Chapter 242: Surrounding the Cities with the Countryside
"Thank you for your hard work these past few months, Arai-san."
"It's my job, President Shirakawa, don't worry about it."
In the office, Shirakawa Kaede was having a long conversation with Arai Yu who had just returned from a trip.
From the beginning of the New Year to now in June, about half a year, Yu Arai has basically spent all his time in Akita.
Acquiring a bank, even if it is a local bank, the financial relationships involved are still extremely complicated.
Financial matters cannot be taken lightly, especially when they concern the future of the group.
Shirakawa Feng could only let Arai Yu do it himself, after all, he was the only person he could trust in the banking industry.
Although Shirakawa Electric is now developing rapidly, it is still lacking in terms of foundation.
The president of SIC, the heads of two business divisions of Shirakawa Electric, and the Kitato Bank.
These are the talents that Baichuan Holdings is in urgent need of at present, and we only realize how little we have when we need them.
For these scarce talents, Baichuan Feng cannot directly parachute them in.
After all, there are so many old employees, and we have to consider everyone's feelings.
In fact, among these urgently needed talents, the physical manufacturing industry is relatively well off.
Baichuan Feng understands their operating processes and can appoint people boldly.
Even if there are some problems occasionally, you can still help them out.
The only thing he was not good at was the banking industry, which required a high level of professionalism and he himself was a layman.
Therefore, we can only rely on Hiroshi Arai for now. As for the economics talents of Meiji University, they are still too young.
They were thrown by Baichuan Feng into Baichuan Holdings or Kitato Bank to gain experience.
It will take several years for them to grow up.
"Arai-san, what do you think about the Kitato Bank?"
If we were to ask who is most familiar with Kitato Bank now, it would undoubtedly be Hiroshi Arai, who has been busy in Akita for nearly half a year.
“In terms of size, it is just a local medium-sized bank, and the number one bank in Akita is Akita Bank.
Following closely behind is our Hokuto Bank, and third is Akita Akebono Bank.
However, although we rank second, our total assets are nearly half that of Akita Bank, which ranks first.
In terms of the gap, there is still a long way to go to become the best in Akita or to go beyond the Tohoku region.”
Baichuan Feng nodded. This was expected.
When I first invested in Kitato Bank, I already had a general understanding of it.
"However, since Sasaki Eiji joined the company, the business of Hokuto Bank in the public group settlement field has continued to grow."
After saying this, Arai Yu looked at Shirakawa Kaede with a meaningful look.
The latter smiled, as if tacitly agreeing to something.
These were not beyond his expectations. Did he really think that the shares of Kitato Bank were given for free?
The so-called public groups refer to government agencies at the local city or town level, or state-owned corporate organizations, etc.
As for public group settlement business, wherever these institutions deal with banks, they basically choose Beidu Bank.
Charging fees or interest is one thing, but the biggest benefit comes after Kitato Bank establishes a relationship .
Its penetration and influence at the local level are a valuable asset.
With the backing of a public institution, at least Kitato Bank doesn't have to worry about suddenly running out of food one day.
And all this was just a reward for the Akita Governor Sasaki-san's convenient actions in certain places.
It turns out to be collusion between officials and businessmen... Bah, there is still a future if we cooperate with local governments.
"Also," Yu Arai pushed his glasses up, a hint of excitement showing on his face.
“I discovered this when I was sorting out some of the long-term assets of Kitato Bank.
Hokuto Bank also has some cooperative relationships with certain local governments in Iwate and Aomori.
Even in the early Showa period, some small banks there were acquired.”
"What does Arai-san mean...?" Shirakawa Feng raised his eyebrows.
“We will continue to deepen our cooperation with local governments in Northeast China, after all, that is our base.
Even if things don't go well in the future, Beidu Bank will definitely be a strong influence in Northeast China.
And because of the complex relationship, this impact will last for a long time."
Seeing Arai Yu's almost explicit look, Baichuan Feng understood what he meant.
It is an asset that can be passed on to the next generation, just like political assets.
Baichuan Feng thought of the word "family", as long as Baichuan Holdings is the absolute majority shareholder of Kitato Bank.
Then this relationship will not change, and may even become more stable as time goes by.
Shirakawa Feng narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke softly, "I'll have to trouble Arai-san to take care of the Kitato Bank in the future ."
Arai Yu nodded, agreeing to the matter.
"So, regarding Tokyo, how should the Kitato Bank plan? Has Arai-san ever thought about this?"
After talking about the Northeast, Shirakawa Kaede began to think about Tokyo.
After all, if it was just a local bank, it wouldn't be worth his trouble.
Going beyond the Northeast, extending to Tokyo, and even connecting with the international community is what a bank should do.
"Mr. Shirakawa, what is your future positioning for Kitato Bank?" Arai Yu asked him about his expectations first.
"Participate in more economic activities, not limited to the Northeast. Carry out more banking business, from individuals to enterprises."
This is beyond the scope of local banks, but what Shirakawa Feng said is natural.
Arai Yuya took it for granted, "Then Tokyo must be run with the determination to build a base camp."
There is no doubt that Tokyo is the economic center of the entire Neon, and no major bank will miss this stage.
However, if Kitato Bank wants to make a difference in Tokyo, it will have to spend money, and a lot of money.
“I have already realized this.
Arai-san can just do what he wants, we can try to contact Dai-ichi Kangin."
"Eh?" Arai Yu showed a surprised look, "Daiichi Kangin..."
Shirakawa Feng nodded, and then he told Arai Yu about his previous meeting with Watanabe Ichiro and the contents of the verbal agreement.
"I see. If that's the case, we can talk about it."
Since Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank already knew about the existence of Kitato Bank, they reached a tacit understanding with each other.
Then why not just put it out in the open and let's continue to deepen our cooperation. I'm sure First Union Bank will not refuse.
In this way, the other party will know the size of Kitadu Bank and even the approximate business content.
Look, I've taken off all my clothes and shown them to you. Isn't that sincere enough?
The reason why Shirakawa Feng did this was because Kitato Bank was too weak.
If you want to take root in Tokyo, it would be too slow without the help of a big bank.
The inter-bank transfer and withdrawal function alone is a great help to Kitato Bank.
"I will contact Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank." As his former employer, Arai Yu has some confidence in this part of the business.
Baichuan Feng nodded, and he could only ask him to do this matter.
…
By June, all the relationships of Kitato Bank were finally sorted out.
The original Ugo Bank sign in Chuo Ward has also been replaced with a brand new "Hokuto Bank".
The site for the new building is still being selected, and we are currently preparing to rent a few floors in an office building for short-term office use.
The bank matter was finally settled. Baichuan Feng put down the stone in his heart and prepared to fly to the other side of the ocean.
Yes, this time Shirakawa Kaede went to the United States to investigate the site selection of the North American factory.
With shipments three times that of Japan's home country, Shirakawa Electric is now undoubtedly the focus of its business.
In order to stabilize the North American market, Shirakawa Electric finally made up its mind to start investing locally.
Whether it is a token of allegiance or to respond to market demands in a timely manner, it is time to put this matter on the agenda.
West Coast, Los Angeles Airport.
"Hi Boss", the people who came to pick him up at the airport were still Sales Director Yulis and Shirakawa Electric North America CEO Howard.
"Hi Hans", following Shirakawa Kaede is of course Hasegawa.
He kind of missed his San Fernando Valley sweetheart.
However, he had just got off the plane and was almost stunned when he heard the greetings from Yuris and the others.
These guys are so rude. They just keep giving people nicknames and have no sense of martial ethics.
Seeing Hasegawa looking uncomfortable, Shirakawa Feng also shook his head and laughed.
"Okay guys, take a day off today.
We will have another meeting tomorrow and then go to inspect Shirakawa Electric's location in California."
If time is not too urgent, Baichuan Feng would prefer to slowly appreciate the scenery of Los Angeles and adjust to the time difference.
Every time I come and go in a hurry, it's still very tiring.
After taking a shower in the hotel in the evening, Shirakawa Feng planned to go out for a walk.
This time he stayed at the Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
This place is close to the branch of Shirakawa Electric and is also very close to Hollywood. It is a real gathering place for the rich.
So you don't have to worry too much about public security, as there are patrolling police almost every few meters.
"Kojima-san, you don't have to follow me everywhere. It's a rare opportunity to come to the United States, so buy something for your family.
And Sama, this is your first time going abroad, you can go around with Kojima-san.
Don't worry, I'm just walking around, there's no danger."
Kojima and Sama looked at each other, then shook their heads at the same time and continued to follow Shirakawa Kaede.
This... never mind, let them be.
Shirakawa Kaede walked into a Western restaurant to enjoy dinner.
Kojima is Shirakawa Kaede's driver and also does some security work.
Whether at home or abroad, as long as Baichuan Feng goes out, he will never leave his side.
This was introduced by the housekeeping company, and they signed a special agreement with each other.
As for Sama, he is a fellow countryman of Shirakawa Kaede and comes from Xiaolu.
He was quiet and taciturn since childhood but was passionate about martial arts. He practiced karate with his elders and later learned kendo on his own.
Ever since Baichuan Feng went back last time, he was arranged by the elders of Xiaolu Village to be Baichuan Feng's follower.
Baichuan Feng knew the intentions of the elders at Xiaolu's place.
But he also didn't want to restrict Sama's freedom too much. After all, they were all young people, at an age with strong curiosity and thirst for knowledge.
So Baichuan Feng only regards him as an assistant for the time being. Although Sama doesn't talk much, he always keeps the advice of his elders in mind.
Except when Shirakawa Kaede returns home or goes to the bathroom, he hardly ever leaves her side.
Both of them were stubborn, so Baichuan Feng gave up trying to persuade them.
If it really doesn't work, I'll buy some more things to bring back and take some of their share as well.
Relaxed, he walked slowly into the western restaurant.
Tsk, it’s indeed a wealthy area.
The magnificent lobby, the polite waiters, the quiet and elegant atmosphere, all reveal the taste of American dollars.
Shirakawa Feng chose a seat by the window and sat down, while Kojima and Sama sat at the table behind him.
"Yes... Shirakawa-san?"
"Huh?" Baichuan Feng, who was casually flipping through the menu, raised his head.
