China’s emergence as a leading economic power has been one of the defining stories of the 21st century, and it is continuing to open its doors to the world and expand its reach to new partners and allies on every continent.
BOCI has become an integral part of that remarkable story, shaping and directing many of the landmark deals that have become stepping stones on the journey to China’s closer engagement with the world.
Today, after four decades of global expansion, BOCI ranks as one of the top three investments banks in terms of IPO fundraising from 2013 to 2018 and was ranked number one among Chinese investment banks for the same period.
BOCI provides buy-side and sell-side financial advisory services to international and domestic corporations, and has established a leading position in both the Hong Kong and mainland China M&A markets.
With its wealth of M&A experience and its expertise in domestic and foreign regulations, BOCI offers its customers an unrivalled network of contacts and tailor-made solutions at a time when intriguing new horizons of investment opportunities are coming into view.
BOCI’s specialists have extensive knowledge of industries including financial services, energy, infrastructure, transport, logistics, consumer products, telecommunications, media, technology, general industries, healthcare and natural resources.
An innovative dealmaker
With a four-decade history, BOCI has risen from being the first investment bank in China to become the largest and strongest Chinese investment bank in overseas markets, supporting Chinese corporations in their march into those markets.
The bank has acted as IPO sponsor, active underwriter and advisor to many Chinese corporations and has assisted in their expansion in becoming world leaders in different sectors of industry, through a series of landmark deals that have redefined China’s relationship with the world.
Those deals range from the $98.6 million Tsingtao Brewery IPO in Hong Kong in 1993 to the historic $90 million Futu Holdings IPO in 2019 – the first Chinese online brokerage and technology platform to list on the NASDAQ.
Drawing on its powerful synergy with the Bank of China Group, BOCI has taken sole charge of a succession of landmark transactions including Bank of China, WH Group, China Everbright Bank and BOC Aviation.
For the WH Group, the BOC Group arranged a loan to allow it to buy Smithfield Foods, making it the world’s largest pork company with global leadership across key segments of the industry value chain in China, the US and Europe. BOCI subsequently helped the WH Group raise $2.4 billion in a Hong Kong IPO.
The $3.2 billion China Everbright Bank IPO involved three years of work by BOCI, introducing the bank to cornerstone and anchor investors and arranging meetings with investors in destinations including Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore and Malaysia.
And the headline-grabbing $1.1 billion listing of BOC Aviation opened a wealth of new partnerships and expansion possibilities for one of the world’s largest aircraft operating and leasing companies.
BOCI helped Chinese consumer electronics giant Qingdao Haier successfully list on the CEINEX D-share market in Frankfurt in October 2018, becoming the first Chinese company to list on the market in an IPO that raised around €278 million.
It also supported Qingdao Port’s listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in January 2019. The listing raised Rmb2 billion and BOCI provided Qingdao Port with additional financing flexibility through the access to both the A-share and H-share markets.
Meanwhile, BOCI has further cemented its own global standing. Last year, it entered a strategic partnership with New York-based investment bank Jefferies LLC to explore opportunities in equity capital markets, M&A, sales and trading, and co-branded research.
The two banks are now working together to build a competitive capital market capability both in China and globally, using their collective expertise and market knowledge to navigate exciting new openings in an increasingly interconnected global economy.
Shores of new opportunity
The growing expertise and global status of BOCI reflects the strides taken onto the world stage by China over the past four decades. One of the most significant recent developments has been the rise of the Greater Bay Area that links Hong Kong to cities across southern China.
Hong Kong now has the largest offshore renminbi fund pool in the world, providing an outstanding opportunity for the innovation of offshore renminbi business in the Greater Bay Area.
Tong Li, chief executive officer and executive president of BOCI, said Hong Kong was ideally placed to capitalize on the synergy of the Greater Bay Area because of its status as a global financial hub and the rise of the renminbi. In addition, BOCI is well positioned to serve China’s real economy and the Belt and Road Initiative.
As this latest chapter of the story unfolds, BOCI is at the heart of the Greater Bay Area’s development, helping shape its growth as the bank continues to support and arrange investment and expansion by Chinese companies across the region and around the world.