Dasman Palace. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

At the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait, Tang Bao visited this extravagant palace. Although very meticulous and thoughtful arrangements were made before the meeting, the other party was the head of state after all, and Kuwait was in an eventful time, so it was inevitable that there would be a little surprise...... Tang Bao waited for more than half an hour in the lavish parlor before he was able to meet with the owner of the palace, Jaber Ahmad al-Sabah.

"Mr. Tang, I have heard about your deeds for a long time, and I admire and appreciate your talent very much, and the Kuwaiti royal family is very much looking forward to in-depth cooperation with you!" Jaber Ahmad al-Sabah said enthusiastically.

"Thank you, I'm looking forward to it too!" Tang Bao replied with a smile.

Dressed in traditional Arab national costumes, he is nearly sixty years old, and his figure is slightly fat. Well. Compared with the photos circulating outside, the real person looks more old and slightly worse. Taking advantage of the greetings, Tang Bao secretly looked at the other party. At the same time, the hastily collected information about Jaber Ahmad al-Sabah was recalled.

Jaber Ahmad al-Sabah, who received court education since childhood, has served as the local administrator, the minister of finance, the minister of industry, the minister of oil, the prime minister, **** and other important positions, and succeeded to the throne in December 1977, becoming the thirteenth emir of Kuwait, also known as Jaber III.

Well.

It is worth mentioning that Galby III was assassinated in 1985, and after narrowly escaping the catastrophe, he became more cautious and low-key, never going to crowded places, and the number of public appearances became very few.

"I would like to ask Mr. Tang to serve as an investment and financial advisor to the Kuwaiti royal family, and to be responsible for managing the funds of the Kuwait Investment Authority, which is part of the state." Galby III said straight to the point.

Forehead.

Tang Bao was slightly stunned, and then reacted. The assets of the Kuwait Investment Authority have always been firmly controlled by members of the Kuwaiti royal family, but they remain nominally owned by the State. In addition to controlling the assets of the Kuwait Investment Authority, members of the royal family also have legal private property belonging to individuals.

"No problem, I'm happy to accept mutually beneficial cooperation. I believe that Mr. Taraka has already relayed my conditions to you in advance. Tang Bao said with a smile.

Well.

Jaber III nodded silently, and was silent for a long time before he raised his head and stared at Tang Bao, and said: "In recent years, the international oil market has been fiercely competitive, and profits have plummeted, and even losses have been generated. It is not the same as the income you get in the field of financial investment. I don't understand, why don't you put the financial investment industry you are good at, but want to invest in oil with poor prospects? ”

"Hehe, it's very simple, the world can't run without oil for a day, and it will become more and more dependent in the absence of suitable alternative energy sources, and I am optimistic about the long-term investment prospects of oil. In addition, most of my assets are virtual financial assets, which are tilted towards the industrial field, which is also a reasonable optimization of asset allocation. Just as Kuwait is sitting on an endless treasure trove of oil and investing heavily abroad, it is all about diversification. Tang Bao explained with a smile.

"Well, that's the truth. To be honest, I was originally a little worried about the trend of international oil prices, but when I saw that Mr. Tang was determined to invest in oil, my confidence suddenly increased. Haha......" Jaber III laughed.

After the laughter dissipated.

Jaber's face turned pale, and he said calmly: "Kuwait is rich in oil resources, and the benefits of giving you an oil field are nothing." But, Mr. Tang, do you understand that this condition of yours is in a dilemma for me? More than 10 years ago, Kuwait's oil country was occupied by British and American oil companies, and under my leadership, the oil was nationalized. ”

Yes.

Tang Bao was surprised, he really didn't know that the nationalization of Kuwait's oil was facilitated by King Jaber III.

"It's a simple thing to hand over the rights to an oil field to you, but I have to think about the ripple effects. After the nationalization of Kuwait's oil, it was almost difficult for foreign oil and gas companies to intervene in Kuwait's oil exploitation except for providing technical services. At this time, it suddenly came to the news that you got an oil field in Kuwait, how do you think other foreign oil and gas companies would feel? Although this is a special case, other oil and gas companies will not care about this, as long as they see Kuwait breaking the rules, they will definitely move and try to do everything possible to obtain oil rights to exploit the fields. Is it approved? It certainly can't be, then the nationalization of oil will be in vain. Outright refusal? It would be inconceivable that the Government of Kuwait would be under political and diplomatic pressure from all sides. ”

"I understand your concerns. However, there are risks and benefits, and I am confident that the rewards for Kuwait will far outweigh the costs. Tang Bao said.

Scold.

Jaber III immediately smiled, which was why he was willing to talk frankly with Tang Bao. Without attractive benefits, he simply could not have been tempted.

But.

This move is potentially risky, and until the last moment, Jaber III is not willing to let go easily, "I alone hand over the right to exploit an oil field to you, ignoring other oil and gas companies, which is tantamount to offending many developed countries such as Europe, the United States and Japan at the same time." However, Kuwait is currently facing the threat of its neighbors, and it needs the support of Europe, the United States, Japan and other countries, and cannot be offended. So, Mr. Tang, please change the conditions, and even approve East West Bank to set up a branch in Kuwait. ”

Approval for East West Bank to open a branch in Kuwait?

Tang Bao smiled and said nothing, it seems to be very fair for Jaber III to replace the oil industry with a banking industry that is also prohibited from foreign investment, but how big is the banking market in Kuwait and how big is the oil market? A normal person should know how to choose.

Jaber III confessed their difficulties, Tang Bao understood in his heart, but business is business, and understanding cannot make profits.

Oil exploitation rights!

Tang Bao is bound to win, and if he misses today, he is afraid that the chances will be slim in the future.

"It's a shame to have you faced such a difficult choice. However, you also have to be considerate of my difficulties, I think that investing in oil in Kuwait is mainly to diversify the risk in the industrial sector. ”

Forehead.

Jaber III was silent, he could understand that Tang Bao was determined to get the right to oil exploitation, otherwise there would be no need to talk about it.

"Can't be replaced by other conditions?" Jaber III asked unrelentingly.

Tang Bao didn't answer, just shook his head firmly. In Kuwait, there is nothing worth anything other than oil resources.

Call~~

Jaber III seemed to have made a great deal of determination, took a deep breath, and said solemnly, "Okay." Since Mr. Tang only has this condition, in order to express the sincerity of the Kuwaiti royal family, I agreed. ”

Sincerity?

Tang Bao smiled secretly, the sincerity of the ghost, if you were really sincere, why would you go earlier? It's nothing more than weighing the pros and cons and making the best choice for yourself.

Of course.

King Jaber III promised to give Tang Bao the right to exploit an oil field, which still made Tang Bao excited, and he was confident that stepping into the Kuwaiti oil market was just the beginning, and he would get more and more ...... The Kuwaiti royal family boarded his ship, and it was difficult to think about it any further.

"Uh-huh. Mr. Tang, don't be in a hurry to be happy. I promised you, should you also meet my demands? Jaber III asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Well?

Tang Bao was puzzled in his heart, but there was no change on his face, so he pretended to be generous: "Don't worry, I will serve as an investment advisor to the Kuwait royal family, and there is no problem in helping the Kuwait Investment Authority manage some assets." Well, in order to show my sincerity, management fees, commission sharing, etc. can be given a certain preferential range. ”

"Okay."

Jaber III was satisfied, in fact, this was not what he wanted to say, but Tang Bao offered to give a discount, and he was naturally happy to accept it.

"Hedge funds basically charge a 2/20 model, that is, 2% management fee and 20% investment income share. This is the minimum fee, and the fees of funds with slightly better performance are far beyond this standard, with 30%, 40%, or even 50% of the investment income being divided. The same is true for management fees, which are as high as 3%, 5%, and 8%, all ......," Tang Bao patiently explained.

"What is the fee standard of Mr. Tang's Phoenix Investment Group? As the top investment firm on Wall Street, it must be very high, right? Jaber III asked. He is the head of a country, and there are many things to pay attention to, and he is not very clear about the specific operation of the fund.

"More than a dozen Phoenix funds have different fees, but they are not low." Tang Bao nodded, not denying it.

Then.

"The management fee is waived and only a minimum commission share of 20% is charged. Well, that's a reward for the Kuwaiti royal family opening up the oil extraction industry to me. ”

"Good"

Jaber III said with a smile, after all, according to Tang Bao's explanation, only 20% of the investment income share is definitely the conscience of the industry. There are generally no secrets to speak of the charging standards, and he will find out when he goes back to check, but he is not afraid of Tang Bao's deception.

"Uh...... Tang Xiancheng, in addition to asking you to serve as an investment adviser to the Kuwait royal family and assist the Kuwait Investment Authority in managing some assets, I also have two requirements. Jaber III said.

"Please!"

Tang Bao said with a smile.

"The matter of giving you the right to exploit the oil fields, there are also big divisions within the royal family. I think it's worth the money to act as an investment advisor to Kuwait and help manage some of the Kuwait Investment Authority's funds in exchange for the right to exploit oil fields, but others may not think so, and the reaction from the public may be greater, and I need a reason that seems more reasonable......" Jaber III made his own request, "Well, Kuwait will exchange an oil field with oil reserves of up to 2 billion barrels for 10% of Phoenix Investment Group and 10% of East West Bank. The Kuwait Investment Authority must take a stake in Phoenix Investment Group and East West Bank! (To be continued.) )