Is HSBC ready to go east?

HSBC’s new head of international banking, Tony Mahoney, tells emeafinance’s editor Julian Evans the bank is ready for a “substantial move” into Central & Eastern Europe (CEE).

As you stand on the escalators at Heathrow, looking at the row upon row of adverts for HSBC, you see signs of its activities all over the world. You can tell that it is very active in China and Hong Kong, as its history would suggest. You can tell it has made strong in-roads into the Middle East, not least through its Islamic banking subsidiary, HSBC Amanah. It has expanded ambitiously into the US, and also has active businesses in Central and South America.