Office profile
HSBC Headquarters & offices · London, United Kingdom
HSBC · London, United Kingdom
A 45-storey Norman Foster tower in Canary Wharf, guarded by replicas of the Hong Kong head office's lion statues.
The Canary Wharf tower, the benefits and 160 years of head offices from Hong Kong to London — then the pay. Every number from HSBC's own annual reports, careers pages and archives.
- 45storeys at 8 Canada Square
- 18 weeksfully paid parental leave (primary caregivers)
- 85%of colleagues work hybrid
- 208,720full-time equivalent staff, 2025
Sources: HSBC Holdings Form 20-F 2025 · HSBC History, “London calling: our global HQ” · hsbc.com careers
Companies / United Kingdom / Banking & financial services / HSBC
THE HEADQUARTERS · 8 CANADA SQUARE · 2003
A 45-storey Foster tower with a feng shui blessing
HSBC's global headquarters rose from “a soggy hole in the ground” in Canary Wharf from early 1999. Norman Foster, who had rebuilt HSBC's Hong Kong head office, designed a more streamlined tower; a Feng Shui Master was consulted, and replicas of the Hong Kong lion statues were cast to guard the entrance when it officially opened on 2 April 2003.
- 45 storeys
- Design: Foster + Partners
- Opened 2 April 2003
- Hong Kong lion replicas at the door
- Feng Shui Master consulted
8 Canada Square from different viewpoints
The 45-storey tower was designed by Foster + Partners and officially opened on 2 April 2003.
Inside the lobby
HSBC's global headquarters rose in Canary Wharf from early 1999 and opened in 2003.
The Canary Wharf setting
8 Canada Square is HSBC's global headquarters in Canary Wharf, London.
Night views
The tower opened on 2 April 2003, guarded at the entrance by replicas of the Hong Kong lions.
Facts: HSBC History, “London calling: our global HQ” (history.hsbc.com).
London, and the other head offices
| Building | Address |
|---|---|
| Global headquarters (HSBC Holdings plc) | 8 Canada Square, London E14 5HQ, United Kingdom |
| Hong Kong headquarters | 1 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong |
| HSBC UK head office | 1 Centenary Square, Birmingham B1 1HQ, United Kingdom |
| US headquarters (The Spiral) | 66 Hudson Boulevard East, New York, NY, United States |
Source: Form 20-F 2025 (cover; registered offices) · hsbc.com history timeline · HSBC History · See them on the map ↓
Source: HSBC History, “London calling: our global HQ” · HSBC Annual Report and Accounts 2023, Financial review (lease and move). Floor area is not published by HSBC.
Office tour videos
Benefits (Group and UK)
Fully paid for primary caregivers; over 99% of colleagues have access.
Paid compassionate leave days.
Up to five paid days when care arrangements fall through (about 72% of colleagues).
Of permanent employees have private medical insurance; private healthcare for all UK-based employees.
Save up to £500 a month for 3 or 5 years to buy shares at a 20% discount.
Buy up to £750 of shares a quarter; one free share for every three, in 30 jurisdictions.
Fertility medical support, added in the UK and Singapore in 2025.
Free, confidential counselling, plus manager mental health training and mindfulness apps.
Source: HSBC Holdings Form 20-F 2025 (Social; share plans) · hsbc.com “Careers in the UK” and “Rewards and benefits”
What HSBC itself says keeps people
Ranked 1st globally in the CCLA Corporate Mental Health Benchmark Global 100+ for the fourth year running (2025).
HSBC supports hybrid working; Managing Directors are expected in the office at least four days a week.
Up in 2025, with gains in happiness at work, stress levels and job satisfaction.
One free matching share for every three bought, for employees in 30 jurisdictions.
46 new skill badges in 2025, plus an AI Academy with role-based pathways.
A monthly Pulse survey was added in 2025 to the annual Snapshot engagement survey.
Source: HSBC Holdings Form 20-F 2025 (Social: well-being, flexible working, learning; share plans)
Who works here
staff in India, the largest country (2025)
staff in the UK
markets HSBC operates in
of senior leadership roles held by women
Source: HSBC Holdings Form 20-F 2025 (staff numbers in full-time equivalents; Corporate Centre, 330, not shown)
Pay at HSBC
Salary alone was £57,500. The Group CEO's total pay was 96 times the median UK employee's. HSBC reports this for UK employees only.
Source: HSBC Holdings Form 20-F 2025, Directors' remuneration report (pay ratio, option A)
HSBC doesn't publish pay by age. Its UK mean gender pay gap was 39.4% in 2025.
Compare HSBC with: JPMorganChase
Head office history: from Queen's Road Central to Canary Wharf
- 1865 Wardley House, 1 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong
Founded by Thomas Sutherland, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation opened on 3 March 1865 in rented offices in Wardley House, with sweeping views over the harbour. The directors bought the building the next year.
Source: hsbc.com history timeline · HSBC History, “There's no place like home”
Wardley House and the first HSBC building, Hong Kong, 1865–1882 · Unknown. / Public domain · Wikimedia Commons - 1865 Two small rooms in London
In July 1865 the bank rented two small rooms in Gresham House on Old Broad Street, in the City of London, for foreign exchange and to train junior bankers.
Source: HSBC History, “Square Mile memories” · hsbc.com history timeline
Old Broad Street, City of London, 2009 · Txllxt TxllxT / CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons - 1886 A purpose-built head office in Hong Kong
A four-storey building by 23-year-old architect Clement Palmer opened on the Queen's Road Central site, with a lift, gas lighting, fire extinguishers and an electric bell system.
Source: HSBC History, “There's no place like home: 1886 Hong Kong head office”
Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong, 1890 · Lai Afong / Public domain · Wikimedia Commons - 1913 9 Gracechurch Street, London
After spells in Nicholas Lane and Lombard Street, the London office moved to a purpose-built building at 9 Gracechurch Street.
Source: HSBC History, “Square Mile memories”
9 Gracechurch Street, London, 2020 · Irid Escent / CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons - 1941 Head office moves to London for the war
HSBC relocated its head office to London on 16 December 1941, and moved it back to Hong Kong after the war.
Source: hsbc.com history timeline
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 1986 Norman Foster's Hong Kong head office
The new head office at 1 Queen's Road Central took 27,000 tonnes of structural steel, one million sq ft of cladding and up to 4,500 workers on site 24 hours a day. It is still HSBC's Hong Kong headquarters.
Source: HSBC History, “Taking shape: 1986 Hong Kong head office” · hsbc.com history timeline
HSBC Main Building, 1 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong, 2008 · WiNG / CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons - 1992 Group headquarters move to London
HSBC Holdings plc was set up in 1991. After it bought Midland Bank in July 1992, the holding company's headquarters moved to London later that year to comply with UK banking rules.
Source: HSBC History, “HSBC Holdings plc” · hsbc.com history timeline
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 2003 8 Canada Square, Canary Wharf
Construction of the 45-storey tower by Foster + Partners began in early 1999; it was officially opened on 2 April 2003.
Source: HSBC History, “London calling: our global HQ”
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 2026–27 Next: Panorama St Paul's
With the Canary Wharf lease ending in early 2027, HSBC expected colleagues to start moving to Panorama St Paul's in the City of London from late 2026.
Source: HSBC Annual Report and Accounts 2023, Financial review
BT Centre, City of London, 2011 · Gryffindor / CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Map: how the headquarters moved
Founded on Queen's Road Central in Hong Kong in 1865, HSBC opened a London office the same year. Group headquarters moved to London in 1992 and to Canary Wharf in 2003; the next move, to Panorama St Paul's in the City, is planned for 2026–27.
- 1 · 1865Wardley House, 1 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong — The first head office; rebuilt on the same site in 1886 and 1986.
- 2 · 1865Gresham House, Old Broad Street, London — Two rented rooms: the first London office.
- 3 · 19139 Gracechurch Street, London — A purpose-built London office.
- 4 · 20038 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London — Global headquarters today.
Addresses: HSBC History · hsbc.com history timeline · Form 20-F 2025 cover
What HSBC does
HSBC is one of the world's largest banks, founded in Hong Kong in 1865. Since 1 January 2025 it has run through four businesses: Hong Kong, the UK, Corporate and Institutional Banking, and International Wealth and Premier Banking.
Four business segments plus Corporate Centre.
Where the money came from · revenue by business, 2025
Source: HSBC Holdings Form 20-F 2025, “Revenue by business” (excluding Corporate Centre)
Source: HSBC Holdings Form 20-F 2025 · per-employee figures calculated by eciffo
Growth: revenue vs. people
$56.1B → $68.3B
235,351 → 208,720
Calendar years, reported in US dollars. Revenue = net operating income before credit losses: Form 20-F 2020 (2018–2020) and Form 20-F 2025 five-year summary (2021–2025; 2022 onwards on the IFRS 17 basis). Staff: full-time equivalents at 31 December, Form 20-F 2020, 2022 and 2025; 2019 and 2021 worked out from the year-on-year changes those filings state. Multiples calculated by eciffo.
Chief executives
Group CEO since 2 September 2024; Group CFO from January 2023.
Group CEO until September 2024.
Founder: Thomas Sutherland, a young Scotsman working in Hong Kong for a shipping firm.
Source: HSBC Holdings Form 20-F 2025 (Directors' remuneration report) · hsbc.com history timeline
HSBC: questions people ask
Where is HSBC's headquarters?
At 8 Canada Square, London E14 5HQ, in Canary Wharf — the principal executive office of HSBC Holdings plc. HSBC's Hong Kong headquarters is still at 1 Queen's Road Central.
Source: Form 20-F 2025 cover · hsbc.com history timeline
Is HSBC moving its headquarters?
Yes. HSBC's Canary Wharf lease expires in early 2027, and the bank said it expected colleagues to start moving to Panorama St Paul's in the City of London from late 2026.
Source: HSBC Annual Report and Accounts 2023, Financial review
Who designed HSBC's London headquarters?
Norman Foster (Foster + Partners), who had also designed HSBC's 1986 head office in Hong Kong. A Feng Shui Master was consulted during the design.
Source: HSBC History, “London calling: our global HQ”
When did 8 Canada Square open?
Construction began in early 1999, and the 45-storey tower was officially opened on 2 April 2003, with replicas of the Hong Kong lion statues at the entrance.
Source: HSBC History, “London calling: our global HQ”
How many people work at HSBC?
208,720 full-time equivalent staff at 31 December 2025. India has the most (47,423), followed by the UK (32,294) and Hong Kong (25,639).
Source: Form 20-F 2025
What benefits does HSBC offer?
Over 99% of colleagues get at least 18 weeks of fully paid parental leave for primary caregivers, plus five paid compassionate leave days. 99% of permanent employees have private medical insurance, and UK staff can buy shares at a 20% discount through Sharesave.
Source: Form 20-F 2025 · hsbc.com “Careers in the UK”
Does HSBC allow hybrid or remote work?
Yes. HSBC supports hybrid working, and 85% of colleagues work this way. Managing Directors are expected in the office at least four days a week.
Source: Form 20-F 2025
How much do HSBC employees earn?
The median UK employee's total pay and benefits was £69,207 in 2025 (salary £57,500). The Group CEO earned 96 times that.
Source: Form 20-F 2025, Directors' remuneration report
Who is HSBC's CEO?
Georges Elhedery, Group CEO since 2 September 2024, when he succeeded Sir Noel Quinn.
Source: Form 20-F 2025
When and where was HSBC founded?
In Hong Kong: The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation opened on 3 March 1865, founded by Thomas Sutherland.
Source: hsbc.com history timeline
You have seen the office, the benefits and the pay
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