INTERVIEW-UPDATE 1-Egypt investment bank HC gets Syria licence

* HC will take 60 pct of new venture with Syrian partners

* Seeks to take advantage of country's liberal reforms

(Recasts with quotes from chairman, background)

By Patrick Werr

CAIRO, Feb 8 (Reuters) - Egyptian investment bank HC Securities and Investment, which has 5 billion Egyptian pounds ($911 million) under management, received permission on Monday to open an office in Syria, its chairman said.

HC, which has been expanding in the Arab world to attract international investors, said it wanted to take advantage of reforms by Syria which has opened the country to banks and begun promoting private investment.

"This is a preliminary licence which we got in writing today," Hussein Choucri told Reuters in an interview. "We are looking for an office as we speak."

Seven years ago, Syria relinquished its monopoly of the banking sector which was nationalised along with much of the rest of the economy after the ruling Baath Party took power in 1963.

Around 13 privately held commercial banks now operate in the country alongside six government banks which still have a dominant share of the assets.