China's Impending Anbang Divestment Has Investment Bankers Salivating
The other shoe could drop in the saga of Anbang Insurance Group and the Chinese government's crackdown on offshore investment.
After arresting Anbang Chairman Wu Xiaohui in June, the government seized the company and has started the process of seeking brokers and partners to sell off its assets, Bloomberg reports. Still, Anbang representatives posit the company has no immediate plans to sell off assets.
Representatives from several investment banks were in Beijing to pitch their services in Anbang's divestment, which could also possibly include shares in the company itself, according to Bloomberg. The company reportedly owns over $100B in assets and was among the most active overseas buyers that China sought to rein in with its new restrictions on foreign investments announced in August.
Among Anbang's largest recent purchases was the $6.5B acquisition of Strategic Hotels & Resorts, the largest such purchase by a Chinese buyer in history. In 2015, the company purchased the legendary Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York for nearly $2B in 2015, and its portfolio includes stakes in several European insurance and finance companies, according to Bloomberg.
Chinese investment firm HNA Group is also selling huge parts of its portfolios. The Chinese conglomerate recently inked a deal to offload its 25%, $6.5B stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings and is also looking to sell Midtown office building 245 Park Ave., which it bought last year for a near-record $2.2B.
