September newsletter
Our new Group Chief Executive gets to work
Georges Elhedery started his tenure as our new Group Chief Executive with a trip to Hong Kong, one of our two home markets.
As part of his packed agenda, Georges (pictured on the right) attended events, visited a branch and a wealth centre, and met customers and clients, as well as government officials.
“I believe we're now able to accelerate the execution of our strategy, giving it more focus and intensity, continuing to generate high returns and grow revenue on a sustainable trajectory, while at the same time maintaining high ethical standards, prudent risk management and strong cost discipline,” Georges said.
David Liao, our Co-CEO of Asia-Pacific (pictured on the left with Georges), said: “I am looking forward to Georges’s leadership as we continue to build on HSBC’s strong foundation together!”
During his visit, Georges also sat down with Luanne Lim, our Hong Kong CEO, to share his vision for the bank with more than 7,000 of our colleagues from across Asia-Pacific.
Georges joined HSBC in 2005 and has worked in financial services, in various high-profile international roles, for almost three decades.
Prior to becoming our Group Chief Executive, he was our Group Chief Financial Officer.
The world’s biggest dividend payer (in 2Q)
We were the best dividend payer in the world in the second quarter of this year, according to Janus Henderson Investors’ global dividend index.
Our total disbursement of US$11.7bn was great news for you, our shareholders, as we continued to share the benefits of our strong performance with you.
The figure included US$3.9bn delivered as a special dividend of US$0.21 per share following the sale of our Canada business.
In 2023, we delivered our highest full-year dividend (US$0.61 per share) since 2008.
The China opportunity in focus
Our 11th annual China Conference in Shenzhen brought together investors, corporate clients and experts to discuss the need-to-know trends in the world’s second-largest economy – and its impact on the rest of the world.
More than 1,000 people gathered for the event, which explored the key topics impacting investment as China undergoes structural economic change that will define its future.
The two-day conference included sessions on China’s economic progress and priorities, geopolitics, exports and trade, opportunities in the Greater Bay Area and artificial intelligence.
Bolstering our support for Hong Kong’s SMEs
We’re demonstrating our commitment to helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong thrive by increasing our lending support.
We’re making HK$5bn available through our data-driven, pre-approved credit limits initiative(opens in new window) (opens in new window).
As part of the initiative, we’ll inform eligible SME customers about their pre-approved credit limits through our digital channels. The funds, repayable over up to five years, will be ready in as little as two working days after application, without any requirement of financial statements or collateral.
We’re also extending the two-month interest rebate of up to HK$10,000 for applicants of the government-backed SME Financing Guarantee Scheme from the end of September to the end of the year.
Frank Fang, our Head of Commercial Banking in Hong Kong and Macau, said: “We’ve been standing by the business community by offering liquidity relief and financing options throughout and beyond the pandemic.
“We will continue to enhance our data capabilities to provide accessible financing and simple banking services for smaller businesses in Hong Kong.”