HSBC, Hang Seng Bank keep nearly a dozen Hong Kong outlets closed after vandals laid waste to premises on New Year’s Day rally
- HSBC, Hang Seng say 11 locations to remain closed on Thursday
- Expression of opinions should be ‘conducted in a peaceful manner, without affecting the public’s access to banking services’, HKMA says
Nearly a dozen branches and outlets of HSBC and its Hang Seng Bank subsidiary were closed on January 2 , a day after vandals laid waste to their premises and automated teller machines during a chaotic New Year’s Day protest in the city.
HSBC, which traces its 154-year history to colonial-era Hong Kong and Shanghai, said that two branches in Mong Kok and Kowloon Tong remained closed “until further notice,” while seven express banking centres were shuttered. An HSBC spokesman declined to say how many teller machines (ATMs) had been damaged.
Hang Seng Bank, 62 per cent owned by HSBC, said two of its self-service banking centres would be closed in Wan Chai and Causeway Bay until further notice.
“We strongly condemn the acts of vandalism and damage directed at our premises repeatedly in the last few days. We believe these are unjustified,” HSBC said in a statement. “As a bank with deep roots in Hong Kong, we are committed to providing the highest standards of banking services to our customers. We believe the rule of law is essential to Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre and we look forward to the speedy resolution of the issues.”
HSBC has joined Bank of China (Hong Kong), Citic Bank and other Chinese-owned lenders in the cross hairs of Hong Kong’s radical protesters since Christmas Eve, after a December police crackdown of a crowdfunding platform operated by Spark Alliance that raised money to post bail for arrested demonstrators. The city’s police arrested four people on suspicion of money laundering and froze about HK$70 million (US$9 million) in assets held in the corporate account of the non-profit company.
