Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

HK Type 4 license through Ballingal Investment Advisors Ltd. 

I'm a highly experienced sell-side analyst with in excess of 22 years of covering Asia Pacific equities, the past 19 years immersed in event strategies encompassing M&A risk arbitrage, directional long/short, stub trades and restructuring.  

My background also includes accountancy (liquidation/bankruptcy/receivership) earlier in my career and as a chief financial officer of a global commodity company based in the US and Mexico.

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Bank of East Asia – Caixa Shake-Out Very Likely

Bank of East Asia – How Much Longer Can Caixa Hold On?

Bank of East Asia – Premature Provision Cut

Quiddity Advisors

Equity Bottom-Up

Back on the 4 March, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/bank-of-east-asia-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:341:1" rel="noopener">Bank of East Asia (23 HK)</a> <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2020/0304/2020030400035.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a strategic review of its portfolio. The review was supported by Elliott Management, and was viewed as a tentative truce between the two ahead of an expected court date to arbitrate BEA's alleged relationship with two of its key shareholders, Japan’s <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/sumitomo-mitsui-financial-gr" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:217:1" rel="noopener">Sumitomo Mitsui Financial (8316 JP)</a> and Spain’s <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/caixabank-sa" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21255:1" rel="noopener">CaixaBank SA (CABK SM)</a>. I discussed this development in <a href="https://skr.ma/f3hfy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elliott &amp; BEA: "Fiefdom" On Pause</a>.
Fast forward six and half months and BEA has <a href="https://www1.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/sehk/2020/0923/2020092300183.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decided</a> to initiate a "sale process for BEA Life Limited (“BEA Life”) in order to enhance the value of the Bank’s business, improve its financial position and enable its management team to focus on its core banking operations in Hong Kong and Mainland China".  The announcement was supported by Elliott.
BEA added that it would seek to enter into a "long-term exclusive distribution agreement that will provide an ongoing source of revenue for BEA as a distributor of insurance products through its banking platform."
Reportedly BEA could raise US$500mn-US$600mn from the sale, which is roughly in line with the gross written premiums of HK$4.8bn in 2019; and ~5.5x the net insurance premium of HK$826mn in FY19. 
BEA said it would further identify opportunities to grow its core businesses   - presumably this already formed part of its forward roadmap. 
But does the sale and formation of a so-called bancassurance partnership, make BEA a more attractive company (as a standalone or takeover target); or a less attractive bank as it focuses on is pedestrian traditional banking ops? Or is this simply, just the opening salvo from its ongoing strategy?
As always, more below the fold.

Back on the 4 March, Bank of East Asia (23 HK) announced a strategic review of its portfolio. The review was supported by Elliott Management, and was viewed as a tentative truce between the two ahead of an expected court date to arbitrate BEA's alleged relationship with two of its key shareholders, Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Financial (8316 JP) and Spain’s CaixaBank SA (CABK SM). I discussed this development in Elliott &amp; BEA: "Fiefdom" On Pause.
Fast forward six and half months and BEA has decided to initiate a "sale process for BEA Life Limited (“BEA Life”) in order to enhance the value of the Bank’s business, improve its financial position and enable its management team to focus on its core banking operations in Hong Kong and Mainland China".  The announcement was supported by Elliott.
BEA added that it would seek to enter into a "long-term exclusive distribution agreement that will provide an ongoing source of revenue for BEA as a distributor of insurance products through its banking platform."
Reportedly BEA could raise US$500mn-US$600mn from the sale, which is roughly in line with the gross written premiums of HK$4.8bn in 2019; and ~5.5x the net insurance premium of HK$826mn in FY19. 
BEA said it would further identify opportunities to grow its core businesses   - presumably this already formed part of its forward roadmap. 
But does the sale and formation of a so-called bancassurance partnership, make BEA a more attractive company (as a standalone or takeover target); or a less attractive bank as it focuses on is pedestrian traditional banking ops? Or is this simply, just the opening salvo from its ongoing strategy?
As always, more below the fold.

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (8316 JP)

BEA (23 HK): Big Banc Theory And Elliott's Hard Slog