About Hsbc

HSBC Holdings plc (t=滙豐控股有限公司|p=huìfēng kònggǔ yǒuxiàn gōngsī) (HSBA, 0005, HBC, HSBC, 1077223879) is the world's largest financial group in terms of market capitalization. It was also rated the third largest company by Forbes 2000. HSBC Holdings was established in 1991 to act as the parent company to The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation based in Hong Kong. The group's head office is located in the HSBC Tower (8 Canada Square) in London's Canary Wharf. The group is named after its founding and largest member, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, a bank established in Hong Kong by Thomas Sutherland in 1865 to finance the growing trade between China and Europe.

The bank is the fourth largest corporation in the world in terms of assets ($1.861 trillion as of December 31, 2007, while Citigroup reported $1.884 trillion). It reports its results in United States dollars, since 80% of its earnings originate from outside the United Kingdom. Nearly 22% of its earnings are from operations in Hong Kong, where it was headquartered until 1993. It is the largest bank in Hong Kong, and at the end of 2005 was the largest banking group in the world by Tier 1 capital. The group's shares are currently traded on the London, Hong Kong, Paris, New York and Bermuda stock exchanges.