History

1959
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation acquires The British Bank of the Middle East (formerly the Imperial Bank of Persia, now called HSBC Bank Middle East Limited).

1965
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation acquires a majority shareholding in Hang Seng Bank Limited, now the second-largest bank incorporated in Hong Kong.

1972
Midland Bank acquires a shareholding in UBAF Bank Limited (now known as British Arab Commercial Bank Limited).

1978
The Saudi British Bank is established under local control to take over The British Bank of the Middle East’s branches in Saudi Arabia.

1980 
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation acquires 51% of New York State’s Marine Midland Bank, N.A. (now called HSBC Bank USA, N.A.). Midland Bank acquires a controlling interest in leading German private bank Trinkaus & Burkhardt KGaA (now HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt KGaA).

1981
Hongkong Bank of Canada (now HSBC Bank Canada) is established in Vancouver. The Group acquires a controlling interest in Equator Holdings Limited, a merchant bank engaged in trade finance in sub-Saharan Africa.

1982
Egyptian British Bank S.A.E. is formed, with the Group holding a 40% interest.

1983
Marine Midland Bank acquires Carroll McEntee & McGinley (now HSBC Securities (USA) Inc.), a New York-based primary dealer in US government securities.

1986
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation establishes Hongkong Bank of Australia Limited (now HSBC Bank Australia Limited).

1987
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation acquires the remaining shares of Marine Midland and a 14.9% equity interest in Midland Bank plc (now HSBC Bank plc).

1991
HSBC Holdings is established; its shares are traded on the London and Hong Kong stock exchanges.

1992
HSBC Holdings purchases the remaining equity in Midland Bank.

1993
The HSBC Group’s Head Office moves to London.

1994
Hongkong Bank Malaysia Berhad (now HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad) is formed.

1997
The Group establishes a new subsidiary in Brazil, Banco HSBC Bamerindus S.A. (now HSBC Bank Brasil S.A.-Banco Múltiplo), and acquires Roberts S.A. de Inversiones in Argentina (now HSBC Argentina Holdings S.A.).

1999
Shares in HSBC Holdings begin trading on a third stock exchange, New York. HSBC acquires Republic New York Corporation (now integrated with HSBC USA Inc.) and its sister company Safra Republic Holdings S.A. (now HSBC Holdings (Luxembourg) S.A.). Midland Bank acquires a 70.03% interest in Mid-Med Bank p.l.c. (now HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c.), Malta’s largest commercial bank.

2000
HSBC acquires CCF (now HSBC France), one of France’s largest banks. Shares in HSBC Holdings are listed on a fourth stock exchange, in Paris. The Group increases its shareholding in Egyptian British Bank to over 90% and later renames it HSBC Bank Egypt S.A.E.

2001
HSBC acquires Demirbank TAS, now HSBC Bank A.S., Turkey’s fifth largest private bank; and signs an agreement to purchase an 8% stake in Bank of Shanghai.

2002
Acquisitions include Grupo Financiero Bital, S.A. de C.V. (now Grupo Financiero HSBC, S.A. de C.V.), one of Mexico’s largest financial services groups.

2003
HSBC acquires Household International, Inc. (now HSBC Finance Corporation), a leading US consumer finance company; and Lloyds TSB’s Brazilian assets including Losango Promotora de Vendas Ltda, a major consumer credit institution. Four French private banking subsidiaries combine to form HSBC Private Bank France. HSBC Insurance Brokers Limited forms a joint venture, Beijing HSBC Insurance Brokers Limited, in which it has a 24.9% stake. Hang Seng Bank acquires 15.98% of Industrial Bank Co Ltd, a mainland China commercial bank, and HSBC agrees to purchase 50% of Fujian Asia Bank Limited (now Ping An Bank Limited).

2004
HSBC acquires The Bank of Bermuda Limited, a leading provider of fund administration, trust, custody, asset management and private banking services; and shares in HSBC Holdings are listed on a fifth stock exchange, in Bermuda. The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation acquires 19.9% of Bank of Communications Limited, China’s fifth largest bank.

2005
HSBC acquires 9.91% of Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd which, together with the 10% stake acquired in 2002, brings HSBC’s stake in China’s second largest life insurance operation to 19.9%.
HSBC Finance Corporation acquires Metris Companies Inc. making HSBC the fifth largest issuer of MasterCard and Visa cards in the US.

2006
HSBC enters into an agreement to acquire the Panama-based Grupo Banistmo S.A., the leading banking group in Central America, for US$1.77 billion.