Trésorier/Treasurer magazine - N°89 - April/May/June 2015 - (Page 9)

Interview with Mrs. Gao Ming, Chairwoman of ICBC's Luxembourg-based European subsidiary, explains why the Chinese bank chose the grand duchy for its base and outlines the group's strategy for the coming years. - Why did ICBC select Luxembourg as a base for operation in Europe? Gao Ming: we opened in the Grand-Duchy in 1998 a representative office, which was upgraded to a branch a year later. In September 2006 the group set up the Luxembourg subsidiary - renamed ICBC Europe in 2011 - with the goal of further expanding its network using the EU single banking passport. Soon after, the bank opened branches simultaneously in Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Milan and Madrid; Warsaw and Barcelona followed a year later. We chose Luxembourg for its regional headquarters because after having been active in the country for more than 15 years, we find it offers an attractive legal framework and business environment with political and social stability, a wellregulated financial industry, a skilled multilingual and multicultural workforce in the sector, an advantageous tax regime, Luxembourg is one of the few remaining European countries with an AAA sovereign debt rating from all the major agencies. and a convenient geographic location. Not least, Luxembourg is one of the few remaining European countries with an AAA sovereign debt rating from all the major agencies. So far we have found operating from a base here highly satisfactory. - How do you manage effectively all your branches around Europe? Gao Ming: Our group benefit from a single management and operating team while sharing with each other the advantages of their various banking licences, local business resources and a centralised business processing function. As the regional headquarters, we act as a management centre and middle/ back office facility for our branches around Europe. Last year we established credit examination, parameter and financial management centres in Luxembourg. We plan to consolidate all the financial reporting to the Luxembourg regulator and our head office, the IT system and network management within our European subsidiaries this year or next. Beside the centralised processing business, we have three business centres in private banking, investment banking and global cash management, which support and guiding the various underlying branches in these new business areas. LE MAGAZINE DU TRESORIER / TREASURER MAGAZINE - N°89 - APR ICBC SETS STRATEGY FOR EUROPEAN GROWTH / MAY / JUN 2015 INTERVIEW 9

Table des matières de la publication Trésorier/Treasurer magazine - N°89 - April/May/June 2015

Cover
Table of contents
EDITORIAL
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS Luxembourg Tax News
INTERVIEW ICBC
FOCUS
Treasurers' kitchen nightmare
FATCA the next hassle for corporate treasurers?
Treasury is becoming much more...
One year on - EMIRage or EMIRate?
Making the most of trade reporting data
EMIR, where do we stand?
FORUM
Surety bonds - gaining acceptance globally as performance security
The colour of money
Money Market Funds - adapting to a challenging landscape
Comment offrir un meilleur rendement monétaire dans un univers de taux bas?
CORPORATE FINANCE
A repolution - The new Repurchase Conditions
Finding a technology partner in a world of change
Raising your Cyber Security level with Cyber Threat Intelligence
15 MINUTES AVEC CBTI
THE RISK OBSERVATORY
NEWS
LIFE BEYOND NUMBERS

Trésorier/Treasurer magazine - N°89 - April/May/June 2015