Activist hedge fund RBR Capital Advisors, which has called for the breakup of Credit Suisse Group AG, is said to have offered to connect the Swiss lender with the Saudi royal family as potential major shareholders.
Rudolf Bohli, who heads RBR, reportedly told Credit Suisse CEO Tidjane Thiam that the bank could boost its presence in the Middle East by having the Saudi royal family as a key shareholder and offered to introduce Thiam to a representative of the Saudis named Rashad Janahi, Reuters reported Nov. 27, citing "a person familiar with the matter."
A spokesman for Credit Suisse said in the week of Nov. 20 that the bank has not been in contact with any sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia about becoming investors in the lender, following a Financial Times column that suggested such a possibility.
