Billionaire Bros: Lance Gokongwei Posts Photo With New 'Partner' JAZA
This week, the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland brought together world leaders and global titans of industry, including, of course, some of our own. As part of the Philippine delegation that joined President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., tycoons like San Miguel Corporation President Ramon Ang, Alliance Global Group CEO Kevin Tan, and Gokongwei Group of Companies Head Lance Gokongwei, among many others, attended the annual event.
And it looks like everyone's getting comfortable. Gokongwei even posted a photo of him and Ayala Corporation Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala. The two can be seen in good spirits sporting each of their company's colors: Gokongwei wearing Ayala Corp's Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) red , and JAZA sporting a Robinsons Bank-green tie.
The Gokongwei Group's financial services arm Robinsons Bank and the Ayala-owned and controlled BPI first made the news of their merger official in September 2022. At the time, both boards of listed companies JG Summit Holdings Inc of the Gokongwei Group and BPI of the Ayalas issued a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange about the partnership, with BPI emerging as the surviving entity.
“We believe that merging Robinsons Bank with BPI, which is one of the strongest and most profitable banks in the country, is the best path forward,” Gokongwei said during the announcement.
He added: “This will give our customers access to a fuller range of banking products and services as the combined organization will leverage on ecosystems of both the Gokongwei and Ayala Groups. The Merger will also open more opportunities for our talented employees given that BPI will continue to grow, evolve and adapt to the rapidly changing market environment.”
(FROM LEFT) Aboitiz Equity Ventures CEO Sabin Aboitiz, Ayala Corp's Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala,Alliance Global Group CEO Kevin Tan, International Container Terminal Services, Inc. Chairman and President Enrique Razon, and JG Summit's Lance Gokongwei pose for a photo at the WEF earlier this week
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The WEF is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation, where leaders discuss political, business, cultural, regional, and industry agendas. Also discussed during the meet was the Country Strategy Dialogue for the Philippines. Tan, Gokongwei, Ayala, Aboitiz, and the rest of the group joined President Marcos' economic team and other Cabinet secretaries.
Some of the other notable names who were part of the Philippine delegation with Marcos at the WEF were Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Senator Mark Villar, Speaker Martin Romualdez, and Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, among others.
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