It could be a fund switching nominee accounts. The nominees...

It could be a fund switching nominee accounts. The nominees and/or are unrelated, the beneficiaries are unchanged, but the name on the tin changes - and is a prearranged crossing via one broker. I think this is likely - otherwise the buyer would have been seeking a substantial discount given the lack of liquidity.

The 2013 annual report gives some of the positions held.

I am guessing a bit here:

HSBC has 800m shares - of which 370m are RC (?), and 300m are EWI. 130m belong to?

EWI has 334m in their name.

Capital has 106m - are these in JP morgan nominee accounts 154m +48m. If I take 106m shares from the main account I get 47m and they have 48m in the cash account.

Then there is Citicorp with 83m share.

National Nominees (NAB) have 37m
CS have 35m

Then there a bunch of smaller nomimees and pa accounts.

I reckon this is just a reorganisation of the nominee accounts - not a buy/sale.