The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 384



Only Krnovel

384. War and war (4)

After finishing my meeting with President Obama, I returned to the hotel.

Dimon flew all the way to Washington and was waiting for me.

“Why are you coming all the way here? I can go find you.”

“It’s been a while since you came to America. Shouldn’t I make a move?”

I roughly threw away my tie and sat down on the sofa.

Dimon naturally sat down politely in the seat across from him.

“There was an uproar in the White House because oil prices had fallen too low. Fintech banks were uproar in a different way, right?”

“Thanks to the Chairman, we are generating high returns. Especially for fintech banks, I think we will be able to record the highest profits in history.”

“With that amount of money, there will be no problem in running the CITI Group.”

“It’s not that there are no problems, but there is still money left over even after paying off all debt. As money is piling up, the number of depositors is increasing significantly. People are coming from not only Silicon Valley but all over the United States to put money into fintech banks. .”

A continuation of the virtuous cycle.

If the rate of return was high, the number of customers would increase.

As the number of customers increased, deposits also increased, allowing more money to be rolled out and higher profits.

“We should open more branches across the United States.”

“We have already opened many branches. In just five years, we can become the bank with the most branches in the world.”

Fintech banks were already among the best in the United States.

This was possible because of the acquisition of CITI Bank, and some of the branches owned by CITI Bank were operating under the name of a fintech bank.

“Shouldn’t fintech banks alone be the best in America?”

“If we can make profits like we do now, it looks like we can become not only the largest bank in the U.S. but also the largest bank in the world. Especially as the value of Bitcoin is increasing.”

The world’s only Bitcoin exchange was a fintech bank.

Of course, now several financial companies and new companies are sprouting up, but fintech banks still have a monopoly on Bitcoin transactions.

“The price of Bitcoin has risen a lot.”

“It has surpassed $2,000. It has risen more than 10 times in one year.”

“It will still rise more than 10 times. Then, fintech banks will be able to make as much profit as now just from Bitcoin transaction fees.”

Bitcoin was only $100 just a few years ago.

However, it has already surpassed $2,000, and in just a few years, it will increase tenfold to $20,000.

In order for the price to rise, trading volume had to be high.

The sales of fintech banks that dominate the Bitcoin exchange were naturally bound to rise.

“To be honest, it’s as if fintech banks have become the central banks of the United States. Money is pouring in from Bitcoin exchanges as if they are printing money.”

“Interest in Bitcoin is slowly starting to increase in Korea as well.”

“Already this year, Bitcoin transactions have also started at Fintech’s Korean branch. Over 100,000 customers have opened accounts in three months, and the number of account openings is rapidly increasing every month.”

This was satisfactory.

The moment you become greedy for Bitcoin itself rather than the fees, the Bitcoin ecosystem that was created so difficult will collapse.

Customers were able to trade Bitcoin with peace of mind because we were not dealing with Bitcoin and were maintaining the center.

“With record-breaking profits, you must have a lot of money to spare. How much can you invest in a consortium to acquire an oil company?”

“Shouldn’t you invest as much as you want?”

“There will be at least twice as much profit. Oil prices will stabilize in the first half of next year, so it will not be a bad investment.”

“If it’s twice the profit, you should definitely go in.”

That’s because they made too much profit through crude oil futures.

Doubling the profit was by no means a small profit.

This is because the financial sector is the place to rush even if you can only make 20% profit, not double it.

“The acquisition of an oil company will be carried out by a group of companies that are closely related to Taewoo Group. We need to raise at least $50 billion to acquire a good company.”

“There is nothing wrong with Taewoo Securities and a fintech bank acquiring an oil company, but it has absolutely nothing to do with IT companies.”

“We will open a consortium under the pretext of reviving American oil companies to ensure a stable supply of power. Then, won’t the public and shareholders understand and accept it?”

All you had to do was create a cause.

It was an IT industry that promoted eco-friendliness and responded sensitively to the issue of carbon emissions.

Therefore, there was a high possibility that the acquisition of an oil company would be viewed negatively, but if it was promoted as a cause for the U.S. economy, it would not be possible to just oppose it.

“In fintech banks, you can easily invest up to $10 billion. If necessary, you can invest up to $20 billion.”

“If we receive $2 billion in investment from five IT companies, the total will be $10 billion, so to make up $50 billion, fintech banks should invest $15 billion. The remaining $25 billion will be invested by Taewo Group.”

Raising $50 billion was no task.

IT companies had significant in-house reserves, and there were quite a few companies that could pay not just $2 billion, but even $20 billion.

But I didn’t have to.

Because 50 billion dollars was enough to take out the most delicious part.

“Try forming a consortium with President Han. Don’t create it too hastily, just make sure it can be active by January of next year.”

“So, what you’re saying is that we can continue to have fun with short selling until January of next year.”

“The period when you can have the most fun is from now until December. You have to extract as much as you can. That way, you can acquire an oil company at a cheaper price.”

As the short selling amount increases, the value of oil companies falls.

Profits will increase only if it is brought down to the lowest point possible and then acquired.

“All you have to do is attack the oil company’s board of directors to the point where they first announce they’re going to sell the company.”

“We will make a final spurt. But if we say we will take over after attacking like this, won’t public criticism boil over?”

“The U.S. government will take care of preventing that. Even if it’s not us, the stock prices of oil companies are bound to fall anyway, so you can’t blame us.”

It was a situation where we had a strong ally in the United States government.

No matter how much profit we made from short selling, the U.S. government was in a position to protect it, let alone keep it in check.

Because they had offended us for no reason, the $50 billion that was meant to revive oil companies was lost.

“It feels like I’ve acquired a license to kill. Until now, I’ve been keeping an eye on the government, but this time, I’m going to swing my knife like a motherfucker.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been thinking about the old days.”

“It reminds me of the time I was fighting with loan sharks in Myeongdong.”

It was Dimon whose eyes had changed.

He changed from the gaze of the chairman of America’s largest financial company to that of a loan shark in Myeong-dong.

* * *

After finishing my schedule in the US, I headed to China, not Korea.

Most of the shares in the Guyana fund were held by American companies, but a 20% stake was held by Chinese oil companies.

We visited China to acquire a 20% stake.

I had a meeting with my new friend, Jeong Ju-seong, and Lee Kang.

“How have you been?”

“Thanks to Chairman Kim, I am doing very well. The Mongolian Transport Route Consortium is viewed very favorably by high-ranking people. I have also received great praise for the first time in a long time.”

Lee Kang also needed achievements to rise to the core of power.

Of course, with his ability alone, he could rise to the core of power within 10 years, but if I helped him, he could rise even faster.

“I’m so glad it helped. But is China okay these days? The United States is in a mess due to the drop in crude oil prices.”

“Is there a country that doesn’t use oil? China is also in a mess. You know it’s the China Offshore Oil Corporation, right?”

“Are you talking about CNOOC Group?”

“That’s right, we are a company that explores and develops oil fields in various parts of the world, starting from the coast of China. But with oil prices dropping so much, our deficit is at an all-time high.”

Li Kang was a person who was very interested in the center of power.

Therefore, he was very interested not only in Jeongju, where he settled, but also in various industries in China.

“I can help you a little if you want.”

“Any help from Taewoo Group is always welcome. But how can you help?”

“Of course, we cannot take over CNOOC, so Taewoo Group will take over some of the assets it owns. I heard that foreign oil companies are also withdrawing from oil exploration sites.”

“You are saying that you will acquire CNOOC’s oil exploration shares.”

“If Mr. Li Kang wants, I have a plan to take it over at a loss. Why not just leave it for about 10 years and get back on track? Or I could sell it back to a blind American company.”

Even if it is a state-owned enterprise, it is likely to be sensitive to the size of its deficit.

If we could secure immediate cash flow, there was no reason why we could not sell our shares.

Moreover, if the asset was oil exploration, it would be even more appealing.

“Exactly what oil exploration stake do you want?”

“In order to resell to an American company, it would be better if the shares were tied to an American company and a fund.”

“I heard that CNOOC has shares in that type of fund. I will quickly check and contact you.”

“You can take your time. It’s not that urgent. And if CNOOC says you don’t want to, don’t bother trying. Just know that I have this good will.”

What I wanted was a Guyana fund.

However, in the conversation with Li Kang, the word Guyana was not even mentioned.

If I had mentioned it first, it could have aroused suspicion, and problems could have arisen with the acquisition of shares held by American companies.

So I have no choice but to just drop a hint.

I had faith that Lee Kang would be able to find the answer with just the fragmentary hints I gave him.

How can someone who can’t even do that rise to the core of Chinese power?

“I am already well aware of Chairman Kim’s good intentions. I will identify and tell you as much as possible about the assets that meet the conditions Chairman Kim mentioned.”

“I’m glad that I can use this excuse to meet Mr. Li Kang at least once more.”

“Just come to China anytime. I will drop everything I’m doing and come to welcome you.”

I gave homework to Li Kang.

He politely accepted the homework like an obedient student.

“I hope that our relationship will continue to transcend national boundaries.”

“I never thought that Chairman Kim was Korean. Even if there is a day when the relationship between Korea and China becomes bad, I promise that my relationship with Chairman Kim will be the same as it is now.”

Is that really true?

THAAD deployment is just around the corner.

At that moment, China would declare the Korean War, and it would become difficult for me to exert influence in China as I do now.

So I had to get as much out of it as I could now.

Only then could Taewo Group grow to a level where China could not do anything rashly.