Tokyo – Citigroup Inc. and Nikko Cordial Corporation today announced that they have agreed to form a comprehensive strategic alliance, consisting of a broad-ranging business alliance and a capital alliance in which Citigroup would launch a tender offer for the purpose of becoming Nikko Cordial's majority shareholder. Citigroup and Nikko Cordial said that their alliance agreement was signed today following approval by their respective boards of directors.
1. Objectives of the Alliance
Citigroup and Nikko Cordial are forming the alliance in order to create one of Japan's leading financial services groups and to enable the combined franchise to pursue important new growth opportunities, giving due respect to Japanese culture and business practices. The alliance capitalizes on their highly complementary businesses and capabilities, leverages their longstanding cooperative relationship and builds upon the success of their existing joint ventures. This includes Nikko Citigroup Limited, one of Japan's leading investment banks and a strategically important part of Citigroup's capital markets and banking business globally.
The two companies also said that, by announcing the new alliance agreement today, they intended to preserve the value of Nikko Cordial's franchise for the benefit of all interested stakeholders, including Nikko Cordial's shareholders, customers, employees and business partners, while also ensuring stability in the securities market and restoring investor trust and confidence.
2. Summary of Business Alliance
Under the direction of a joint steering committee that will soon be formed to begin implementing the new business alliance, Citigroup and Nikko Cordial intend to:
i) Trade name | Citigroup Inc. | Nikko Cordial Corporation |
ii) Primary business |
|
|
iii) Date of incorporation |
|
|
iv) Location of head office |
|
|
v) Representative |
|
|
vi) Amount of stated capital | Preferred Stock
|
|
vii) Employees |
|
|
viii) Major shareholders and their percentage of shareholdings |
(as of 12/31/06, source: 13F Filings)
| (as of 9/30/2006)
|
ix) Relationship of companies |
|
Citigroup Inc.
Citi, the leading global financial services company, has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, and wealth management. Citi's major brands include Citibank, CitiFinancial, Primerica, Citi Smith Barney and Banamex. Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com or www.citi.com.
Certain statements in this document are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from those included in these statements due to a variety of factors. More information about these factors is contained in Citigroup's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Nikko Cordial Corporation
Nikko Cordial Corporation is a diversified financial service group for providing securities related services and meeting various financial needs such as capital funding and asset management.