Royal Bank of Scotland in US$3.1b deal for BOC stake   

BOC Hong Kong (Holdings) Ltd. Vice Chairman and Chief Executive He Guangbei (C) gestures during a news conference in Hong Kong August 18, 2005. (Reuters)

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Europe's second largest and the world's sixth largest banking group by market capitalization, is to spend US$3.1 billion buying a 10 per cent stake in Bank of China (BOC).

BOC, which has signed a strategic investment and co-operation agreement with RBS, said yesterday in a press release that the deal still needs to be approved by relative government departments and regulators.

According to the strategic programme, the two banks will enter into broad co-operation in areas includingcredit cards,wealth management,corporate bankingandpersonal lines of insurance.

In addition, they intend to establish a close co-operative relationship in major banking managerial areas, includingcorporate governance,risk management,financial management, human resources management and information technology.

RBS will appoint a representative to serve on the BOCboard of directors.

George Mathewson, chairman of RBS, said the bank's board believes the size and growth of China represents an important opportunity.

"We have been developing our relationship with Bank of China over the last 18 months, and have been impressed by the strengths of the business and its compatibility with RBS," he said.

The combination of BOC's brand, distribution and customer base with RBS's product andoperational strengthsand experience will be powerful in the Chinese market, he said.

BOC Chairman Xiao Gang said the co-operation with RBS is a key step in his bank'sjoint stockreform.

"It is crucial to transforming our operational structure, enhancing the internal management, improving the competitiveness and promoting profitability," he said.

Wang Jianxi, vice-chairman of China SAFE Investments Ltd, the major shareholder of BOC, saidbringing ininternational strategic investors is an important step in the deepening of the reform of the State-owned commercial banks in China.

Through strategic co-operation with RBS, BOC will be able to further enhance its corporate governance andinternal control, he said.

BOC, which won a US$22.5 billion capital injection from the State in late 2003, was chosen by the government as a pilot in banking reform. It reorganized itself into Bank of China Limited, ajoint-stock company, last August.

By the end of June, the bank'snon-performing credit ratedeclined to 4.38 per cent, from 5.12 per cent at the end of last year.

(China Daily)

credit card: 信用卡

wealth management: 財富管理，理財

corporate banking: 公司銀行服務

personal lines of insurance: 個人保險

corporate governance: 公司治理

risk management: 風險管理

financial management: 金融管理

board of directors: 董事會

operational strengths: 運營能力

joint stock reform: 股份制改革

joint-stock company: 股份公司

bring in: 引進

internal control: 內部控制

non-performing credit rate: 不良貸款率