Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns today announced a strategic alliance with China’s CITIC Securities.

The Bear Stearns Companies Inc. and CITIC Securities Co., Ltd., with unanimous approval from their respective boards of directors, announced an agreement in principle to establish a comprehensive strategic alliance. This alliance will include sharing management expertise and technology to develop new capital markets products and businesses in China, establishing an exclusive joint venture combining the existing businesses of both companies in the rest of Asia, and cross-investments of approximately US$1 billion in each firm by the other.

The alliance will bring together Bear Stearns’ capital markets expertise globally and analytics with CITIC Securities’ vast resources and extensive business network with the goal of better serving clients worldwide. The strategic alliance will include broad collaboration in China. The companies will work together to develop new financial products and services to meet the evolving needs of the Chinese market.

In addition, Bear Stearns and CITIC Securities will form a new Hong Kong-based company which will offer a broad range of capital markets services on a pan-Asian basis. To form the new company, Bear Stearns will contribute its businesses in Asia, including its operations in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore, and CITIC Securities will contribute its operations in Hong Kong, CITIC Securities International Company Limited, and pay Bear Stearns financial consideration. Each party will have a 50% share of the joint venture.

The joint venture will provide a wide range of capital markets services, including cross-border mergers and acquisitions advisory, international equity and fixed income capital markets with a particular focus on international offerings of Chinese companies, venture capital and private equity, asset management, and equity and fixed income services. The joint venture will serve as a conduit for international companies seeking access to Asian capital markets and for Chinese entrepreneurs, corporations and state-owned enterprises looking to access capital or invest outside of the region.

Under the agreement, subject to regulatory approval, CITIC Securities will acquire approximately US$1 billion of 40 year convertible trust preferred securities that will convert, on a fully diluted basis, to approximately 6% of Bear Stearns’ shares. The conversion price of the trust preferred security will be the average closing price of Bear Stearns’ shares for the five trading days including and prior to October 19. CITIC Securities could potentially increase their total diluted shareholding in Bear Stearns up to 9.9%.

Bear Stearns will seek regulatory approval with China to acquire a similar stake in CITIC Securities for about US$1 billion through a six year convertible debt security and five year options to acquire additional shares. The conversion price for the debt and options will be the average closing price of CITIC Securities’ shares for the five trading days including and prior to October 19.

As the strategic alliance moves forward, it is envisioned that each company will have representation on the other’s board.

Wang Dongming, chairman of CITIC Securities said, “As a leading Wall Street investment bank with a 84 year history, we believe that Bear Stearns is the ideal firm for us to partner with based on its client-focused culture, sophisticated analytical systems and deep capital market expertise. This alliance will enable us to build out our existing business and provide new financial products and services to our domestic clients. At the same time this partnership will improve our clients’ access to global investment opportunities.”

James Cayne, chairman and chief executive officer of Bear Stearns, said, “This groundbreaking alliance will give Bear Stearns a unique footprint in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies through a strategic partnership with a premier market leader. We are confident that combining our operations in Asia with CITIC Securities will greatly benefit Bear Stearns’ global client base and generate substantial new revenues and growth opportunities for the firm over the long term. Looking forward, partnering with CITIC Securities in the dynamic Asian market will also create enhanced opportunities for our employees.”

Bear Stearns and CITIC Securities have agreed to negotiate with each other on an exclusive basis. The proposed transactions are subject to the negotiation of definitive agreements, the approval of the definitive agreements by the respective boards of Bear Stearns and CITIC Securities and various governmental and regulatory approvals. There can be no assurance that Bear Stearns and CITIC Securities will be able to successfully complete negotiations or consummate the transactions.