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Home/Bank Intelligence/United Kingdom/HSBC Global Private Banking (UK)
HSBC Global Private Banking (UK)HG
HSBC UK review

HSBC UK Bank plc

Our review of HSBC UK for ultra-high-net-worth families. We researched the legal entity that holds the licence and books the account, not just the brand.

Booking centreUnited Kingdom
RegulatorPRA (authorisation and prudential) and FCA (conduct)
Legal formLocally incorporated subsidiary
GroupHSBC Group
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PPLI.com
Private Bank Rating
Rating in preparation

We are still preparing the rating for this bank. What we have on file so far is below.

About the rating
The rating

What the PPLI.com rating of HSBC Global Private Banking (UK) considers

This is our editorial assessment of HSBC Global Private Banking (UK). We look at the areas below, which matter to a family deciding where to keep its assets, and weigh them together with what clients tell us and the service they get. Retail products, branches and apps play no part. The public sources we used are listed at the foot of the page.

Conduct and enforcement

What regulators, prosecutors and courts have concluded about this licence holder in recent years.

Protection of client assets

Whether custody assets are ring-fenced by law in the booking centre, whether deposits are protected, and whether the custody terms can be read before signing.

Service for complex families

The breadth of private banking services the bank publishes for this booking unit, including work with external managers and family offices.

Cost transparency

Whether a prospective client can see the tariff and the bank's policy on third party payments before asking.

Ownership and control

Whether the bank's owners are public, how official assessments rate the anti-money-laundering regime of any owner's home jurisdiction, and whether a politically exposed person holds a significant stake. The same test applies to every bank.

Client opinions and service

What clients of HSBC Global Private Banking (UK) and their advisers tell us in confidence, and the service the bank gives to families. We never publish names. Tell us about yours

PPLI.comPrivate Bank RatingRating in preparation

The rating expresses the opinion of PPLI.com on the date shown. It is not a statement of fact about the bank, not a credit rating, not a forecast of failure and not investment advice. Read about the rating.

The record

Regulatory and legal record

What regulators, prosecutors and courts have decided, recorded against the legal entity they named, with the status, the amounts as published and a link to the original document. Claims and investigations still under way are marked as open.

202423 May 2024

Final notice: failures in the treatment of customers in arrears or financial difficulty

The FCA imposed a penalty of GBP 6,280,100 on HSBC UK Bank plc (30% discount from GBP 8,971,600) for failing to show forbearance and due consideration to retail customers in arrears between 1 June 2017 and 31 October 2018, breaching Principles 3 and 6 and consumer credit and mortgage conduct rules. HSBC had offered GBP 233,186,073 in redress to 1,535,136 customers, of which about GBP 185 million had been paid. The conduct was in retail banking and consumer credit, not the private bank.

The Authority hereby imposes on HSBC UK a financial penalty of £6,280,100 pursuant to section 206 of the Act.

Redress programme of GBP 233,186,073 offered to 1,535,136 customers.

Financial Conduct Authority · Settlement without admission · Penalty GBP 6.3 million; Restitution GBP 185 million · Primary source
202430 January 2024

PRA final notice: failures in deposit protection identification and notification (Depositor Protection Rules)

The PRA fined HSBC Bank plc and HSBC UK Bank plc GBP 57,417,500 jointly for failing to identify deposits eligible for FSCS protection accurately (HBEU 2015 to 2022, HBUK 2018 to 2021), failing to assign clear ownership of depositor protection processes, and, for HBEU, failing to alert the PRA for about 15 months and giving an incorrect attestation. The firms received a 15% reduction for cooperation including early admission of some breaches and a further 30% for settlement; without reductions the fine would have been GBP 96.5 million. The joint penalty cannot be split between the two entities from the press release.

The PRA has fined HSBC Bank plc (HBEU) and HSBC UK Bank plc (HBUK) (together, the Firms) £57,417,500
Prudential Regulation Authority · Resolution with admission · Penalty joint GBP 57.4 million · Admission of the facts · Primary source
Matters concerning other entities in the group (2)
202117 December 2021

Final notice: deficient transaction monitoring controls (Money Laundering Regulations 2007)

The FCA fined HSBC Bank plc GBP 63,946,800 for failings in three key parts of its transaction monitoring systems between 31 March 2010 and 31 March 2018 (30% discount from GBP 91,352,600). HSBC Bank plc was the UK bank that housed UK retail and private banking before the 2018 ring-fencing transfer; the fine was imposed on HSBC Bank plc, a different legal entity from the current UK private banking entity HSBC UK Bank plc. attaches: false.

respondent (sister entity HSBC Bank plc; does not attach to HSBC UK Bank plc)

The FCA has fined HSBC Bank plc (HSBC) £63,946,800 for failings in its anti-money laundering processes.

Large-scale AML remediation programme supervised by the FCA (press release).

Financial Conduct Authority · Settlement without admission · Penalty GBP 63.9 million · Primary source
201411 November 2014

Final notice: failings in G10 spot FX trading controls (five-bank settlement)

In the November 2014 five-bank FX settlement the FCA fined HSBC Bank Plc GBP 216,363,000 for failing to control business practices in its G10 spot FX voice trading desk in London between 1 January 2008 and 15 October 2013, with a 30% discount. Investment bank conduct, HSBC Bank plc entity; attaches: false for HSBC UK Bank plc.

respondent (sister entity HSBC Bank plc; does not attach to HSBC UK Bank plc)

Citibank N.A. £225,575,000 ($358 million), HSBC Bank Plc £216,363,000 ($343 million),
Financial Conduct Authority · Settlement without admission · Penalty GBP 216.4 million · Primary source
The bank at a glance

Identity, protection and services

Legal identity

Legal nameHSBC UK Bank plc
LEI21380081EP12LC86CB82
LicenceUK ring-fenced bank authorised to accept deposits (Financial Services Register No. 765112)  Source
RegulatorPRA (authorisation and prudential) and FCA (conduct)
Legal formLocally incorporated subsidiary
OwnerHSBC Holdings plc  Source

Ownership

Group parentHSBC Holdings plc (listed, LSE; HKEX; NYSE (ADS); Bermuda)  Source
ControlWidely held; no shareholder with 10% or more  Source (11 July 2025)
Disclosed holdings of 3% or moreBlackRock, Inc. 9.09%  Source (11 July 2025); Ping An Asset Management Co., Ltd. 7.98%  Source (7 May 2024)

Ownership is shown as published, with its date. It describes who owns the bank; it does not, by itself, suggest any wrongdoing by the bank or its owners.

Financial strength, as reported

Credit ratingsNot published
CET1 ratio13.2% (2026-06-30)  Source
total assetsGBP 369,272 m (2026-06-30)  Source

Services published for this booking unit

Custody only (execution and safekeeping)
Multi currency accounts
Consolidated reporting
External asset manager desk

Offered at this booking centreOffered by the group, not confirmed hereNot located, which does not mean unavailable
Checked on the bank's own pages, 2 November 2026.

Access and costs

Minimum relationshipNot published
US personsNot published
Fee scheduleNot published
Third party paymentsNot published
Transfer out termsNot published

Protection of client assets

Deposit protectionUK incorporated banks are FSCS members: GBP 120,000 per eligible person per bank since 1 December 2025, up to GBP 1.4 million for temporary high balances.
Custody lawCustody assets and client money are protected under the FCA Client Assets Sourcebook (CASS 6 and CASS 7, statutory trust for client money), made under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. Consent rules for use of custody assets sit in CASS, which is regulatory rule text rather than primary statute.
Custody termsNot published
Your experience

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Our commitment to confidentiality

Your name, email and telephone number are seen only by the PPLI.com editor. They are never published, never passed to HSBC Global Private Banking (UK) or any other bank, and never used for marketing. We may contact you once to clarify your assessment. Once verified by our editors, your assessment can lead to a disclosed adjustment of this bank's PPLI.com rating. It is never published with your name.

Sources

  1. Financial Conduct Authority: fca.org.uk/publication/final-notices/hsbc-uk-bank-hsbc-bank-marks-and-spencer-financial-se
  2. Prudential Regulation Authority: bankofengland.co.uk/news/2024/january/pra-fines-hsbc-for-failures-in-deposit-protection-id
  3. Financial Conduct Authority: fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/fca-fines-hsbc-bank-plc-deficient-transaction-monitoring-co
  4. Financial Conduct Authority: fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/fca-fines-five-banks-for-fx-failings

For HSBC Global Private Banking (UK)

Before we publish a significant negative finding, we give the bank the facts and time to comment, on the same timetable for every bank. Corrections we verify are published with the date of the change. Write to [email protected] quoting reference BK-GB-HSBC-PRIVATE-UK-361E98.

About this file

Researched by the PPLI.com research desk from the public sources listed. The rating is our editorial opinion; read how we rate.

Important information. Editorial opinion of PPLI.com on the date shown, based on public information, client experience and editorial judgment. Not a statement of fact, a credit rating or investment, legal, tax or financial advice; verify with the bank and your own advisers before acting. No liability is accepted for reliance on this content. Bank names and logos are used for identification only. Ratings are updated every quarter. This is the Q4 2026 edition, and a rating can change between editions if something material happens. Full disclaimer
Rating signed by Noam Cohen, Editor, Bank IntelligenceReviewed 2 November 2026Methodology 2.3Reference BK-GB-HSBC-PRIVATE-UK-361E98
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