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☆ HSBC CEO announces surprise retirement
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong — HSBC has announced its chief executive Noel Quinn will retire — a surprise departure by its hard-nosed leader of five years who has overseen a sweeping series of asset sales across the globe. “We do hope that the next CEO would lay out more plans, execution-wise, to further increase the bank’s businesses in Asian countries,” he added. “I’ve held intensive leadership roles since I took on a commercial bank role in October 2008, so I’m personally ready for a change,” Quinn told reporters on a call. HSBC also faced criticism in recent years from Western lawmakers over its dealings with China amid growing geopolitical tensions. The London-headquartered bank also announced $3 billion worth of share buybacks on top of $2 billion in share purchases announced in February.

Persons: Noel Quinn, —, Georges Elhedery, Quinn, ”, Simon Yuen, “ I’ve, I’m, ” Quinn, “ It’s, Mark Tucker, “, ” Tucker, China’s Organizations: HSBC, HSBC’s, Management, China’s Ping An Insurance Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, United States, France, Argentina, Canada, Europe, China, The London

☆ Eras Tour: Singapore defends Taylor Swift’s exclusive Southeast Asia stop after neighbors cry foul
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Singapore is drawing fans from all over Southeast Asia and beyond to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, much to the annoyance of the city-state’s regional neighbors. “[Our] agencies negotiated an arrangement with her to come to Singapore and perform and to make Singapore her only stop in Southeast Asia,” Lee said at a press conference in Melbourne while on a state visit to Australia. I don’t see that as being unfriendly.”“If we had not made such an arrangement, would she have come to more places in Southeast Asia? Southeast Asia fans dig deep to see SwiftThe Eras Tour is a multi-continent extravaganza that surged to become the highest-grossing tour of all time – and Swift is making Singapore a lot of money. I never really spent big like six-digit (Philippine peso) amounts for someone else, just Taylor Swift,” Suizo said.

Persons: Taylor, Swift, Joey Salceda, Lee Hsien Loong, “, ” Lee, Edward Tong, ”, Srettha Thavisin, Taylor Swift, hasn’t, Edmund Ong, Yun Liu, Errol De Asis, Gilliane, Christel Kaye Kuan, Yedda Mendoza, ” Suizo, it’s, Granada, That’s Organizations: CNN, Southeast, Singapore –, ”, Singapore, Coldplay, World Bank Locations: Singapore, Southeast Asia, Melbourne, Australia, Bangkok, Thailand, Philippines, Asia, Maybank, ASEAN, Gilliane Granada, China, Granada

☆ HSBC 2023 results: $3 billion China writedown hits annual profit
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Juliana Liu | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Of the total, $3 billion was related to BoCom, one of China’s biggest banks, while $2 billion was from selling its retail banking business in France. Separately, HSBC made $3.4 billion in provisions to cover expected credit losses and other charges related to its exposure to the commercial real estate sector in mainland China. The property market has since entered a prolonged slump, marked by an ongoing decline in real estate investment and sales of property. The charges reported by HSBC cast a shadow over its record annual profit, which came in at $30.3 billion, up 78% from 2022. In October, rival Standard Chartered reported a $186 million credit impairment charge related to commercial real estate in the country.

Persons: “, Matt Britzman, Hargreaves Lansdown, Mark Tucker, — Hanna Ziady Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — HSBC, China’s Bank of Communications, HSBC, HSBC isn’t, Chartered Locations: China, Hong Kong, Asia, France, BoCom, Mainland China

☆ The Big Bank With a $15 Billion Conundrum in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Josh Mitchell | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

HSBC’s investment in Bank of Communications dates to 2004. Photo: REUTERS/StringerHSBC Holdings has a $15 billion headache in China—a big stake in a local lender that it can’t easily sell and that could require a big write-down. Long after most other Western banking giants have exited similar positions, HSBC has held on to its roughly 19% position in Bank of Communications , an investment that dates back to 2004. HSBC, Europe’s largest bank by market value, has said the stake is strategically important for its ambitions to grow in Asia.

Organizations: Bank of Communications, REUTERS, Stringer HSBC Holdings, HSBC Locations: China, Bank, Asia

☆ HSBC CEO says even Chinese firms are diversifying from China at Bloomberg forum
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Diversification away from China is increasing, and it doesn’t just affect foreign companies, according to HSBC CEO Noel Quinn. HSBC (HSBC) is the world’s largest trade finance bank, with a focus on Asia, meaning it helps importers and exporters carry out transactions. For decades, China has enjoyed rapid economic growth thanks to its status as a global trade and manufacturing powerhouse. So its supply chains and its supply to the world is going to change over the next 10 to 15 years,” noted Quinn. De-risking, meanwhile, may be harder to detect, as “there is no single economic data series that can effectively capture companies’ decisions to intentionally reduce their real economic exposure to China,” according to the report.

Persons: Noel Quinn, Quinn, ” Quinn, ”, — Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, HSBC, Bloomberg Locations: China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Asia, Vietnam, India

☆ HSBC’s profit resilience may face sterner tests
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SINGAPORE, Oct 30 (Reuters Breakingviews) - HSBC’s (HSBA.L), (0005.HK) resilient bottom line may face some stiffer challenges. HSBC also flagged that the same exercise would produce another $400 million loss in the final three months of the year. The bank’s net interest margin slipped to 1.7% in the latest quarter, from 1.72% in the previous three months. HSBC shares trade at around 0.9 times the bank’s tangible book value at the end of September. The bank’s London-listed shares were up 0.9% at 606 pence by 0900 GMT on Oct. 30.

Persons: It’s, Noel Quinn’s, Quinn, undemanding, it’s, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, HK, Chartered, HSBC, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, China, London

☆ Premarket stocks: How billion-dollar fines are reshaping digital communications in banking
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A version of this story first appeared in CNN Business’ Before the Bell newsletter. HSBC is blocking staff from texting on their work phones, a person familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN. What’s happening: Banks must follow strict compliance rules for how they use and store their employees’ texts and other business communications. “Banks use a wide range of approved channels to communicate in compliance with regulatory obligations,” a company spokesperson told CNN. Tesla reported adjusted earnings of $2.3 billion in the quarter, or 66 cents a share, down 37% from a year earlier and the smallest profits it reported in two years.

Persons: Banks, ”, ” Sanjay Wadhwa, Tesla, Chris Isidore, Refinitiv, Dan Ives, “ Price, Elon Musk, “, ’, Craig Jelinek, Ron Vachris, Jelinek Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, HSBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, “ HSBC, Carlyle Group, Blackstone, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wedbush Securities, Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart Locations: New York, London, Wells Fargo, WhatsApp, United States

☆ Guest view: Bank balance sheets hide climate risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Natasha Landell-Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

First, banks’ financial statements appear to be ignoring climate risks, which means financial institutions are probably also leaving those dangers out of their capital calculations. Second, a regulatory regime that understates the expected consequences of climate change is allowing the banks’ blind spot to persist. The few banks that refer to climate risks in their accounts tend to conclude that it is not material. Second, banks need to take a prudent view of climate risks in their financial statements. The sooner the banking sector internalises climate risks in its accounting, the better the chance of building a sustainable future.

Persons: Wells Fargo’s, Banks, Natasha Landell, Mills, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, HSBC, HK, “ Management, prudential, The, Greening, Central, Institute, Faculty of Actuaries, University of Exeter, Institutional, Sarasin, Partners, Thomson

☆ HSBC executive apologizes after calling the UK 'weak' for following US lead over China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —A top executive at HSBC has apologized after reportedly calling the UK government “weak” over its dealings with China, in another sign of the political tightrope the British bank has to walk. He also said the British government would often concur with US demands, calling it “weak,” the publication reported. Several conservative UK lawmakers seized the occasion Monday to criticize Cowper-Coles and HSBC (HSBC). Meanwhile, Hong Kong and mainland China combined made up nearly 40% of profit, according to its most recent financial report. In 2020, HSBC’s top executive in Asia publicly declared support for a controversial national security law that Beijing introduced in Hong Kong, inviting fierce backlash from Western government officials and investors.

Persons: Sherard Cowper, Cowper, Coles, Washington, Britain shouldn’t, —, “, “ Sherard, Tim Loughton, ”, Iain Duncan Smith, Sir Sherard Cowper, Stephen Chung, Noel Quinn Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, HSBC, Bloomberg, CNN, Cowper, China - Britain Business Council, Chatham, Coles, Former Tory, Getty, Hong Locations: Hong Kong, China, Coles, United Kingdom, United States, London, British, Beijing, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Chatham, Asia, Xinhua, East

☆ HSBC raises outlook as profits nearly double
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —HSBC’s profits have soared as it continues to cut costs and cash in on high interest rates around the world. The strong performance led the London-based lender to raise its outlook for the rest of the year, citing the current consensus for global interest rates. HSBC (HSBC) now projects a return on tangible equity — a key measure of profitability — “in the mid-teens for 2023 and 2024, which excludes the impact of material acquisitions and disposals,” it said. On Monday, a UK regulator said banks needed to do more to share the benefits of high interest rates with their customers as critics point out that many savings rates haven’t kept up with interest rates. “The pace and scale at which firms pass through higher interest rates to savers needs to improve … especially at a time of higher cost of living,” said the agency.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Noel Quinn, haven’t, ” Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Revenue, HSBC, Silicon, Bank, Financial, Authority, Barclays, NatWest Locations: Hong Kong, London, London’s, Canary

☆ HSBC invites shy investors to turnaround party
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The turnaround Quinn launched shortly after taking charge of the London-headquartered bank in 2019 is gaining momentum. In the three months to the end of June, HSBC almost doubled its pre-tax profit to $8.8 billion compared with the same period last year. He’s catching up with market expectations, too, aiming for a return on tangible equity in the mid-teens and echoing Visible Alpha’s consensus numbers for 15% this year, and almost 14% next. Crucially, Quinn and his newish finance chief, Georges Elhedery, can focus on improving the bank’s performance with fewer distractions. All shareholders, though, clearly still need some convincing to join HSBC’s turnaround party in earnest.

Persons: Noel Quinn, Quinn, Georges Elhedery, Ping, Antony Currie, Thomas Shum, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, HK, HSBC, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Ping An Insurance, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, London, Hong Kong, China, Asia, Europe, North America, Canada

LONDON, July 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Canary Wharf may be in trouble once again. While CWG’s average tenancy agreement still has 10 years left, the risk is that itself and the wider Canary Wharf area slip into a vicious circle. Rental incomes on apartments are roughly on a par with offices, per square foot, according to a person familiar with the matter. The 45-storey skyscraper in Canary Wharf has been HSBC's home for more than 20 years. Canary Wharf Group, which runs the east London financial district, declined to comment.

Persons: Paul Reichmann’s Olympia, Morgan Stanley, CWG, Knight Frank, Hong Kong’s Cheung, Bear Stearns, that’s, Liam Proud, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, Docklands, HSBC, York, Saudi Arabian, Canary Wharf Group, Barclays, Estates, Brookfield Property Partners, Qatar Investment Authority, Brookfield, Canary, QIA, Moody’s, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Hong Kong’s Cheung Kei Group, Churchill, NYK, Transport, BT, Thomson Locations: London, Canary, Canadian, Saudi, U.S, Brookfield, That’s, Docklands, Stratford, Wharf, QIA, Canary Wharf, Europe's

☆ HSBC is downsizing its headquarters and leaving London’s Canary Wharf
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —HSBC is halving the size of its global headquarters and moving out of Canary Wharf, a business district built in the abandoned docklands of east London in the 1980s. It follows similar moves by other big companies to get rid of expensive office space in cities around the world. The bank has long been a mainstay of Canary Wharf, where it occupies 1.1 million square feet of office space. HSBC is a key tenant in Canary Wharf, and its planned departure raises questions about whether other companies will also think about leaving. Canary Wharf Group, which manages real estate in the area, declined to comment when asked about the matter Monday.

Persons: San Francisco —, Knight Frank, Noel Quinn, Quinn, Jones Lang, Elizabeth, — Hanna Ziady Organizations: CNN, HSBC, Europe’s, Panorama St, City of, San, Canary, Canary Wharf Group, Lloyds, Standard Chartered, Barclays, BCS, Jones Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Panorama, City, City of London, Asia, Wharf, Canada, San Francisco, Canary, Jones Lang LaSalle .

☆ HSBC: the global bank faces off with divided shareholders
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Hong Kong CNN —HSBC shareholders are expected to vote Friday on demands for a radical overhaul of the bank. Canvassing for supportBut Ken Lui, an activist shareholder in Hong Kong spearheading the resolution, told CNN he was confident his proposal would pass. Ken Lui canvassing for votes in Hong Kong in April. Courtesy Ken LuiThese shareholders have been unhappy with the bank previously scrapping its dividend in 2020, at the request of British regulators. HSBC shares were down about half a percent in Hong Kong afternoon Friday.

☆ HSBC vote gives Ping An a fresh shove towards exit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, May 5 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Ping An Insurance (601318.SS) is having an underwhelming week. Instead, HSBC’s results were decent and the AGM resolution was crushed. True, 20% of votes cast went in favour of plans for a strategic review each quarter which could assess whether to spin off HSBC’s key Asian arm, and to reinstate the bank’s pre-Covid dividend. Ping An could continue to chunter away at HSBC boss Noel Quinn from the sidelines. Throw in the lack of investor support implied by the vote, and Ping An’s essential choice – to pipe down or to sell its stake – has become ever more stark.

☆ Born in Asia but Based in Britain, HSBC Fights to Stay in One Piece
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Michael J. De La Merced | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Influential investor advisory firms oppose the measures, and HSBC’s latest financial results were strong, reporting earnings that greatly exceeded expectations. But Ping An, which first invested in HSBC in 2017, has shown little inclination to walk away. From its founding in 1865 in Hong Kong, HSBC was meant to bridge east and west. And it has moved to sell operations in less important markets, including retail banking in Canada and the United States. That uniquely strong presence by a Western bank in the growing Asian markets puts HSBC on strong footing, particularly as China’s economy re-emerges from pandemic lockdowns.

☆ It’s time HSBC’s top owner calms down or sells up
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Una Galani | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Sticking around as a noisy unhappy owner with an 8% stake, though, risks hurting itself, HSBC and maybe even Hong Kong. A vote on Friday at HSBC’s annual meeting will test whether Ping An has garnered much support for its stance. A second resolution from the group wants the pre-Covid dividend reinstated and paid at not less than that level each year. Chances are both resolutions will pick up some votes, the latter especially from retail shareholders who globally between them own about one-third of the bank. If any large institutional investment houses join the Chinese group, it will be a blow to HSBC boss Noel Quinn.

☆ HSBC stock jumps as Q1 profits triple and and it announces share buyback
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —HSBC announced it had tripled its quarterly profit Tuesday, blowing past expectations as it benefited from high interest rates around the world. Europe’s biggest bank recorded a whopping $12.9 billion in pre-tax profit for the quarter ended March. That was up 207% from a year earlier, and significantly higher than the $8.6 billion average predicted by a poll of 17 analysts compiled by HSBC. The bank’s revenue also surged to $20.2 billion, compared with $12.5 billion for the same period the previous year. HSBC (HSBC) attributed the jump in profits partly to a provisional sum of $1.5 billion it expects to gain from buying the UK unit of failed US lender, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).

☆ HSBC: Top shareholder Ping An calls for breakup, expressing 'deep concern'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Europe’s biggest bank is facing growing calls to spin off its Asia business. Alongside chairman Mark Tucker, he defended HSBC (HBCYF)’s strategy and said splitting the bank would not be in shareholders’ interests. “Despite sharing multiple suggestions with HSBC, we have been extremely disappointed by HSBC management’s consistent closed-minded attitude to all solutions,” Huang wrote. HSBC Asia “will be the most valuable and unique bank in Asia with the strongest growth potential within the HSBC system, and also the only local bank with global competitiveness,” he added. HSBC will hold its annual shareholder meeting on May 5.

☆ HSBC shareholder Ping An to vote for bank's break-up at annual meeting -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

HONG KONG/LONDON, April 17 (Reuters) - HSBC's (HSBA.L) biggest shareholder Ping An is likely to vote in favour of splitting the bank up at its annual investor meeting on May 5, a source familiar with the Chinese insurer's thinking said on Monday. HSBC recommended that shareholders vote against the resolutions, and has, since Ping An began urging the spinoff last November, maintained that its global presence is worth more than any such fragmentation would yield. A spokesperson for Ping An declined to comment. With an around 8% stake in HSBC, Ping An would not be able to force the issue on its own. Reporting by Selena Li in Hong Kong and Lawrence White in London Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ HSBC spinoff: Bank's top execs face tense shareholders in Hong Kong calling for a breakup
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Quinn addressed those complaints head-on Monday, saying “our profits in Hong Kong and the UK are no longer being dragged down by underperformance elsewhere. Mark Tucker, chairman of HSBC, left, and Peter Wong, chairman of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, departing following the bank's shareholders meeting in Hong Kong on Monday. They argue that if the lender cordoned off its activities in Asia, it would no longer have to expose Hong Kong shareholders to requests in other jurisdictions. Christine Fong, a district council member in Hong Kong, said she represented about 500 small shareholders who had been affected by the dividend cancellation. An HSBC bank branch in Hong Kong last July.

☆ French prosecutors search banks in Paris in global tax fraud probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-28 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Paris Reuters —French authorities searched the Paris offices of five banks Tuesday, including Societe Generale, BNP Paribas and HSBC, on suspicion of fiscal fraud. The search was part of a broad European probe into the dodging of tax payments on dividends. BNP Paribas and HSBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The French prosecutors’ actions are the latest to hit global banks over the dividend tax fraud scheme. Stock in BNP Paribas rose 0.4%, while HSBC’s stock was flat.

☆ Texas adds HSBC to energy sanctions list
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Reuters Staff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

FILE PHOTO: A logo of HSBC is seen on its headquarters at the financial Central district in Hong Kong, China August 4, 2020. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu(Reuters) - A Texas official on Monday added HSBC Holdings to an energy sanctions list, widening a crackdown on companies which in the state’s view are too focused on energy transition. Republican-led U.S. states have alleged companies are prioritizing environmental, social and governance policies (ESG) over their financial responsibilities to their shareholders. The move could prohibit Texas’ governmental entities from investing in one of Europe’s biggest banks. Florida’s chief financial officer said in December his department would pull $2 billion worth of its assets managed by BlackRock Inc, a sizeable divestment by a state opposed to the asset manager’s ESG policies.

Uncertainty about HSBC’s strategy for serving in both China and the West is amplified by disagreements with Ping An. LONDON—For nearly a year, HSBC Holdings PLC has openly come under pressure from its top shareholder, Ping An Insurance Co., in a standoff that pits Europe’s largest bank against China’s largest insurance company. The source of the rift dates back years, interviews with people familiar with the matter, including people familiar with developments at both companies, suggest.

Hong Kong CNN —China will fully reopen borders with its special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao next week, in what is expected to be a major boost for the economies of the two cities. From Monday, travelers entering mainland China from Hong Kong or Macao will no longer need to provide proof of negative Covid tests, as long as they have not traveled abroad in the previous week, the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office said in a Friday statement. Hong Kong is a major international financial center, and, before the pandemic, Macao was the world’s casino capital. Over the past three years, limited cross-border travel to mainland China has been listed as the top concern for businesses across the city, according to industry groups. Businesses began seeing some relief last month, when residents of Hong Kong and mainland China were permitted to resume two-way, quarantine-free travel.

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