“Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren, liebe Aktionäre” [Ladies and gentlemen, dear shareholders]. “Herzlich willkommen zur Hauptversammlung der Deutschen Bank” [A warm welcome to Deutsche Bank's annual general meeting]. Deutsche Bank’s co-chief executive, Anshu Jain, Thursday awed shareholders by giving a two-page introductory speech at the bank’s annual shareholders meeting in…German. It was the moment some shareholders had been waiting for. At last year’s AGM, some German investors had voiced concern as to whether they would need to learn English in order to understand the newly elected co-chief executive of “their bank.” Mr Jain, an Indian-born with a British passport, took office almost a year ago after the shareholder’s meeting, along with co-chief executive Juergen Fitschen, a native German speaker. [WSJ]
Anshu Jain
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Deutsche Bank Goes Back To Improving Its Balance Sheet In The Traditional Ways
By Matt Levine
I’m beginning to get the hang of how Deutsche Bank works, which seems to be:
- When they lose money, that strengthens their capital position, and
- When they make money, that weakens their capital position, requiring them to sell shares.
Maybe? Three months ago we talked about how … well, I said “Deutsche Bank Improved Its Balance Sheet By Losing A Lot Of Money,” which I guess seemed funnier at the time, but to be fair (1) Bloomberg said “Deutsche Bank ‘took pain’ in the quarter by booking a loss to boost its capital ratio without selling shares,” which is about equally funny or unfunny, and (2) Deutsche did in fact have a 4Q loss of €2.2bn and yet increased its Tier 1 capital ratio by 90bps.
Today, on the other hand, Deutsche pre-announced – good! positive! €1.7bn! – first-quarter earnings and also:
The Management Board of Deutsche Bank AG resolved today, with the approval of the Supervisory Board, to execute a capital increase, which is intended to raise gross proceeds of approximately EUR 2.8 billion. The purpose of the capital increase is to strengthen the equity capitalisation of the bank. Read more »
…won’t get paid more than $12.85 this year. Read more »
Mr. Jain, 49 years old, played a central role in building Deutsche Bank’s investment-banking business over nearly two decades as it reached beyond its staid commercial-banking roots. Investment banking now generates about 70% of the overall bank’s profits most quarters. He takes the [CEO] post at a time when many analysts consider the lender one of the least well capitalized among its investment-banking peers. The bank also faces a litany of legal problems on both sides of the Atlantic. Those who know Mr. Jain say he will cut the fat at the banking giant, sell businesses that don’t meet profit goals and shutter others. [WSJ]
Tomorrow morning, Anshu Jain will start his new job as co-CEO of Deutsche Bank. Despite having previously overseen operations that produce 90 percent of the firm’s profits in any given quarter, sitting on the management committee, and generally being considered a “star” both within the company and among those who follow his work, chief executive officer is a title no one thought AJ would be given if he remained at DB, because 1) people back in Germany don’t like that he’s an investment banker and 2) “In Germany, no one can imagine an Indian working in London who does not speak German being CEO of Deutsche Bank.” To the haters’ chagrin, though, that’s exactly what’s about to happen. And if they want to continue bitching about it, they can be Jain’s guest– their insults go in one ear and out the other. Read more »
Anshu Jain Will Get to Run Deutsche Bank With A Little Unobtrusive German Supervision
By Matt Levine
When we last checked in with Anshu Jain, Deutsche Bank’s head of corporate and investment banking, there were rumors that, despite rave reviews from the likes of Larry Fink and other DB shareholders, he might be passed over for the job of CEO at Deutsche for being (1) not German and (2) “a bond and derivatives technician at a time when the practices of all major banks are still being scrutinized.”
Fortunately for Jain, Deutsche Bank has come partially to its senses and named him to succeed CEO Josef Ackermann, who will step down in 2012. But to preserve DB’s Teutonic je ne sais quoi, Jain will have some homeland supervision: Read more »
Anshu Jain is the head of Deutsche Bank’s Corporate & Investment Bank, sits on the management committee and oversees operations that produce upwards of 90 percent of the firm’s profits in any given quarter. He’s considered a “star” at DB and among those who follow his work and with CEO Josef Ackermann’s contract expiring in 2013, many believe AJ should be named the successor. According to portfolio manager (and shareholder) Lutz Roehmeyer, “Mr. Jain deserves to run Deutsche Bank” and if you ask BlackRock’s Larry Fink, he’ll tell you “Anshu has done a fantastic job…He would make a very good chief executive at Deutsche.” Unfortunately, there are a few problems, not the least of them being Germany’s need to examine its motives.
“In Germany, no one can imagine an Indian working in London who does not speak German being the C.E.O. of Deutsche Bank,” said Roehmeyer.
There’s also the matter of Ackermann seeing it as “his legacy to crown a successor in his own statesman-like mold — perhaps Axel A. Weber, the recently departed head of the German central bank” and the board being “wary of choosing a bond and derivatives technician at a time when the practices of all major banks are still being scrutinized.” Regardless, this is his time, this is his moment, and this is going to happen for AJ. Read more »
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