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March 8, 2014 |
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company_name = Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited 中國銀行(香港)有限公司 | company_logo = Image:Bankofchinahongkonglogo.gif | company_type = Public company|Public HKSE: 2388 (listing is as BOC (Hong Kong) Holdings Limited) | company_slogan = Make every day an opportunity | foundation = Hong Kong| location = Hong Kong| key_people = Xiao Gang, Chairman He Guangbei, CEO | num_employees = 13,009 (June 2004) | products = Commercial bank|Commercial banking| homepage = http://www.bochk.com/ www.bochk.com| Bank of China (Hong Kong) (BOCHK) sehk|2388 is the second largest commercial bank|commercial banking group in Hong Kong in terms of assets and customer deposits, with more than 300 branches in Hong Kong. It was established on October 1, 2001 from a merger of 12 subsidiaries and associates of the Bank of China in Hong Kong, and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in October 2002. As of the end of 2003, the bank had HK$763 billion in assets and earned net profit of HK$8 billion in 2003. BOCHK is one of the three banks which issue Hong Kong dollar|banknotes for Hong Kong, the biggest member and a founder of the JETCO automatic teller machine|ATM and payment system, and the designated Clearing (finance)|clearing bank in Hong Kong for transactions involving the renminbi, Mainland China's currency. It is legally separate from its parent, Bank of China (BOC), although they maintain close relations in management and administration and cooperate in several areas including reselling BOC's insurance and securities services. It also shares its Hong Kong headquarters, the Bank of China Tower, with its parent; completed in 1988, this was the first building outside of the United States|US to exceed 1,000 feet in height and recognised for its distinctive architecture. Bank of China Group
The opening of a branch of the Bank of China in Hong Kong in 1917 marked the entry of state-owned Chinese banks into the then colony's banking sector. Other banks soon followed suit, starting with Yien Yieh Commercial Bank in 1918. By the time the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, there were 15 branches of state owned Chinese banks in Hong Kong, plus branches of nine Mainland-incorporated banks that were public-private joint ventures. In addition, the Chinese government established Po Sang Bank in 1949 and Nanyang Commercial Bank in 1950. Both of these were incorporated in Hong Kong. In 1952, the nine public-private banks (namely, Sin Hua Bank Limited, China & South Sea Bank Limited, Kincheng Banking Corporation, China State Bank Limited, The National Commercial Bank Limited, Yien Yieh Commercial Bank, Young Brothers Banking Corporation, Wo Sang Bank and National Industrial Bank of China) were grouped into the Joint Office of Joint Public-Private Banks. The Hong Kong branches of the last three of these nine were closed in 1954 when their parents were shut down by the central government, and management of the remaining six public-private banks were transferred to the Hong Kong and Macau Regional Office of the Bank of China in 1958. The Bank of China later took over management of the Hong Kong branches of Kwangtung Provincial Bank, Hua Chiao Commercial Bank Limited and the Bank of Communications. In June 1975, the Bank of China moved to increase the capital of the public-private banks. As all of the new capital were from the Chinese government, private ownership in the public-private banks were substantially reduced, in some cases to less than 1%. The 14 banks were rebranded as part of the Bank of China Group in the 1980s, after a common IT platform was established. Treasury and foreign currency exchange operations were also centralised. However, the individual banks retained their own management. Restructuring and listing The Hong Kong branch of the Bank of Communications broke off from the Bank of China Group in 1998. The Bank of China Group started to restructure its operations in 1999 in preparation for an initial public offering. All minority shareholders (except for those of Chiyu) were bought out by the Bank of China. Formal plans for a restructuring received the approval of the People's Bank of China and were launched in January 2001. The restructuring saw all operations of the Mainland-incorporated group members merged into Po Sang Bank, which was then immediately renamed Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited. Hong Kong incorporated Nanyang Commercial Bank and Chiyu Banking Corporation became subsidiaries of Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited. Legislation was required for the merger, as Hong Kong does not allow mergers via the pooling of interests, a common procedure in the United States). The Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (Merger) Ordinance was approved by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong on July 12, 2001, and the merger was completed on October 1, 2001. BOCHK is listed under the name of BOC (Hong Kong) Holdings Limited (BOCHK Holdings), a holding company whose principal, 100% owned subsidiary is BOCHK. The holding company is listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong sehk|2388 and as American Depositary Receipts under the symbol BHKLY. BOC (Hong Kong) Holdings is a constituent of the Hang Seng Index. The listing of BOCHK Holdings in July 2002 listing was the first international stock listing by a Mainland China bank; until that time, other Mainland Chinese bank listings were done in the domestic "A-share" market. For the 12 months ended December 31, 2003, BOCHK Holdings earned HK$11.6 billion in operating income and HK$8.0 billion in net profit. As of January 2005, 66% of BOCHK Holdings is held by Bank of China, in turn 100% owned by Central Huijin Investment, an investment holding company 100% owned by the Government of the People's Republic of China. BOCHK offers a comprehensive range of financial products and services to retail and corporate customers, similar to those offered by most commercial banks. It is primarily known for its interest-income business (taking deposits from retail customers for loans to corporates) although it has been moving into other non-interest-income areas such as personal loans, wealth management and other financial services in recent years. It has Hong Kong's biggest branch network (around 300 branches) and 450 automatic teller machines. BOCHK is the biggest mortgage lender in Hong Kong in the secondary market; Hang Seng Bank is the biggest in the primary market. BOCHK resells the casualty insurance, life insurance, pensions|mandatory provident fund (pensions) and asset management services of various subsidiaries of its parent, Bank of China. Within Mainland China, BOCHK operates 14 branches (as of January 2005) separately from its parent. BOCHK is treated as a foreign bank (more properly, "境外银行" or "banks outside of the territory") for regulatory purposes as it is incorporated in Hong Kong. Renminbi clearing bank BOCHK has been the designated clearing bank for personal transactions involving the Renminbi (RMB, the currency of Mainland China) in Hong Kong since February 2004. This means that BOCHK acts as a settlement agent for RMB banknotes and funds in Hong Kong and an intermediary between banks in Hong Kong and the People's Bank of China, the central bank of the People's Republic of China. In return, BOCHK takes a 0.125% cut of all RMB deposits in Hong Kong that are repatriated back to Mainland China. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong announced on November 18 2003 that the People's Bank of China had agreed to provide clearing arrangements, marking r the first time that the Renminbi, which is fully on the current account but not on the capital account, has been allowed to clear outside of Mainland China. The scope of such RMB business includes deposit-taking, exchange, remittances and RMB cards. Hong Kong banks were invited to to apply to become the designated clearing bank for RMB business; the People's Bank of China subsequently chose BOCHK as the clearing bank, for a term of three years. According to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, the major responsibilities of the clearing bank are to:
Nanyang Commercial Bank
Founded in 1950 in Hong Kong, Nanyang Commercial Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BOCHK, with 41 branches. Nanyang primarily focuses on corporate customers, in particular small and medium sized trading and manufacturing companies. It also has a loyal following amongst the overseas Chinese community, especially in South East Asia. It relies on BOCHK for back-end office and information technology|IT support. Chiyu Banking Corporation
Founded by Chen Jiageng, an overseas Chinese in 1947, Chiyu Banking Corporation Limited has 23 branches in Hong Kong and focuses on serving the community of residents of Fujian descent in Hong Kong. Chiyu was explicitly created by Chen to create a sustainable business with profits to be devoted to education in Xiamen and the rest of Fujian province in China. Since its founding, it has spent more than HK$1 billion in education in the province, primarily through funding Jimei University and its related schools. JETCO
JETCO (traditional Chinese: 銀通) (Joint Electronic Teller Services Limited) is the biggest network of automatic teller machines in Hong Kong and Macau, with nearly 1,700 cash machines. JETCO was founded by BOCHK in 1982 along with the Bank of East Asia, Chekiang First Bank, Shanghai Commercial Bank and Wing Lung Bank, and at present covers all licensed commercial banks in Hong Kong and Macau, except for HSBC and Hang Seng Bank, which has their own system. JETCO connects with the UnionPay network in Mainland China: JETCO cardholders can withdraw RMB cash at UnionPay machines in a number of major cities in Mainland China, while UnionPay cardholders can withdraw HK$ cash (up to around HK$4,500 per day) at JETCO machines in Hong Kong. Other operations BOCHK also owns a travel agency known as BOC Travel Services. This is a legacy from its acquisition of Nanyang Commercial Bank, which ran a travel agency for the convenience of its Southeast Asian customers.
BOCHK is one of the three banks which issue Hong Kong dollar|banknotes for Hong Kong, the other two being the HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank. As one of the three note-issuing banks, it is also a rotating chairman of the Hong Kong Association of Bankers, the main industry body of commercial banks in Hong Kong. Bank of China started to issue Hong Kong dollar notes on 1 May 1994, under the name of "Bank of China Hong Kong Branch". Under the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited (Merger) Ordinance, After the restructuring, banknotes issued by the the Bank of China before its merger remained legal tender after the merger and became the obligations of Bank of China (Hong Kong). A new set of notes bearing the name Bank of China (Hong Kong) went into circulation in 2004.
The Bank of China Tower in Central and Western District|Central houses the headquarters of BOCHK. Designed by I. M. Pei, the 70-storey building's height is 315 meters with two masts reaching 369 meters. Construction began in 1985 and the building was completed in 1989, with its official opening on May 17, 1990. Bank of China Tower was the first building outside the United States to break the 1,000 feet mark, the first composite space frame high-rise building and was the tallest building in Hong Kong and Asia from 1989 to 1992. A small observation deck on the 43rd floor of the building is open to the public; visits to the main obsevation deck on the 70th floor is by appointment only. The structural expressionism adopted in the design of this building resembles growing bamboo shoots, symbolising livelihood and prosperity. The whole structure is supported by the four steel columns at the corners of the building, with the tranangular frameworks transferring the weight of the structure into these four columns. It is covered with glass curtain walls. Bank of China Tower was initially built by the Hong Kong Branch of the Bank of China; its Garden Road entrance continues to display the name "Bank of China", rather than BOCHK. Ownership has since been transferred to BOCHK, although the Bank of China has leased back several floors for use by its own operations in Hong Kong. One of the stated goals of the restructuring of BOCHK was to aggressively improve corporate governance and risk management. Issues regarding BOCHK's corporate governance were widely reported in 2003 and 2004 following allegations of misconduct. Investigations are continuing as of 2005. BOCHK subsequently reorganised and tightened internal controls, and made several executive appointments via a global replacement effort. Liu Jinbao A former CEO of BOCHK, Liu Jinbao, was abruptly transferred back to Beijing to become vice-chairman of Bank of China in May 2003. Investigations subsequently found Liu to have "committed economic crimes" in connection with his previous appointment as the head of the Shanghai branch of the Bank of China. Liu was subsequently dismissed from his post. Liu, along with three other senior managers, were also alleged to have made "unauthorised distribution for personal purposes" of funds belong to the Bank of China before BOCHK was established. The Standard speculated that the amount involved was HK$30 million. New Nongkai loan A special committee appointed by BOC (Hong Kong) Holdings in consultation with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority found that the granting of a HK$1.77 billion bridge loan to Chau Ching-ngai (sometimes referred to as "Zhou Zhengyi" depending on transliteration), involved "risks identified at the start (that) were not addressed adequately" and was granted despite "serious reservations expressed by the Risk Management Department (BOCHK)". Liu Jinbao was criticised by the committee and a deputy CEO, Or Man-ah, took early retirement as a result. General
Corporate governance
Renminbi business
commons|Bank of China (Hong Kong)
Category:Banks of Hong Kong This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bank of China (Hong Kong)".
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