Bank of China International, the investment banking subsidiary of Bank of China (601988.SH, 3988.HKG), may soon be the first Chinese member to join the London Metals Exchange, Reuters reported. The addition of a Chinese member would likely increase trading volumes and add to the attractiveness of the exchange as it considers takeover bids. BOCI is awaiting authorization from the US financial regulator for category two membership to the LME, which would give the bank access to most types of exchange business. Approval is expected in April. Other Chinese banks are unlikely to join the LME anytime soon, according to analysts, since BOCI is far ahead of its peers in developing it commodities trading business. China is the world’s largest consumer of metals and many other raw materials.
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