HSBC
![The HSBC Main Building in 1901 in Hong Kong, the headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation from 1886 to 1933 for its Hong Kong operation.The HSBC Building in 2005 in Shanghai, the headquarters of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation from 1923 to 1955 for its Shanghai operation.](/Images/godic/202501/18/HSBC_HQ_19010412.jpg")
![](/Images/godic/202501/18/Bund_at_night0412.jpg")
![The HSBC Main Building in Hong Kong, which was designed by Norman Foster and completed in 1985](/Images/godic/202501/18/HK_HSBC_Main_Building_20080412.jpg")
![8 Canada Square, the world headquarters of HSBC in Canary Wharf, London](/Images/godic/202501/18/Canary_Wharf_HSBC_10412.JPG")
HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's fifth largest bank by total assets, with total assets of US$2.67 trillion. It was established in its present form in London in 1991 by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited to act as a new group holding company. The origins of the bank lie mainly in Hong Kong and to a lesser extent in Shanghai, where branches were first opened in 1865. The HSBC name is derived from the initials of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. The company was first formally incorporated in 1866. The company continues to see both the United Kingdom and Hong Kong as its "home markets".