Global banking giant HSBC Tuesday announced it was selling its Argentine operations to Grupo Financiero Galicia for US$ 550 million after deciding to leave the South American country to focus on operations in Asia as the new business strategy. The total transfer process could take about 12 months as some regulatory approvals are still needed.
Argentina’s government said on Sunday it had hired Lazard as financial advisor and Bank of America and HSBC as debt placement agents for the debt restructuring process it hopes to close by the end of March.
The chief executive of HSBC has stepped down after the bank said it needed a change in leadership to address a challenging global environment. John Flint is giving up the role he has held for a year and a half by mutual agreement with the board.
HSBC warned it may have to delay some investments this year as Europe's biggest bank missed 2018 profit forecasts due to slowing growth in its two home markets of China and Britain. HSBC reported a drop in fourth-quarter revenue amid tumbling stock markets that sapped customer's confidence in investing.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) says it has charged eight individuals over allegations they “spoofed” or manipulated the futures markets for precious metals and share indexes. Separately UBS, HSBC and Deutsche Bank will pay a total of US$ 46.6m to settle spoofing charges against them.
The clock is ticking for the financial services industry, with banks said to be months away from being forced to act on Brexit contingency plans that could see thousands of jobs leave the UK. The first quarter of 2018 has been dubbed the “point of no return” for banks, insurers and asset managers as the industry calls on the UK to clinch a transition period that would extend market access to the EU beyond March 2019.
Banking giant HSBC has named John Flint, current head of retail banking and wealth management, as its new boss. Mr Flint, who takes over from outgoing chief executive Stuart Gulliver, will start his new role next February.
Brazil's Banco Bradesco SA agreed to buy HSBC Holdings Plc's Brazilian unit for a surprisingly high 17.6 billion reais ($5.2 billion), narrowing the gap with larger rivals while boosting its base of affluent customers in Latin America's largest economy.
Argentina will move forward with its investigation of the HSBC offshore accounts in Switzerland, and will make public the names of those Argentine citizens and organizations that held money overseas in the financial entity, allegedly with the purpose of eluding local taxes.
HSBC reported a 17% fall in annual pretax profit and cut its profitability target, saying allegations its Swiss business had helped customers to dodge taxes had brought shame on the bank. Results from Europe's biggest bank reflected the cost of past misconduct and of protecting itself against the impact of further scandals.