|
BIZCHINA> Top Biz News
![]() |
|
Fortis asset sale gets thumbs down
By Bi Xiaoning (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-13 09:42 The sale of Belgian-Dutch financial group Fortis' assets has been voted down at the shareholders meeting, reflecting the will of most investors, including its largest shareholder, China's second-largest life insurer Ping An.
![]() The shareholders met in Brussels on Feb 11 and voted against the company's three deals on asset sales, including the sale of the banking and insurance units to the Netherlands, the nationalization of Fortis Bank NV by Belgium governments, and subsequent transfer of a 75 percent stake to French bank BNP Paribas SA.
Ping An said on Feb 8 that it will vote against the sale of Fortis assets at the shareholders' meeting, and said in a statement that "the decisions, initiated by the government, to sell Fortis assets have not only destroyed its value but also severely impaired shareholders' interests as a whole." Analysts with Orient Securities said it's possible for Ping An and the other shareholders to try for more favorable proposals. Looking ahead, investors could benefit from the shares on hand when the markets recover, though it's a time-consuming process. However, analysts with Essence Securities said it was just a temporary victory for Ping An, since Fortis would face a capital gap of 2.3 billion euros after the reform proposals were voted down and the risks are high for the company going bankrupt. "I expect new negotiations will take place with BNP and the Belgian state but there's a lot of room between what the shareholders want and what the government and BNP are willing to give. It's realistic that BNP Paribas will withdraw at a certain point," Bloomberg quoted an Amsterdam-based analyst as saying. Aimed at seeking international cooperation and market expertise from Fortis, Ping An invested 23.87 billion yuan ($3.49 billion) in the company and gained a 4.99 percent stake. So far, Ping An's investment has lost 90 percent of its value. The company took a 15.7 billion-yuan writedown on its investment in the third quarter. Ping An's shares dropped 0.32 percent to 33.79 yuan yesterday. (For more biz stories, please visit Industries)
|
|||||
平舆县| 慈利县| 米脂县| 铁岭县| 普兰店市| 泰州市| 北票市| 台南市| 汉中市| 宁明县| 姜堰市| 英超| 通江县| 临澧县| 遂昌县| 台湾省| 和平县| 阿拉善盟| 格尔木市| 沙洋县| 冀州市| 四川省| 辽阳市| 洪雅县| 巴林左旗| 剑河县| 辽中县| 美姑县| 和顺县| 辰溪县| 东乡| 内黄县| 子长县| 长兴县| 洪江市| 伽师县| 青阳县| 黄冈市| 曲水县| 手游| 明水县|