemnly with excitement flashing in his eyes.

He Shanheng nodded slightly and waved his hand: "Go ahead, plan it out carefully and come up with a feasible plan. I believe you can do it!"

Looking at Smith's leaving, He Shanheng curled his lips, not caring at all.

Even Huifeng Bank has not been able to find a feasible solution for the time being, so what good solution can Smith come up with?

He had worked with Smith for several years and was already familiar with Smith's abilities and style of doing things.

Although Smith was loyal to Hui Feng Bank and did his best to carry out the tasks assigned by Hui Feng Bank, He Shanheng always had reservations about his ability to deal with the company's complex situation.

However, Ho Shanheng was happy to throw this hot potato to Smith.

On the one hand, he was indeed confused about the future direction of Hengsheng Bank, and at the same time he did not know how to deal with this enterprise that was acquired by Huifeng Bank through improper means;

On the other hand, he also wanted to take this opportunity to see how capable Smith was. If Smith could really create a miracle, he would feel more at ease when he abdicated. If Smith failed, it would just confirm his pessimistic judgment about the prospects of Hengsheng Bank, and perhaps he should let it go.

At the same time, he couldn't help but think of the bet between him and Lin Haoran.

That is, once Lin Haoran can get Bank of East Asia to break through the so-called "choose one of two" unfair terms initiated by Huifeng Bank, all Hong Kong people will have to choose either Bank of East Asia or other banks.

Now, although Lin Haoran did not use his own ability to cancel the unfair "choose one of two" clause initiated by Huifeng Bank, the other party actually did a better job!

After all, as the chairman of Hengsheng Bank and also a member of the board of directors of Huifeng Bank, he is very clear about the changes in market share of Huifeng Bank and Bank of East Asia.

In this case, it can be said that the other party has actually won the bet, or it can be said that the other party has not yet completely won the bet.

After all, strictly speaking, the "choose one of two" clause has not been officially abolished. It is just that Bank of East Asia, relying on its own strength and strategy, has torn a hole in the market structure, making the monopoly position of Huifeng Bank no longer indestructible.

So, at this moment, He Shanheng felt complicated, but also happy for Lin Haoran.

What is more complicated is that Hengsheng Bank, the fruit of his hard work for many years, has now lost much of its market share to Bank of East Asia;
What made him happy was that Lin Haoran, a young man he had high hopes for, had such courage and ability to create such a stir in the Hong Kong financial world and break the monopoly of Hui Feng Bank.

“Perhaps, if I become the helmsman of the Bank of East Asia, and cooperate with the business resources of this young man Lin Haoran, it is possible that the Bank of East Asia will surpass Huifeng Bank in the future. And I will definitely become a world-renowned banker because of the rise of the Bank of East Asia!”

Unconsciously, this idea lingered in He Shanheng's mind and became stronger and stronger.

Although he knew that this was just a bold and risky idea, at this moment, the rapid development of Bank of East Asia and the extraordinary ability demonstrated by Lin Haoran attracted him like a magnet, allowing this seemingly unattainable idea to take root.

He Shanheng's thoughts began to drift away. He imagined that when Bank of East Asia became the largest bank in Hong Kong, he would stand on the top of Bank of East Asia's headquarters building, overlooking the prosperous scene of Hong Kong's financial industry.

He seemed to see a brilliant future in which he and Lin Haoran would work together to build Bank of East Asia into a top global financial institution.

The vision was so tempting that he almost forgot that he was currently the chairman of Hengsheng Bank and the severe challenges that Hengsheng Bank faced.

Once upon a time, he had a dream of becoming a figure like Walter Wriston, chairman of Citibank, and John Pierpont Morgan, founder of Morgan Bank.

These are the world's top banks!

However, ever since Hengsheng Bank was acquired by Huifeng Bank and became a subsidiary, his dream has been like a candle flame attacked by a violent storm, swaying and almost extinguished.

He thought that he might only be able to spend the rest of his life guarding Hengsheng Bank under the Huifeng Bank system.

However, God seemed to see that he was unwilling to give up, and he actually gave him such an opportunity when he was in his eighties.

Why did Walter Wriston, John Pierpont Morgan and others become idols in the banking industry and become among the greatest bankers in the world?

The reason, of course, is that they led the banks under their control to become leaders in the global financial field and created a business legend that attracted worldwide attention.

With their outstanding strategic vision, extraordinary leadership and fearless spirit of innovation, they have pushed the banks they helm to the pinnacle of the industry, not only bringing huge wealth to shareholders, but also having a profound impact on the world's financial landscape.

Ho Sin Heng has always believed that his strategic vision and leadership skills are no less than those of Walter Wriston, John Pierpont Morgan and others. What he lacks is a stage where he can fully display his talents and realize his grand ambitions.

Before being acquired, Hengsheng Bank was a good platform.

However, after being acquired by Huifeng Bank, Hengsheng Bank lost its independent decision-making power and space for independent development, and became a pawn in Huifeng Bank's strategic layout. As the chairman, he was restricted in every way and found it difficult to act according to his own wishes.

To put it bluntly, even if Hengsheng Bank really develops, it will only be a wedding dress for Huifeng Bank.

But even though Hengsheng Bank has been developing under the suppression of Huifeng Bank, it was still able to sit firmly on the throne of the second largest bank in Hong Kong before the rise of Bank of East Asia. This is enough to show that Ho Sin Heng's ability is really very strong.

Today, the rise of Bank of East Asia and the potential shown by Lin Haoran made him feel as if he had seen the long-lost stage, and the fire in his heart burned again.

"I, He Shanheng, have lived my whole life. How can I easily give up my dreams and guard this gradually shrinking world? So what if I am eighty years old? I can still fight!" He murmured to himself, with a firm and fiery light flashing in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)