The birth of a bank
HSBC was born from one simple idea – a local bank serving international needs. In March 1865, HSBC opened its doors for business in Hong Kong, helping to finance trade between Europe and Asia.
We have been supporting our customers for 161 years. Today, we serve around 41 million personal, wealth and corporate customers worldwide in 56 countries and territories.
The experiences of the past 161 years have formed the character of HSBC. A glance at our history explains why we believe in capital strength, in strict cost control and in building long-term relationships with customers.
The bank has weathered change in all forms – revolutions, economic crises, new technologies – and adapted to survive. The resulting corporate character enables HSBC to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Supporting customers through crisis and calm
HSBC Brand history 2026
Duration: 2:23
[Narrator]
They say a picture speaks a thousand words.
At HSBC, we have thousands of pictures.
Each one telling a part of our story that crosses continents and spans centuries.
We started in Hong Kong in 1865.
But we were born international.
To finance trade between East and West.
Our business travelled oceans.
Our network crossed borders.
And our relationships with customers passed down generations.
Our global success is based on local expertise, knowledge of different cultures and customs and our deep international network.
When you bank with us, you can bank on us. Being there through highs and lows, crisis and calm, through shocks and shifts.
From industrial revolutions, to digital ones.
We've been built to last.
To navigate a changing world
[Text on screen]
[Screen reader] “Current account”
[Narrator]
and help our customers navigate it too.
Putting customers at the heart of everything we do is what we've always done.
And trust us when we say your trust means everything.
One of our first clients from 1865 is still with us today.
That's not just business, that's true partnership.
[Lion roars]
For more than 160 years, a modern, ambitious organisation is what we've always been.
Today, our world is more connected and complex than ever.
But our purpose is simple: Opening up a world of opportunity.
As we've done from the start.
Now and into the future.
[Text on screen]
HSBC | Opening up a world of opportunity
© HSBC Group 2026
HSBC's archives come to life to tell our enduring story – a story that crosses continents and spans centuries.
History timeline
Learn how a local Hong Kong bank became one of the world’s largest financial services organisations.
Our history in depth
Visit the HSBC History website to explore the bank’s rich and colourful heritage in depth, and access our unique archives.
Our iconic red hexagon
Our hexagon sits proudly on our headquarters, our branches, our bank cards... it is HSBC. In this video, Henry Steiner – the man who created our enduring visual identity – explains what inspired his design. For more information and to trace the journey our logo has taken from its origins as a simple red and white flag, through to its transformation into an iconic global brand, please visit the HSBC and the Hexagon exhibition
Back to the future
Lord Norman Foster, the architect of our Hong Kong HQ, returns to the building 40 years after it opened – and reflects on how its “radical” concept inspired future developments.
Content last updated: 03 August 2026