Thousands of Hong Kong bank employees will receive a return-to-work lai see on Friday, with some banks handing out extra benefits and gifts to their staff amid improving economic and market sentiment. While it is a Chinese tradition for companies to give their staff lai see on the first working day of the Lunar New…
Gold, mahjong sets, fancy lai see packets and dinners with fireworks views are among the incentives Hong Kong banks are using to lure wealthy customers from the city and the mainland during the Lunar New Year, which kicks off on Tuesday. Hong Kong authorities estimated that as many as 1.43 million mainland visitors would cross…
Hong Kong’s retail banks posted 7.3 per cent pre-tax profit growth last year, as rising bad debts and a narrower net interest margin offset growing income from wealth-management services. The city’s 30 retail banks recorded lower growth in aggregated pre-tax profit than in 2024, when profits increased 8.4 per cent, according to data from the…
HSBC, Hong Kong’s largest bank with a 6.2 million-strong customer base, suffered a widespread system breakdown on Friday afternoon. According to some customers, the bank’s mobile app and online services were inactive as early as 1pm, with login attempts diverted to a screen stating the system was under maintenance and would be accessible at a…
For generations of Hong Kong investors, Hang Seng Bank was never just a stock. It was a companion through decades of economic ascent, market turbulence and personal milestones. This is why the bank’s delisting on Tuesday after 53 years on the exchange has stirred something deeper than a routine corporate transaction would. It feels like…
Hong Kong’s de facto central bank left its base rate unchanged after a similar move overnight by the US Federal Reserve, leaving borrowers in the city with a longer wait for funding costs to fall. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced its decision on Thursday morning to keep the city’s base rate at 4…
The use of technology in trade finance is advancing from digitising existing paperwork to re-engineering entire processes with artificial intelligence and shared data, according to bank executives at the Development & Innovation of AI for Digital Finance forum on Monday in Hong Kong. “When we are talking about digitalisation, we are actually making the current…
Hong Kong banks may not cut their prime rates this year, but local interbank rates will still follow US rates lower, benefiting a majority of borrowers, according to a senior executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). Analysts widely expect the US Federal Reserve to cut its key rate by three-quarters of a point…
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) issued requirements on Wednesday for banks to improve their services for elderly customers, as the proportion of the city’s population over the age of 65 increases rapidly. Banks will be required to upgrade their apps to meet the needs of elderly customers, improve branch facilities and ensure that staff…
HSBC Holdings’ exploration of options for its insurance business in Singapore may lead to a sale of the unit as the group reallocates resources to its insurance business in Hong Kong and mainland China, according to analysts. “It makes sense for HSBC to consider an exit from Singapore’s insurance market to focus on Hong Kong…