Banking

HSBC reviews retail banking outside UK and Hong Kong, FT reports

 HSBC is reviewing its retail banking operations outside the UK and Hong Kong, which could see it substantially scale back operations in other countries, including Mexico, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the discussions.

The bank is looking outside its core markets to reduce consumer presence and focus on wealthier “premier” customers, the report said.

When the bank relaunched its “premier” wealth banking brand in Britain last month in pursuit of wealthy clients, HSBC UK’s head of wealth and personal banking, Jose Carvalho, told Reuters the move plays into the bank’s broader strategy.

Last week, the London-headquartered bank announced a raft of senior management departures and appointments as its new CEO Georges Elhedery aims to streamline costs and improve decision-making.

Elhedery, who took the helm in September, is keen to focus on clients in the bank’s “premier” category as well as in wealth management, FT said.

HSBC may look at significantly cutting its retail presence in Mexico, while reviewing its positions in countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, where it could benefit from focusing on premier banking, according to FT.

HSBC declined to comment.

Source : Reuters

GLOBAL BUSINESS AND FINANCE MAGAZINE

Recent Posts

Debt service and fiscal sustainability

Debt sustainability analysis typically focuses on debt stocks and the interest rate-growth rate differential, but…

60 minutes ago

Technology adoption and labour shortages: Evidence from Britain’s Industrial Revolution

As populations in rich countries age and fewer youngsters enter the labour force, employers and…

1 hour ago

After the fire: How Ukrainian strikes disrupt local economies around Russian refineries

Measuring the local economic effects of Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian oil refineries is difficult…

1 hour ago

Don’t drain the swamp! Populism, bureaucracy, and economic performance

Populist leaders increasingly cast public sector experts, oversight bodies, and career civil servants as illegitimate…

1 hour ago

Why Europe’s banks stay home: Regulatory fragmentation and the cost of an incomplete banking union

Despite major institutional reforms, the European Banking Union remains incomplete. Banking markets remain fragmented along…

1 hour ago

International carbon trading: a strategic lever to boost global decarbonisation

International carbon credits can support the EU’s 2040 target if buyers’ club rules and leverage…

1 hour ago