A bank with its world headquarters in London, though it began in Hong Kong in 1865. It announced in September 2026 that it plans 1,000 entry-level UK roles over the next year, mostly outside London.
HSBC is one of the world's biggest banks. It looks after everyday accounts, credit cards and mortgages for ordinary people, offers savings, investments, insurance and wealth management, and lends to businesses from small firms to huge international companies. Wikipedia says it operates in 57 countries and territories and serves about 39 million customers. In the UK it is a major high-street bank through HSBC UK, with a large network of branches and a mobile app.
HSBC began in 1865 in Hong Kong, when merchants set up a bank to finance trade between China, India and Europe. HSBC Holdings was formed in London in 1991, it bought Midland Bank in 1992, and its world headquarters moved from Hong Kong to London in 1993. The headquarters is at 8 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, and Wikipedia says it plans to move to 81 Newgate Street when its lease ends in 2027. It employs about 211,000 people worldwide, and HSBC's apprenticeship page describes a community of over 200,000 colleagues. Its UK headquarters is in Birmingham.
HSBC states its purpose as "Opening up a world of opportunity", and says its ambition is to be the preferred international financial partner for its clients. It lists four values: "We get it done" (moving quickly and driving results), "We value difference" (seeking out varied perspectives), "We take responsibility" (being accountable and thinking long term) and "We succeed together" (working across boundaries). It has organised itself into four main businesses: Hong Kong, UK, Corporate and Institutional Banking, and International Wealth and Premier Banking.
For customers, that means everyday banking, wealth and personal banking, commercial banking for companies, and global banking and markets for large organisations and investors. Inside the bank, people work in areas such as investment banking, relationship management (looking after the needs of business clients), cyber security, data analysis, operations and technology. HSBC also names a partnership with the homelessness charity Shelter among its community work, and talks about a focus on net zero.
For young people, HSBC lists several routes. UK internships run for eight to ten weeks, mainly for students in their penultimate year, and successful interns are prepared for the Graduate Programme the following year. HSBC says it values skills over the subject studied, offers a skills matcher tool and welcomes neurodiverse colleagues (its own claims). Apprenticeships are for people aged 16 or over, living in the UK and not in full-time education, either degree apprenticeships (about three years, with no tuition fees) or foundation apprenticeships that lead to a professional qualification. Most are in Birmingham or Sheffield (technology), with others in Leeds, Manchester, Chester and London. A news report on 24 September 2026 said HSBC plans 1,000 entry-level UK roles over the next year, plus 500 one-week work experience placements for secondary school pupils, mostly outside London. A third-party guide says apprenticeships ask for five GCSEs at grade C/4 or above including English and maths; check HSBC's own page for each programme.
Website: www.hsbc.com
PURPOSE helps school and university students explore 62 sectors and over 1,000 entry-level careers in the UK, then connects them directly with employers.
Explore PURPOSE