During the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, SEB has stepped up efforts to position itself as the gateway to the Nordic markets for Chinese financial institutions. The timing is right as the Chinese government has started to cautiously relax controls on the flow of capital in and out of the country.
As many know, China, now the world’s second largest economy, has accumulated huge financial reserves, especially over the past five years. Traditionally most Chinese financial assets were concentrated on the dollar market. But since the financial crisis, that has changed, and diversification is now the name of the game.
That’s where SEB steps in, says Eileen Chen, a client executive at SEB in China. “We are seeing more international players looking at the Nordic region as a place of opportunity,” she says.
“Over the summer we have met several customers who are interested in the region. One attraction for them is that the economies in the Nordic region are stable and transparent.”
To help educate Chinese investors how to exploit the opportunities in the Nordic countries, SEB has hosted several seminars in connection with Expo 2010, including a high level investor seminar in June titled “The Nordic Opportunity - Bringing the best of Nordic to China”. Over fifty clients from financial institutions in southern parts of China attended.
A number of different SEB bankers from both its Merchant Banking and Wealth Management units spoke about the opportunities in the Nordic countries, presented corporate success stories about Nordic companies, and discussed the capital markets. A representative of the World Bank also discussed SEB’s lead role in creating the very popular Green Bond.
“These events can be seen as the start of an educational process for Chinese investors because today only a limited amount of overseas investments are allowed,” says Chen. “We are laying the groundwork for the further globalization of the Chinese currency.”
SEB has commissioned a number of films and videos in connection with Expo 2010, including one that is focusing on the investor event in June.
See more films from Expo 2010