Wells Fargo has struck a ￡300m deal to buy a new European headquarters in the heart of London’s financial district in a much-needed boost for the city after the UK’s vote for Brexit.

富国银行(Wells Fargo)已达成一笔3亿英镑的交易，在伦敦金融区核心地带买入一座楼作为新的欧洲总部。这无异于在英国公投决定退欧后给伦敦这座城市带来了其迫切需要的好消息。

The world’s biggest bank by capitalisation has agreed to buy an 11-storey building known as 33 Central in one of the largest London property deals to be sealed since the June 23 referendum.

这家全球市值最高的银行已同意买入一座名为“中央33号”(33 Central)的11层建筑，这是伦敦自6月23日退欧公投以来将敲定的最大地产交易之一。

The completion belies concerns that the UK capital’s office property market will suffer from the country’s vote to leave the EU as financial services groups consider relocating staff.

有人曾担心，英国公投决定退欧后，随着金融服务集团考虑把员工迁至别处，伦敦的写字楼地产市场会受到打击。上述交易的完成证明，这种担心是错误的。

Wells Fargo, based in San Francisco, is a banking powerhouse in the US with $1.8tn in assets and 269,000 employees but has a low profile overseas and generates about 95 per cent of revenues domestically.

总部位于旧金山的富国银行是美国银行业的巨擘之一，拥有1.8万亿美元资产和26.9万名员工。但该行在海外较为低调，其营收的95%来自美国国内。

The US bank’s plan to move into the new 227,000-square-foot development near London Bridge may be seen as a sign of its international ambitions.

这个新楼盘位于伦敦桥(London Bridge)附近，面积达22.7万平方英尺。富国银行迁入该楼盘的计划，或可视为其国际雄心的证据之一。

Wells Fargo said there was no change in its international strategy. From London, the bank handles American corporate clients doing business in the UK as well as local companies that want to transact in the US.

该行表示，其国际战略并未改变。该行会在伦敦为在英国做生意的美国企业客户办理业务，并为想在美国做生意的英国企业办理业务。

The move into the new building on King William Street in 2018 will enable Wells Fargo to bring its 850 London staff, who are scattered in four locations across the City, into one location.

富国银行将于2018年迁入这座位于威廉国王大街(King William Street)的新建筑，届时该行将能够让目前分处金融城四个地点办公的800名伦敦员工集中到一处办公。

“Wells has always stated that its goal with its international businesses was to support domestic clients,” said Ken Usdin, banking analyst at Jefferies in New York. “They have not made any overt moves so far that would lead us to stray from that understanding.”

杰富瑞(Jefferies)驻纽约的银行业分析师肯•乌斯丁(Ken Usdin)表示：“富国银行一直声称，其国际业务的目标是支持国内客户。到目前为止，他们还没有采取过什么会让我们改变这种看法的公开举措。”