Our conduct
At HSBC our Conduct Approach guides us to do the right thing and to focus on the impact we have for our customers and the financial markets in which we operate.
It complements our purpose and values and, together with more formal policies and the tools we have to do our jobs, provides a clear path to achieving our purpose and delivering our strategy.
Statement of Business Principles and Code of Conduct
The Statement of Business Principles and Code of Conduct sets out our purpose and values and the high standards of conduct that we expect.
Our Purpose-led Conduct Approach
Our Conduct Approach sets five outcomes to be achieved for customers and markets. It recognises cultural and behavioural drivers of good conduct outcomes, and it applies across all risk disciplines, operational processes and technologies.
Each global business line, global function and Digital Business Services:
- Is responsible for conduct within the scope of their activities; and
- Must develop, maintain, and be able to evidence their approaches to conduct, tailored to their risks, markets and operations
How will we and others measure success?
We will assess our success against five outcomes as follows:
1. We understand our customers’ needs
…and design, market and sell products and services that recognise the long-term interests of customers.
2. We provide products and services that offer a fair exchange of value
…which balance customer and HSBC interests and do not undermine market competition.
3. We service customers’ ongoing needs, and put it right if we make a mistake
…ensuring products and standards of service continue to have a positive impact.
4. We act with integrity in the financial markets we operate in
…acting in our customers’ interests and not in ways which manipulate or undermine markets.
5. We operate resiliently and securely to avoid harm to customers and markets
…across digital, physical and operational arrangements to support customer needs and wider financial system stability.
The Board maintains oversight of conduct matters through the Group Risk Committee. Further detail on the broad range of activities we undertake to enhance conduct is provided in the Annual Report and Accounts (PDF 6.6MB).
Using technology responsibly
Our approach to conduct applies to everything we do, and we continue to assess that approach in light of changes in the environment in which we operate. HSBC continues to explore and invest in new technologies, which offer tremendous potential to improve the services we provide to customers, and to manage our business more effectively. Data technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) give us the ability to process and analyse a depth and breadth of data which was never previously possible. These new opportunities come with new responsibilities: we must ensure that data and AI are used ethically.
That is why we developed a set of principles to help us consider and address the ethical issues that could arise. HSBC’s Principles for the Ethical Use of Data and AI seek to:
- Increase awareness of the ethical implications of data and AI
- Bring uniformity and predictability to how we make decisions about the use of data and AI across the bank globally
- Encourage colleagues to question and challenge before new uses of data and AI are adopted
Related content
Our values
At HSBC, our values guide us in all our actions – from strategic decisions to day-to-day interactions with customers and each other.
Board committees
The Board has appointed a number of committees consisting of certain Directors and co-opted non-director members.