In 2017, ICBC, by focusing on the key tasks of supply-side reform, further promoted the M&A and restructuring business, and actively accelerated industrial integration, transformation and upgrading. According to the ranking list of 2017 global and regional merger and acquisition financial advisers released by Thomson Reuters, the number of M&A transactions in which ICBC got involved stayed at No.1 both in the Asia-Pacific region and in China for the fourth consecutive year, and the transaction amount of ICBC was among the top 20 in terms of transaction volume and value for two consecutive years. As of the end of 2017, ICBC’s M&A financing balance was close to RMB250 billion, of which RMB114.4 billion were for newly issued M&A loans, providing funds and consultancy support for a large number of industrial transformation and upgrading projects.

In terms of domestic M&A, ICBC actively explored key business areas such as industrial integration, equity incentives, state-owned enterprise restructuring and M&A funds, and comprehensively leveraged on M&A advisers, M&A loans, M&A agencies, as well as joint M&A investment, M&A bonds and other products and services to provide enterprises with integrated one-stop investment banking M&A services combining “financing + intelligence” and “counseling + financing”. In 2017, ICBC injected RMB2 billion into the acquisition project of Beijing Municipal Road & Bridge Group Co., Ltd. through Gold Brick Fund I, which became a typical case of reform into mixed ownership of state-owned enterprises in Beijing. In addition, it completed a number of projects which have big impact on the market, including Vanke’s acquisition of Guangdong International Trust & Investment’s asset package with RMB55.1 billion.

In terms of cross-border M&A, ICBC actively provided a package of financial services to the Belt and Road international capacity cooperation and the “going global” strategy of domestic high-prospect enterprises dedicated to consumption upgrading and industrial upgrading, and focused on new markets, new customers, new products and new modes to expand cross-border M&A business. It supported, as a leading bank, such key projects as Zhongding Group’s acquisition of the German Tristone Flowtech, Europe’s second-largest manufacturer in the field of flow technology solutions of the automotive industry, Shanghai Lihong New Technology Investment’s acquisition of Euro-Pro, a  leading U.S. company in small home appliances, maintaining strong competitiveness among global peers.