Among recent changes, the UK/Hong Kong-listed group has spun off a German private bank to BNP Paribas and said it is buying out minority owners of Hong Kong's Hang Seng Bank to make it a wholly owned subsidiary.

Investors appeardd to cheer third-quarter 2025 financial results from HSBC yesterday. Shares in the Hong Kong/London-listed group rose more than 4 per cent yesterday afternoon in UK trading hours and since the start of January, they’ve risen more than 33 per cent.

Pre-tax profit at the wealth arm of HSBC rose 8 per cent in the third quarter of 2025 from a year ago, reaching $1.292 billion; operating costs rose 6 per cent to $2.351 billion, and revenues rose 5 per cent to $3.823 billion. 

Fee and other income in the wealth segment rose 24 per cent year-on-year to $1.94 billion, it said in a statement yesterday.

On 3 October, HSBC completed the sale of its private banking business in Germany to BNP Paribas (the latter bank has separately reported its Q3 figures). In the fourth quarter of 2025, HSBC said it will recognise an estimated pre-tax gain on the disposal of $100 million.

Group figures
HSBC said pre-tax profit for the three months to 30 September dipped to $7.295 billion from $8.476 billion a year earlier, although it rose from the second quarter of 2025, when it was $6.326 billion.

The fall in pre-tax profit took account of legal provisions of $1.4 billion in 3Q25 on historical matters that are classified as notable items. This was partly offset by revenue growth of $800 million – up 5 per cent – with strong performances in fee and other income in wealth in its and Hong Kong business segments; fee and other income fell in global foreign exchange and debt and equity markets in the corporate and institutional banking arm.

The group’s Common Equity Tier 1 ratio was 14.5 per cent in the quarter, down a touch from a year before. 

As reported earlier in October, HSBC said it was buying out minority owners of Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Bank to make it a wholly owned subsidiary. The plan will cost $14 billion. HSBC said the move was to streamline operations, but it did not gave any details at this stage as to potential cost cuts from any duplication of jobs and functions.