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 HSBC Main Building (HSBC headquarters), Central, Hong Kong | |
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Native name | 香港上海滙豐銀行有限公司 |
| Formerly | The Hongkong and Shanghai Bank |
| Company type | Public |
| Industry | Financial services |
| Founded | 3 March 1865; 160 years ago (1865-03-03) inBritish Hong Kong[1] Incorporated on 14 August 1866; 159 years ago (1866-08-14)[2] |
| Founder | Sir Thomas Sutherland |
| Headquarters | HSBC Main Building, 1Queen's Road Central,Central, |
Key people | Peter Wong (chairman) David Liao (co-CEO) Surendra Rosha (co-CEO) |
| Products | Retail banking,commercial banking,investment banking,mortgage loans,private banking,wealth management,credit cards,finance and insurance |
Number of employees | 20,000 (2024)  |
| Parent | HSBC |
| Subsidiaries |
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| Website | www |
| HSBC | |||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 香港上海滙豐銀行有限公司 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 香港上海汇丰银行有限公司 | ||||||||||||||||
| CantoneseYale | Heūnggóng Seuhnghói Wuihfūng ngànhòng yaúhhaahn gūngsī | ||||||||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 滙豐 | ||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 汇丰 | ||||||||||||||||
| CantoneseYale | Wuihfūng | ||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | focus of wealth | ||||||||||||||||
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The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (Chinese:香港上海滙豐銀行有限公司), commonly abbreviated asHSBC (Chinese:滙豐;lit. 'focus of wealth'; romanized asWayfoong by the bank[3]) and formerly known asHongkongBank, is theHong Kong–basedAsia-Pacific subsidiary of theHSBC banking group, for which it was the parent entity until 1991. The largest bank in Hong Kong, HSBC operates branches and offices throughout theIndo-Pacific region and in other countries around the world. It is also one of the three commercial banks licensed by theHong Kong Monetary Authority to issue banknotes for theHong Kong dollar.
The Hongkong andShanghai Bank was established inBritish Hong Kong in 1865 and was incorporated as The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in 1866, and has been based inHong Kong (although now as a subsidiary) ever since. It is the founding member of theHSBC group of banks and companies, and, since 1990, is the namesake and one of the leadingsubsidiaries of the London-basedHSBC Holdings. The company's business ranges from the traditional High Street roles ofretail banking,commercial banking,corporate banking toinvestment banking,private banking and global banking.
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Under the HSBC brand, the bank maintains a network of around 220 branches throughoutHong Kong, from which it offers a wide range of financial products and services. For some time in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the bank was known by the nameHongkongBank in its native city, although it now trades as HSBC. During that period, it also adopted the idiosyncratic practice of calling itsATMsElectronic Teller Card (ETC) machines.
TheHSBC Hong Kong headquarters building is located in No 1Queen's Road Central in theCentral district onHong Kong Island.[4] It was also home toHSBC Holdings's headquarters until the latter firm's move toLondon to meet the requirements of the UK regulatory authorities after the acquisition of theMidland Bank in 1992. It was designed by British architectNorman, Lord Foster, and was the most expensive building in the world based on usable floor area at the time it was built.[5]
HSBC is one of the three commercial banks which are authorised to issuebanknotes for Hong Kong - the other two being theBank of China (Hong Kong) andStandard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong).[6] Of the total notes in circulation measured by value, HSBC is the most prolific issuer, its notes representing 67.7% of those in issue. Hong Kong is unusual in that it is one of the few countries or territories where commercial banks are still permitted to issue their own banknotes.
In June 2023, it was reported that HSBC had closed the bank accounts of the pro-democracyLeague of Social Democrats (LSD), and had refused to give reasons for its decision.[7]
HSBC acquired a 62.14%, controlling interest in the local Hang Seng Bank in 1965 during a crisis of the latter. TheHang Seng Index for stock prices in Hong Kong is named after the Hang Seng Bank.
In October 2025, HSBC, the majority shareholder of Hang Seng Bank, announced that it would privatise Hang Seng Bank by purchasing the 38% that it didn't already own, and take the company off the SEHK after completion.
In 2017, HSBC launched the PayMe brand and mobile app, which features as a social payment app in Hong Kong, available to all non-HSBC users.[8]
HSBC Insurance provides insurance products and services to international and local brokers, agents and direct customers inHong Kong,mainland China,Macau,Singapore,India andMalaysia.
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The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation maintains a network of around 600 offices in 20 countries in Asia Pacific, as well as owning of a number of HSBC banks operating in various countries and holding the group's stakes in further lenders, particularly inChina.[9]
Operations of the group in theAsia Pacific are under this subsidiary, and it forms the regional headquarters forAsia Pacific. This means that it is responsible for entities such asHSBC Bank Australia Limited,Hang Seng Bank Limited,HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited,HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad (since 2009), HSBC Bank (Vietnam),HSBC Bank (Taiwan) andHSBC Insurance (Asia-Pacific) Holdings Limited, and the management of stakes inBank of Communications (19.9%), Barrowgate Limited (24.64%) andIndustrial Bank. But excluding the majority of the HSBC's Private Banking business in Asia Pacific.[9][10]
HSBC started operations in 1996. The bank primarily focuses on urban areas and has branches in most areas of the capital city ofDhaka, it also has branches in the city ofChittagong. The bank also has a good number of ATM booths in the cities present, it also has booths in most five star hotels.
HSBC Bangladesh is rated 'AAA' in the Long-term and ST-1 rating in the Short-term, which are the highest level of ratings for any bank or financial institution in Bangladesh.[11]
HSBC Bangladesh has a help centre which operates on a daily basis. It is one of the very few banks in the country to offer day night banking. It also has begun to support education initiatives for people with disabilities; the bank recently partnered with theBlind Education and Rehabilitation Development Organisation to give scholarships to people with blindness.[12]
On 6 April 2016, HSBCBrunei commenced winding down its operation in Brunei as a part of HSBC Group global review. The bank which comprise retail, commercial and global banking services will no longer take on any new accounts, facilities or business from that date. Employees of the bank have been offered fair redundancy packages.[13] On 9 and 10 November 2017, all HSBC Brunei branches and ATMs had ceased its operations. The remaining accounts were all transferred to the local,Baiduri Bank on the same date.
HSBC established itsShanghai branch office on 3 March 1865 and has had a continuous presence in the city[14] since then, except during the Japanese Occupation. Until the economic reforms of the late 1970s, its activities were mainly in inward remittances and export bills, however its activities now span a wider range.
On 6 August 2004, HSBC announced that it would pay US$1.75 billion for a 19.9% stake in Shanghai-based Bank of Communications. At the time of the announcement,Bank of Communications was China's fifth-largest bank and the investment by HSBC was eight times bigger than any previous foreign investment in a Chinese bank. The industry considered this move, giving HSBC a lead in the race to grab pieces of mainland China's banking market. A year earlier, HSBC had joined with Hong Kong'sShanghai Commercial Bank to purchase an 11% stake inBank of Shanghai (HSBC paid US$62.6 million for an 8% stake) and US$733 million for a 10% stake inPing An Insurance.
On 1 April 2007, the mainland China offices of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation transferred to its subsidiary HSBC Bank (China), and it started operations on 2 April.
In July 2022, HSBC became the first foreign lender to open aChinese Communist Party (CCP) committee in its Chinese investment banking subsidiary.[15] The subsidiary, HSBC Qianhai Securities, is a 90% HSBC-owned joint venture.[15]
In 1959 HSBC acquired TheMercantile Bank of India, London and China, established in October 1853 inBombay. HSBC is now one of the fastest growing foreign banks in India,[16] both in domestic banking and support operations for worldwide operations (seeGroup Service Centres).
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation opened its first Indonesian office inJakarta in 1884. Having been able to restart its operations after theSecond World War, it was again forced to close in the mid-1960s, however the bank was granted a new banking licence in 1968 its operations have grown to make it one of the largest foreign banks operating in Indonesia.[17]
HSBC opened its first Japan operations inYokohama in 1866, followed by branches in other trading ports such asOsaka,Kobe andNagasaki. It was heavily involved in the early development of Japan's current monetary system, and consulted with the government regarding fiscal policy,currency printing and related matters.
HSBC does not conduct ordinary retail banking in Japan, but conducts investment banking inTokyo andOsaka. Since 2007 it has expanded its HSBC Premier private banking services for the "Mass affluent" market orhigh-net-worth individual clients. HSBC Premier has seven Premier branches in Japan including centers in theHiroo,Akasaka,Marunouchi (flagship),Ginza,Yokohama,Ikebukuro, areas of Tokyo and one inKobe.
In December 2011, HSBC announced to selling its private bank in Japan to Swiss peerCredit Suisse for an undisclosed sum, but at the end of October 2011 the value of the gross assets included in the sale was about $2.7 billion. It was a strategy to cut $3.5 billion annual costs by quitting businesses or countries where it lacks scale which Credit Suisse has a larger business in Japan than HSBC and in line with a global business restructuring it announced that will see it cut 30,000 jobs as it pares back small or inefficient operations.[18][19]
HSBC's operations inNew Zealand are as a branch of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, which first gained a licence from theReserve Bank of New Zealand on 22 July 1987.[20] Today HSBC offers a range of financial products from a network of 9 offices.[21]
HSBC's history in thePhilippines dates back more than 150 years[22] with the establishment of their first branch no. 90 Rosario Street (Now Quintin Paredes Street) in Binondo,Manila in 1875. In its early years of operation, HSBC serviced the booming Philippine sugar industry. At the turn of the century, it financed railways that connected provincial towns across Luzon to Manila. During the American regime, HSBC was called to advise on Philippine currency reform. Its current headquarters are inBonifacio Global City. Today, HSBC Philippines operates in key Philippine cities such asCebu andDavao. It has endedCitibank andStandard Chartered's duopoly on international banking in the Philippines and currently the last among the former with retail banking operations in the Philippines since the Philippine exit of Citibank in 2023.
InSingapore, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited operates as a full service bank with its headquarters inCollyer Quay. It opened its doors in December 1877. In 2016, HSBC has created a locally incorporated bank in Singapore and has moved its retail and wealth business from HSBC Singapore Branch to the locally incorporated bank.[23][24]Today, HSBC's flagship office remains at the original Collyer Quay site where its first branch was opened. Its main office is located atMapletree Business City inPasir Panjang,HarbourFront.
HSBC Singapore is a Qualifying Full Bank and offers a comprehensive range of financial services including commercial banking, investment and private banking, insurance,forfaiting and trustee services, and securities and capital markets services.[25]
The retail and wealth business operated through the locally incorporated bank has 12 branches incorporating 10 HSBC Premier Centres and 33 Automated Teller Machines in Singapore.[26]
In the 1960s, a group of Indonesian forces bombed the HSBC building in Singapore, just a few months after Singapore was granted its independence from Malaysia. A number of people were killed and the two military officers responsible for the bombing were tried and executed.[27]
HSBC is expanding in competitiveSouth Korean market, operating from a network of 11 branches, the first having been opened inJemulpo in 1897.
HSBC has been present in Sri Lanka for 120 years. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited established its first branch inColombo Sri Lanka on 1 July 1892, just 27 years after it began operating in Hong Kong and Shanghai. It has established itself as one of the largest and most profitable banks operating in the country. It has achieved leadership in Corporate Banking, Capital Markets and Credit Card issuance.
HSBC's presence inTaiwan dates back to 1885 when The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation appointed an agent inTamsui. A full service branch was established inTaipei in 1984. The bank now has a network of 8 branches (Hyperlink to service channel[clarification needed]) nationwide, including Taipei,Jianguo,Banqiao,Tianmu,Taoyuan,Taichung,Tainan, andKaohsiung. In 2007, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation acquiredThe Chinese Bank in Taiwan. The acquisition made HSBC's nationwide branch network increase to 47.
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HSBC initially opened for business inThailand in 1888, becoming the first commercial bank in the country. HSBC has made significant contributions to the establishment of solid foundations for Thailand's financial and banking sectors. For example, in 1889 HSBC issued the first banknotes in Thailand. HSBC also issued the first foreign loan to theThai government for its railroad construction project. HSBC's main branch office in Thailand is situated in Bangkok on Rama IV Road opposite Lumpini Park. In 2011, Phase 2 of the new Financial Sector Master Plan allowed foreign banks to open up to two branches in the Kingdom of Thailand in preparation for full retail operations. Accordingly, a second branch was opened on Thonglor (Sukhumvit 55) in early 2011.
In January 2012 HSBC announced the sale of its Thailand retail banking operations to the Krungsri Group (Bank of Ayudhya)and its intention to maintain only corporate banking business in Thailand.[28] Its 2 retail branches will be closed in March and June 2012 respectively.[29]
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In Vietnam, HSBC first opened an office inSaigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) in 1870, but it was closed in 1975. In 1992, HSBC reopened a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City and opened another in Hanoi. In August 1995, HSBC opened a full-service branch in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2005, HSBC also opened its second branch in Hanoi and established a representative office inCan Tho.
On 29 December 2005, HSBC acquired 10% share capital of Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank (Techcombank), one of the largest joint stock commercial banks in Vietnam by equity. In July 2007, HSBC became the first foreign bank to increase its stake in Techcombank to 15%. In September 2008, HSBC completed the increase of its stake in Techcombank to 20%, became the first foreign bank in Vietnam to hold a 20% interest in a domestic bank.
In September 2007, HSBC acquired 10% share capital of Bao Viet Holdings, becoming the sole foreign strategic partner of Vietnam's leading insurance company. In October 2009, HSBC signed an agreement to increase its shareholding in Bao Viet Holdings to 18% from 10% for VND1.88 trillion (approximately US$105.3 million).
On 1 January 2009, HSBC started operating its locally incorporated entity and became the first foreign bank to incorporate in Vietnam, after gaining approval from the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) to set up a Wholly Foreign-Owned Bank (WFOB) in Vietnam in September 2008.
| Year | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating income, bln | 81.01 | 94.51 | 114.8 | 154.0 | 139.0 | 155.1 | 171.4 | 187.6 | 217.3 | 259.2 | 233.6 | 235.9 | 232.7 | 255.2 |
| Net profit, bln | 36.55 | 37.20 | 42.61 | 65.31 | 54.98 | 50.21 | 63.28 | 73.90 | 90.72 | 129.1 | 92.18 | 99.98 | 84.80 | 96.02 |
| Total assets, trln | 2.487 | 2.673 | 3.151 | 3.952 | 4.260 | 4.361 | 5.040 | 5.607 | 6.065 | 6.439 | 6.877 | 6.954 | 7.549 | 7.943 |
| Total equity, bln | 100.1 | 114.4 | 165.4 | 245.9 | 216.5 | 260.2 | 320.1 | 371.3 | 473.1 | 522.2 | 608.3 | 635.9 | 679.1 | 753.0 |
In 1991, the superseding position of group chairman of HSBC was formed; since then, the chairman of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation has been held as an independent position, held concurrently by the chief executive of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, or held by the group chief executive of HSBC ex-officio.[38]
In 1991, the superseding position of group chief executive ofHSBC was formed, with the Chief Executive of the Hongkong Shanghai Banking Corporation now being the Asia-Pacific regional head.[38]
In Hong Kong, the local population sometimes refers to the bank as 獅子銀行, "the Lion Bank", after the pair oflion sculptures outside the bank's headquarters, which also appear in some banknotes. Local films and television series set in Hong Kong, especially comedies, use this nickname when referring to the bank.
Although theHong Kong Government changed the official spelling of "Hongkong" to "Hong Kong", by the instructions of theSecretary of State for the Colonies, on 3 September 1926,[39] HSBC uses the olderHongkong, as the bank's name was conceived before the official declaration of the modern two-word name, and it was decided to retain the single word spelling in the bank's name:Hongkong.
The English humoristP. G. Wodehouse was a junior employee at the bank's London office in Lombard Street from 1900 to 1902, and used the bank as an inspiration for some of his early work, especially his 1910 novelPsmith in the City.[40]
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