Strategic Report

Connecting customers to opportunities

HSBC aims to be where the growth is, enabling business to thrive and economies to prosper, and ultimately helping people to fulfil their hopes and realise their ambitions.

Our cover image

Inside front cover image

Our photo competition winners

Contents

Strategic Report

An overview of how we are structured, what we do and where, our strategic actions, the principal risks we face, and high-level performance information. The section is introduced by both the Group Chairman and the Group Chief Executive, and also explains the role of the Board.

This Strategic Report was approved by the Board on 20 February 2018.

Mark E Tucker

Group Chairman

2    Highlights

4    Group Chairman's Statement

7    Group Chief Executive's Review

10    Our strategy

12    Strategic actions

14    Financial overview

18    Global businesses

22    How we do business

28    Risk overview

30    Remuneration

Financial Review

Detailed reporting of our financial performance, at Group level as well as within our matrix structure. It also includes our full risk report and reporting on how we manage capital.

32    Financial summary

46    Global businesses and geographical regions

60     Other information

63     Risk

117    Capital

Corporate Governance

Details of our Board of Directors and senior management, and our approach to corporate governance and remuneration.

121    Corporate Governance Report

122    Biographies of Directors and senior management

126    Board of Directors

127    Board committees

133    Internal control

134    Going concern and viability

135    Share capital and other disclosures

138    Employees

141    Directors' Remuneration Report

165    Directors' Responsibility Statement

Financial Statements

Our financial statements and related notes and reports.

166    Report of the Independent Auditors

175    Financial Statements

186    Notes on the Financial Statements

Other Information

Important information for our shareholders, including contact information. Like any industry and company, we have our set of abbreviations and terminology. Accordingly, we provide an explanation of the abbreviations used. A glossary of key terms is available online at www.hsbc.com/investor-relations.

262    Shareholder information

266    Forward-looking statements and Certain defined terms

268    Abbreviations

Our values

Our values define who we are as an organisation and make us distinctive.

Dependable

We are dependable, standing firm for what is right and delivering on commitments.

Open

We are open to different ideas and cultures, and value diverse perspectives.

Connected

We are connected to our customers, communities, regulators and each other, caring about individuals and their progress.

As a reminder

Reporting currency

We use US dollars.

Adjusted measures

We supplement our IFRS figures with adjusted measures used by management internally. These measures are highlighted with the following symbol:< >

Ñ Further explanation may be found on page 32.

Highlights

Our international network, universal banking model and capital strength deliver long-term value for customers and shareholders.

Group

For year ended 31 Dec 2017

(2016: $7.1bn)

$17.2bn

(2016: $18.9bn)

$21.0bn

(2016: $48.0bn)

$51.4bn

At 31 Dec 2017

(2016: $857bn)

$871bn

(2016: 13.6%)

14.5%

(2016: $2,375bn)

$2,522bn

Strategy execution  

About HSBC

Around

38 million

customers bank with us.

We employ

229,000

people around the world*.

We have

200,000

shareholders in 131 countries and territories.

Today, HSBC has around

3,900

offices in 67 countries and territories worldwide.

*Full-time equivalent staff

Our global businesses

< > Our global businesses are presented on an adjusted basis, which is consistent with the way in which we assess the performance of our global businesses. 

Ñ For further details, see page 17.

Group Chairman's Statement

With an international network covering 90% of global trade flows and a leading presence in the world's fastest growing region, we are in a prime position to help our customers capitalise on broad-based global growth.

Our 2017 results demonstrate both the strength and the potential of the Group. A large increase in reported profit before tax reflected both a healthy business and the non-recurrence of significant items from 2016. All of our global businesses grew adjusted profits and our three main global businesses generated improved adjusted revenue.

Strong revenue growth more than covered the cost of business investment, and increased lending laid a foundation for future performance. Asia again contributed a substantial proportion of the Group's profits, particularly in Commercial Banking and Retail Banking and Wealth Management. Together, this delivered an adjusted Group profit before tax of $21bn, up 11% on 2016.

This performance has enabled us to approve an unchanged fourth interim dividend of $0.21. This brings the total dividend for 2017 to $0.51, representing a total shareholder return of 24% for 2017.

Board changes

As I start my first full year as Group Chairman, I am very grateful to my predecessor, Douglas Flint, and to Stuart Gulliver for ensuring a smooth handover. They steered HSBC through challenging waters during and after the global financial crisis, and renewed HSBC's reputation as one of the world's strongest and safest international banks. They have passed on a strong legacy.

My first responsibility as Group Chairman was to appoint a successor to Stuart who would be capable of building on his achievements while further enhancing the qualities that make HSBC unique. With an exceptional record of managing a diverse range of international businesses and a deep understanding of HSBC's heritage and culture, John Flint was clearly the outstanding candidate. The Board and I look forward to working closely with John and his management team.

2017 also saw other Board changes as we said goodbye to Rachel Lomax, Sam Laidlaw and Paul Walsh. All three provided valuable service and wise counsel to the Board and I thank them warmly for their advice and support. I am especially grateful to Rachel for her excellent work as the Senior Independent Director and to Sam for his thoughtful leadership of the Nomination Committee.

The year ahead

The Board is focused on sustaining resilience by enhancing reputation and performance. We will further develop our strategy to deliver value to all of our stakeholders within a governance framework that provides stability, prudence and effective oversight.

We expect the world's major economies to show reasonable growth in 2018, helped by relatively low unemployment, recovering consumer confidence and improving trade. Fears of a hard landing in China have receded, and markets across Asia look set for a strong year. The anticipated conclusion of large regional trade agreements in 2018, mostly involving Asian nations, also provides cause for optimism. With an international network covering 90% of global trade flows and a leading presence in the world's fastest growing region, we are in a prime position to help our customers capitalise on this broad-based global growth.

While we are optimistic about the prospects for the global economy, rising international tensions, the threat of protectionism and a lack of inclusive growth all have the potential to disrupt economic activity. We continue to model and anticipate a wide range of scenarios as part of our day-to-day risk management, to cover unlikely but not impossible events. As a well-diversified business underpinned by historically stable revenue generation and significant capital strength, HSBC is well equipped to manage the risks and uncertainty inherent in today's world.

Transparency and disclosure

Last year, we published a range of environmental, social and governance ('ESG') metrics to enable investors and customers to assess our non-financial performance. The data we disclose will continue to evolve as we learn more about what our stakeholders find useful and improve our ability to collect the necessary information. We will publish our next ESG Update on our website in April 2018.

We are also making our first disclosure under the terms of the Financial Stability Board's Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. This can be found on page 27. As one of the world's largest international banks, we take seriously our responsibility to help develop a voluntary, consistent and comparable system of climate-related financial disclosure. We intend to continue to expand and improve the quality and specificity of these disclosures, and to encourage all those who work with us to do the same.

Supporting our people

It is important not just to achieve good results, but to do so in a way that treats all of our stakeholders - employees, customers, regulators and shareholders - in a fair and transparent way. We are committed to holding ourselves to account in meeting that aim, and to being accountable to our stakeholders for our actions.

As part of this commitment, the Board and I are determined to ensure that HSBC remains a place where all our people have the opportunity to fulfil their potential in a nurturing environment that encourages the right behaviour. Our stakeholders expect honesty and integrity and we will continue to promote a culture in which people do the right thing.

My special thanks are due on behalf of the Board to each of the 229,000 people who work for HSBC around the world. In my short time as Group Chairman I have been enormously impressed by the effort, energies and ability of our people in each country I have visited. These results are a testament to their hard work and dedication.

Mark E Tucker

Group Chairman

20 February 2018

 'It is important not just to achieve good results, but to do so in a way that treats all of our stakeholders in a fair and transparent way.'

'As a well-diversified business underpinned by historically stable revenue generation and significant capital strength, HSBC is well equipped to manage the risks and uncertainty inherent in today's world.'

Group Chief Executive's Review

2017 was an important year for HSBC. We completed the transformation programme that we started in 2015, maximising the benefits of our network and increasing our competitive advantages. By the end of the year we had exceeded our risk-weighted asset and cost-saving targets, rebuilt our Mexico business, delivered revenue growth from our international network in excess of global economic growth, and accelerated investment in our operations in Asia. We also opened new businesses and launched products that considerably strengthen the service that we offer our international clients.

These achievements, and the work that preceded them, were a critical factor in delivering a strong financial performance in 2017. The strength of our three main global businesses generated significant increases in both reported and adjusted Group profit before tax ('PBT'), while reported PBT also benefited from the non-recurrence of a number of large significant items from 2016. Adjusted PBT and adjusted revenue were up in four out of five regions. We grew adjusted revenue faster than adjusted costs, and continued to increase our market share in strategic product areas.

Business performance

Retail Banking and Wealth Management had an excellent 2017, with strong adjusted revenue increases across a number of business lines. In Retail Banking, interest rate rises helped to grow revenue as our robust balance sheet and capital strength continued to attract deposits, particularly in Hong Kong. We continued to grow lending in our target markets, especially Hong Kong, the UK and Mexico. Wealth Management benefited from improving customer investment appetite, strong product sales across all categories and the impact of market movements on our life insurance manufacturing businesses.

Commercial Banking adjusted revenue grew well on the back of an outstanding performance in Global Liquidity and Cash Management. Higher lending volumes helped Credit and Lending overcome the impact of narrower spreads. Global Trade and Receivables Finance revenue stabilised after a difficult 2016 and we increased our share of major markets, including trade finance in Hong Kong and receivables finance in the UK. HSBC was voted market leader for trade finance in Euromoney's annual trade finance survey in January 2018.

Global Banking and Markets grew adjusted revenue, driven particularly by strong growth in Global Liquidity and Cash Management, and Securities Services. Growth in the first three quarters of the year in Markets and Banking enabled both to withstand the effects of subdued market activity in the fourth quarter.

Global Private Banking adjusted revenue reflected the impact of historical repositioning, but was stable over the course of 2017. The business grew adjusted revenue by 10% in its target markets.

Our strong revenue generation meant that the Group achieved positive adjusted jaws in 2017. We accelerated investment to grow the business, particularly in Retail Banking and Wealth Management, which contributed to an increase in adjusted costs. Performance-related compensation also grew in line with profit before tax.

Adjusted loan impairment charges were significantly lower than 2016, mainly due to improved conditions in the oil and gas industry in North America.

Our strong common equity tier one ratio of 14.5% included the effect of recent changes in US tax legislation, which reduced our capital position by 9 basis points. It also included the impact of our most recent $2bn share buy-back. In 2017, we returned a total of $3bn to shareholders through share buy-backs and paid more in dividends than any other European or American bank. We achieved this while maintaining one of the strongest capital ratios in the industry.

Strategic actions

The strength of our business is due in large part to the strategic actions that we first announced in June 2015. This programme concluded at the end of 2017 with eight out of ten actions completed on time and on target (see pages 12 to 13).

HSBC is much more capital efficient and capable of producing stronger returns for investors as a consequence of these actions. Our cost-reduction programmes have enabled us to absorb the cost of growing the business and protecting HSBC from financial crime, while improving the efficiency and security of our processes.

Our previously underperforming Mexico business is increasingly profitable and well positioned for further growth. Whilst our US business remains a work in progress, it is a valuable source of business for other regions and continues to make important progress. We also completed the run-off of our legacy US consumer and mortgage lending portfolio, bringing an end to a difficult chapter in HSBC's recent history.

Our international network is now much better able to connect customers to opportunities and delivering revenue growth above that of the global economy. 53% of client revenue now comes from international clients, up from 50% in 2015. Global Liquidity and Cash Management in particular is now a major component of the bank's success, and Global Trade and Receivables Finance has extended its leadership of the global trade finance market.

The Group's business mix is more oriented towards Asia, improving our ability to channel the economic and social changes taking place within the world's fastest growing region. Asia contributes a larger proportion of the Group's profits than in 2015, reflecting regional investment in growing our loan book, building our insurance and asset management businesses, and connecting customers to opportunities within the region.

We continued to expand our presence in mainland China with the launch of new retail banking products and increased lending in the Pearl River Delta. In December we launched HSBC Qianhai Securities, the first securities joint venture in mainland China to be majority-owned by an international bank. This allows us to offer our clients increased access to China's rapidly expanding capital markets and provides an unprecedented opportunity to establish and grow a securities business in mainland China with strong international standards. This underlines our status as the leading international bank in mainland China.

We won a number of significant new business mandates related to the China-led Belt and Road Initiative in 2017, and opened new China desks in Poland, Luxembourg, Thailand and Macau to capture further opportunities. We now have a total of 24 China desks aimed at supporting Chinese businesses with global outbound ambitions, 20 of which are along the 'Belt and Road' routes. In November we were named 'Best Bank for Belt and Road' at the FinanceAsia Achievement Awards 2017.

Fighting financial crime

For the past five years, we have been weaving Global Standards into the fabric of HSBC. The investment that we have made in our financial crime risk management capabilities has considerably strengthened our ability to protect the integrity of the financial system. We have assembled a highly expert team which is helping to shape the debate about our industry's role in the fight against financial crime. We have made great strides in building a compliance function fit for the many evolving challenges we face, and built partnerships to combat financial crime with regulatory and law enforcement authorities around the world. 

The expiration in December of the five-year deferred prosecution agreement that we entered into with the US Department of Justice in 2012 ('AML DPA') was an important milestone for HSBC. Nevertheless, exiting the AML DPA was a product rather than the focus of the essential work that we have done to transform our compliance capabilities and protect the financial system. This work will continue as we seek to ensure that the changes we have made are effective and sustainable. Combating financial crime is a never-ending exercise and will be a constant focus for the Group's management.

Thank you

As I prepare to pass on the stewardship of HSBC to my successor, I am proud of our achievements of the last seven and a half years. After the most extensive transformation programme in HSBC's 153 year history, HSBC is simpler, stronger and more secure than it was in 2011, and better able to connect customers to opportunities in the world's fastest growing regions. We have also delivered excellent value to shareholders through a higher share price, $64.7bn in declared dividends and $5.5bn in share buy-backs, representing a total shareholder return of 70.3% from 2011 to the end of 2017.

I am pleased to be handing over to such a capable successor as John Flint, whose intimate knowledge of HSBC and its culture will be a considerable asset to the bank and its clients. I am grateful to my colleagues on the Group Management Board for their support since 2011, and to Douglas Flint and Mark Tucker for their backing.

Finally, my sincere thanks go to all of my HSBC colleagues around the world, past and present, whose hard work and commitment are the foundation of the bank's success. It has been my privilege to work with them for the last 38 years.

Stuart Gulliver

Group Chief Executive

20 February 2018

'We have delivered excellent value to shareholders through a total shareholder return of 70.3% from 2011 to the end of 2017.'

'My sincere thanks go to all of my HSBC colleagues around the world, past and present, whose hard work and commitment are the foundation of the bank's success.'

Our strategy

We have developed a long-term strategy that reflects our purpose and enables us to capture value from our international network.

Two-pronged long-term strategy

Develop our international network

To serve enterprises across geographies and facilitate international trade and capital flows, thereby helping our clients to grow their business.

Invest in wealth and retail businesses with local scale

To make the most of global social mobility, wealth creation and long-term demographic changes in our select retail banking and wealth management markets.

Value of the network and our strategy

Access to global growth opportunities

Our unparalleled network covers countries accounting for approximately 90% of global GDP, trade and capital flows. We have a leading presence in large and fast-growing economies.

Our network covers all of the world's 30 largest trade corridors forecast for 2030. These top 30 corridors are expected to have a compound annual growth rate well in excess of GDP growth expectations from 2016 to 2030.

Lower risk profile and volatility from our geographically diversified universal banking model

Strong capital and funding base

CET1 ratio of 14.5% supported by increased shareholders' equity to meet new regulatory requirements since the end of 2010.

Four interconnected, global businesses share balance sheets and liquidity in addition to strong commercial links.

Stable shareholder returns

Industry leading dividend - approximately $65bn declared from 2011 to 2017 - as well as circa $5.5bn of share repurchases.

Long-term trends

Our strategy positions us to capitalise on several long-term trends.

Increasing connectivity and global flows of trade, finance and data are key drivers of GDP growth.

Source: Global Insight's Comparative World Overview.

Emerging market economies are expected to be twice the size of developed economies by 2050.  

Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

The middle class is expected to grow by over two billion people from 2017 to 2030, driven by growth in Asia's middle class.

Source: Global Economy and Development at Brookings, The Unprecedented Expansion of the Middle Class (2017).

Climate change is accelerating and global temperatures are trending significantly higher. Investment in renewable energy capacity will be needed to limit the global temperature increase to 2°C.

Source: OECD, Investing in Climate, Investing in Growth (2017).

* The scenario assumes a 66% probability of keeping the mean global surface temperature rise throughout the 21st century to below 2°C above pre-industrialised levels.

Client examples

Trina Solar ('Trina'): China, renewable energy

Exporter of solar panels globally. Trina's aim is to bring China's green energy solutions to countries along the Belt and Road Initiative route, and has thus stepped up its overseas investment, particularly in the ASEAN region. HSBC created a digital platform for Trina that gave its headquarters a transparent view of its ASEAN-region subsidiaries' cash positions and set up a cash pool in Singapore to seamlessly connect Trina's HSBC accounts globally.

Reckitt Benckiser ('RB'): UK, consumer goods

Global consumer health and hygiene company. HSBC acted as financial adviser and lead financier to Reckitt Benckiser on its $18bn acquisition of Mead Johnson Nutrition Company, a leader in infant and children's nutrition. This acquisition marked one of the largest UK into US transactions and considerably strengthened RB's presence in developing markets, particularly China.

Zhejiang Geely: China, automotive

Leading automobile manufacturer. HSBC served as sole financial adviser for Zhejiang Geely on two interlinked China outbound investments, one in Malaysian carmaker Proton Holdings and the second in Lotus Advance Technologies, a subsidiary of Proton based in the UK. These transactions were enabled by collaboration between HSBC teams in mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and London.

Morgan McKinley: Ireland, professional services

Strategic actions

We met eight out of ten targets from the strategic actions outlined in our Investor Update in June 2015.

Capturing value from our international network

In June 2015, we outlined a series of strategic actions to make the most of our competitive advantages and respond to a changing environment.

These actions focused on using our resources more efficiently and on investing for growth. Each action had targets defined to the end of 2017. The table opposite contains a summary of our progress with additional details provided below.

Resizing and simplifying our business

We passed several significant milestones in resizing and simplifying our business in 2017. Our management actions delivered a gross reduction of risk-weighted assets ('RWAs') by $338bn, exceeding our RWA reduction target from management initiatives by $60bn on an FX-adjusted basis.

Among our NAFTA region Investor Update targets, we did not reach our US profit before tax ('PBT') target of $2bn. However, we have taken steps forward in, for example, our US Retail Banking and Wealth Management ('RBWM') business, where we increased PBT, revenues and deposits, and migrated over one million customers to our impending new core banking platform. We also completed the wind-down of our US consumer and mortgage lending ('CML') run-off portfolio. In Mexico, our adjusted PBT reached $440m, surpassing our Investor Update target on a local currency basis. We also grew adjusted revenue in Mexico by 11% compared with 2016, supported by increased loan balances from market share gains.

We remain on course to complete the set-up of our UK ring-fenced bank ('RFB') ahead of the 1 January 2019 statutory deadline. In 2017, we received a restricted bank licence for the RFB and are working through an agreed mobilisation plan with the Prudential Regulatory Authority and Financial Conduct Authority to receive an unrestricted licence in 2018.

We successfully concluded our cost-saving programme and realised $6.1bn of annual run-rate savings, over $1bn more than our Investor Update target. The programme enabled 2017 exit run-rate adjusted costs to be kept flat compared with the 2014 cost base. The savings offset increased costs from areas such as regulatory programmes and compliance, and investments to help facilitate further business growth. For example, in RBWM, we expanded the use of biometrics globally with over 1.5 million customers using voice recognition, and with fingerprint technology launched in nine of our markets. For our corporate customers, we improved our key digital channels with significant improvements to HSBCnet and HSBC Connect. Our costs-to-achieve transformation concluded with approximately $7bn spent since the start of the programme.

Redeploying capital to grow our business

Our international network remains core to our strategy, and we achieved our Investor Update target of revenue growth above GDP. In 2017, we grew our revenue from transaction banking products by 6%, including double-digit percentage growth in GLCM and HSBC Security Services ('HSS'). We grew GTRF market share in key markets, in particular Hong Kong and receivables finance in the UK. Cross-border revenues from our priority corridors grew 10%, with double-digit percentage growth in four of our five largest priority corridors including our China-US corridor. We were named 'Top Global Trade Finance Bank' by our clients in the Euromoney Trade Finance Survey 2018.

We delivered on our 2015 Investor Update commitment to prioritise and accelerate investments in Asia. In 2017, we grew our loan portfolio in the region by $53bn to $426bn. Our asset management and insurance businesses in Asia realised 17% and 8% growth in AUM and annualised new business premiums, respectively. In mainland China, we reached over 400,000 cards in circulation since launching credit cards at the end of 2016, and we grew our customer loans in the Pearl River Delta region by 23%. We launched HSBC Qianhai Securities, the first securities joint venture in mainland China to be majority-owned by an international bank.

Revenue tied to renminbi ('RMB') internationalisation in 2017 of $1.2bn did not meet our Investor Update target of $2.0bn to $2.5bn. This was largely due to a decrease in overall market volumes. However, we continue to be recognised as the leading bank for international RMB products and services. We ranked first in Bloomberg's offshore RMB bond underwriting league table in 2017 with 28% market share and first for the sixth year in a row in the Asiamoney Offshore RMB Poll 2017. We had the largest share, at 53%, of approved quota of RMB Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor ('RQFII') custodian business.

Selected awards and recognition

Euromoney Trade Finance Survey 2018

Top Global Trade Finance Bank

Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2017

World's Best Bank

World's Best Investment Bank in the Emerging Markets

Asia's Best Bank

North America's Best Bank for Transaction Services

Euromoney Cash Management Survey 2017

Best Global Cash Manager for Corporates

Best Global Cash Manager for Financial Institutions for all Transactions

Asiamoney New Silk Road Finance Awards 2017

Best Overall International Bank for Belt and Road Initiative

Ñ For footnotes, see page 62.

Financial overview

This table shows our reported results for the last three years, ended 31 December 2017, 2016 and 2015.

All commentary in this financial overview compares the 2017 results with 2016, unless otherwise stated.

Reported profit before tax

Reported profit before tax of $17.2bn was $10.1bn or 141% higher, mainly reflecting a net favourable movement of significant items of $8.5bn, which is described in more detail on page 32. Excluding significant items and an adverse effect of foreign currency translation of $0.5bn, profit before tax increased by $2.1bn or 11%.

Reported revenue

Significant items also included a loss of $1.7bn recognised in 2016 on the sale of operations in Brazil to Banco Bradesco S.A., which was completed on 1 July 2016. This loss was substantially offset by the reported revenue earned by the Brazil business during 2016 of $1.5bn.

Excluding significant items, and an adverse effect of foreign currency translation of $0.7bn, revenue increased by $2.2bn or 5%, reflecting growth in Retail Banking and Wealth Management ('RBWM'), Commercial Banking ('CMB') and Global Banking and Markets ('GB&M').

Reported LICs

Reported loan impairment charges and other credit risk provisions ('LICs') of $1.8bn were $1.6bn lower, in part reflecting the effect of significant items, which comprised the LICs incurred by our operations in Brazil in 2016 of $0.7bn.

Excluding significant items and the adverse effect of foreign currency translation of $0.1bn, LICs decreased by $0.8bn or 32%. The reduction in LICs was primarily in CMB, RBWM and Corporate Centre.

Reported operating expenses

Excluding significant items and a favourable effect of foreign currency translation of $0.3bn, operating expenses increased by $1.1bn. This increase mainly reflected increased investment in growth programmes, primarily in RBWM, where investments were partly funded by the proceeds from our disposal of Visa shares, and higher performance-related pay.

Reported income from associates and joint ventures

Reported income from associates and joint ventures of $2.4bn increased by $21m.

Dividends

On 20 February 2018, the Board announced a fourth interim dividend of $0.21 per ordinary share.

Adjusted performance

Our reported results are prepared in accordance with IFRSs as detailed in the Financial Statements on page 186.

We present adjusted performance measures to align internal and external reporting, identify and quantify items management believes to be significant, and provide insight into how management assesses period-on-period performance. Adjusted performance measures are highlighted with the following symbol: < >

Ñ For reconciliations of our reported results to an adjusted basis, including lists of significant items, see page 48.

Adjusted results< >

Adjusted profit before tax< >

On an adjusted basis, profit before tax of $21.0bn was $2.1bn or 11% higher. This was driven by higher revenue (up $2.2bn), with growth in our three main global businesses, and a significant reduction in LICs (down $0.8bn), notably as 2016 included charges relating to exposures to the oil and gas, and mining sectors. These movements were partly offset by higher operating expenses (up $1.1bn), in part due to investment in growth initiatives. In 2017, we achieved positive adjusted jaws of 1.0%.

Adjusted revenue< >

Adjusted LICs< >

Adjusted operating expenses< >

Adjusted operating expenses of $31.1bn were $1.1bn or 4% higher. This reflected investments in business growth programmes ($0.6bn), primarily in RBWM where investments were partly funded by the proceeds from the disposal of our shares in Visa, as well as an increase in performance-related pay (up $0.4bn). Compared with 2016, our UK bank levy charge was broadly unchanged, at $916m. The impact of our cost-saving initiatives broadly offset inflation and continued investment in our regulatory programmes and compliance.

Our total investment in regulatory programmes and compliance was $3.0bn, up $0.2bn or 7%. This notably reflected the continued implementation of our Global Standards programme to enhance financial crime risk controls and capabilities.

The number of employees expressed in full-time equivalent staff at 31 December 2017 was 228,687, a decrease of 6,488 from 31 December 2016. This reflected reductions resulting from our transformation programmes and the completion of these programmes, partly offset by increases from our investments in Global Standards and in our business growth programmes.

Adjusted income from associates and joint ventures< >

Adjusted income from associates and joint ventures of $2.4bn increased by $0.1bn.

2016: $30.1bn

2017: $31.1bn

Balance sheet and capital

Balance sheet strength

Total reported assets were $2.5tn, 6% higher than at 31 December 2016 on a reported basis, and 1% higher on a constant currency basis. We have maintained the strength of our balance sheet, as we continued our targeted asset growth, notably in Asia.

Distributable reserves

The distributable reserves of HSBC Holdings at 31 December 2017 were $38bn, compared with $42bn at 31 December 2016. The decrease was driven by distributions to shareholders of $8.3bn, which were higher than profits generated of $5.5bn, as well as fair value losses net of tax due to movements in our own credit risk of $0.8bn.

Capital strength

We manage our capital in an effort to ensure we exceed current regulatory requirements and are well placed to meet those expected in the future. We monitor our position using capital ratios. These measure capital relative to a regulatory assessment of risks taken. We quantify how these risks relate to our businesses using RWAs.

Ñ Details of these risks are included on page 117.

Our CET1 ratio at 31 December 2017 was 14.5%, up from 13.6% at 31 December 2016.

Implementation of IFRS 9

IFRS 9 'Financial Instruments' was adopted on 1 January 2018. The adoption of IFRS 9 will reduce the Group's net assets at 1 January 2018 by $1.0bn. We do not expect this to have a significant impact on our regulatory capital position.

Ñ Further explanation of the expected impact of the implementation of IFRS 9 is provided in Note 1 on the Financial Statements on page 186.

Delivery against Group financial targets

Return on equity

Our medium-term target is to achieve a return on equity ('RoE') of more than 10%. In 2017, we achieved an RoE of 5.9% compared with 0.8% in 2016. In 2016, significant items, which included a write-off of goodwill in GPB in Europe, costs to achieve and adverse fair value movements arising from changes in credit spread on our own debt designated at fair value, had a significant effect on our reported RoE.

Jaws measures the difference between the rates of change for revenue and costs. Positive jaws occurs when the figure for the annual percentage change in revenue is higher than, or less negative than, the corresponding rate for costs.

We calculate adjusted jaws using adjusted revenue and costs. Our target is to maintain positive adjusted jaws.

In 2017, adjusted revenue increased by 5% and our adjusted operating expenses increased by 4%. Adjusted jaws was therefore positive 1%.

Dividends

In the current uncertain environment, we plan to sustain the annual dividend in respect of the year at its current level for the foreseeable future. Growing our dividend will depend on the overall profitability of the Group, delivering further release of less

efficiently deployed capital and meeting regulatory capital requirements in a timely manner. Actions to address these points were core elements of our Investor Update in June 2015.

Global businesses

We manage our products and services globally through our global businesses.

The 'Management view of adjusted revenue' tables provide a breakdown of revenue by major products, and reflect the basis on which each business is assessed and managed.

Ñ The comparative period has been restated to reflect changes to reportable segments, as described on page 46.

Commentary is on an adjusted basis, which is consistent with how we assess the performance of our global businesses. < >

Retail Banking and Wealth Management ('RBWM')

RBWM serves close to 37 million customers worldwide through four main businesses: Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Asset Management and Insurance. Our HSBC Premier and Advance propositions are aimed at mass affluent and emerging affluent customers who value international connectivity and benefit from our global reach and scale. For customers with simpler banking needs, RBWM offers a full range of products and services reflecting local requirements.

Financial performance

Adjusted profit before tax of $6.5bn was $1.2bn or 24% higher, reflecting strong revenue growth from deposits and Wealth Management, as well as lower LICs, partly offset by higher operating expenses. We achieved positive adjusted jaws of 4.0%.

Adjusted revenue of $20.3bn was $1.7bn or 9% higher, reflecting:

Adjusted LICs of $1.0bn were $0.2bn or 14% lower, reflecting reductions in Turkey of $85m and in the US of $44m, as credit quality improved. This was partly offset in Mexico where higher LICs ($24m) reflected targeted growth in unsecured lending and associated higher delinquency rates. In the UK LICs of $132m were marginally higher, but remained at very low levels (10bps of the portfolio) as higher LICs relating to mortgages and unsecured lending were partly offset by a release from the sale of a loan portfolio.

Ñ For footnotes, see page 62.

Change in adjusted profit before tax

+24%

Commercial Banking ('CMB')

CMB serves approximately 1.7 million customers in 53 countries and territories. Our customers range from small enterprises focused primarily on their domestic markets to corporates operating globally. We support customers with tailored financial products and services to allow them to operate efficiently and grow.

Services provided include working capital, term loans, payment services and international trade facilitation, as well as expertise in mergers and acquisitions, and access to financial markets.

Financial performance

Adjusted profit before tax of $6.8bn was $0.9bn or 15% higher, reflecting higher revenue and lower LICs. This was partly offset by an increase in operating expenses. We achieved positive adjusted jaws of 1.3%.

Adjusted LICs of $0.5bn were $0.5bn or 49% lower, notably in North America and the UK, primarily related to exposures in the oil and gas sector, and were also lower in France and Spain. In Asia, lower LICs in Singapore and mainland China were largely offset by higher LICs in Hong Kong, across various sectors.

Adjusted operating expenses were $0.2bn or 3% higher. This reflected our continued investment in Global Standards and digital capabilities, as well as inflation. This was partly offset by a reduction from our cost-saving initiatives.

Ñ For footnotes, see page 62.

Change in adjusted profit before tax

+15%

Global Banking and Markets ('GB&M')

GB&M serves approximately 4,100 clients in more than 50 countries and territories. It supports major government, corporate and institutional clients worldwide. Our product specialists continue to deliver a comprehensive range of transaction banking, financing, advisory, capital markets and risk management services.

Financial performance

Adjusted profit before tax of $5.8bn was $0.3bn or 5% higher, reflecting a strong revenue performance, partly offset by higher operating expenses, while achieving positive adjusted jaws of 1.3%.

Adjusted LICs of $0.5bn were broadly unchanged from the prior year. LICs in 2017 related to two large corporate exposures in Europe, compared with 2016, which included a small number of individually assessed LICs, notably on exposures in the oil and gas, and mining sectors in the US.

Adjusted operating expenses increased by $0.1bn or 1%, reflecting higher performance-related pay, pension and severance costs. Our continued cost management and efficiency improvements, and saves from technology investments, broadly offset the effects of inflation.

Ñ For footnotes, see page 62.

Change in adjusted profit before tax

+5%

Global Private Banking ('GPB')

GPB serves high net worth individuals and families, including those with international banking needs.

We provide a full range of private banking services, including Investment Management, which includes advisory and brokerage services, and Private Wealth Solutions, which comprises trusts and estate planning, to protect and preserve wealth for future generations.

Financial performance

Adjusted profit before tax of $296m was $24m or 9% higher as a reduction in operating expenses was partly offset by lower revenue. We achieved positive adjusted jaws of 3.2%.

Adjusted revenue of $1.7bn was $45m or 3% lower, reflecting the continued impact of client repositioning. Revenue from the markets that we have targeted for growth increased by 10%. This was mainly in Hong Kong, due to growth in investment revenue reflecting increased client activity, and higher deposit income from wider spreads.

Adjusted LICs of $16m in 2017 primarily related to a single client in the UK.

Ñ For footnotes, see page 62.

Change in adjusted profit before tax

+9%

Corporate Centre

Corporate Centre comprises Central Treasury, including Balance Sheet Management ('BSM'), our legacy businesses, interests in our associates and joint ventures, central stewardship costs and the UK bank levy.

Financial performance

Adjusted profit before tax of $1.7bn was $0.4bn or 17% lower, reflecting lower revenue and higher operating expenses, partly offset by a fall in LICs.

Other income increased by $0.4bn, which included revaluation gains on investment properties.

Net loan impairment releases of $182m compared with adjusted LICs of $22m in 2016. This reflected lower LICs in the US run-off portfolio, and higher net releases related to our legacy credit portfolio.

Adjusted operating expenses of $2.1bn were $0.2bn or 8% higher due to investment in regulatory programmes and compliance, partly offset by lower US run-off portfolio costs.

Ñ For footnotes, see page 62.

How we do business

Supporting sustainable growth

We conduct our business intent on supporting the sustained success of our customers, people and communities.

Customers

We aim to be the world's leading international bank and strive for excellence.

Our customers are at the heart of everything we do and we are working to make life simpler, faster and better for them.

Understanding our customers

In this section we focus on our global business with the largest amount of customers. We also measure and report on customer data for Retail Banking and Wealth Management ('RBWM') and Commercial Banking in another eight markets within our Environmental, Social and Governance ('ESG') Update.

Taking responsibility for the service we provide

Operating with high standards of conduct is central to our long-term success and ability to serve customers, and we have clear policies, frameworks and governance in place to support our delivery of that commitment. These cover the way we behave, design products and services, train and incentivise employees, and interact with customers and each other. Our Conduct Framework guides activities to strengthen our business and increases our understanding of how the decisions we make affect customers and other stakeholders. Details on our Conduct Framework are available at www.hsbc.com and for further information on conduct, see pages 61 and 77.

The targets for each of these metrics are carefully set and managed to instil the right behaviours among our employees.

Customer recommendation*

RBWM

*Percentage of customers providing an 8 or above score out of 10. In Hong Kong the survey methodology changed in 2017, with surveys migrated from telephone to online. This may affect the comparison with prior year figures.

Complaints resolution

Time taken to resolve complaints (excluding PPI complaints)

*2017 figures do not include First Direct UK complaint volumes, which were not available at time of publication. They are not expected to materially impact results.

What customers are telling us

A digital transformation

Our customers are becoming increasingly digitally oriented in their everyday lives. This means their expectations of us are changing.

Customers are now using branches less often. In the future, we will have fewer - but better - branches and our front-line employees will be using a greater range of technology to support all our customers' needs.

Our employees

Our employees are key to our success. We are focused on creating a diverse and inclusive environment where people can speak up, build their skills and develop their careers. We want our employees to feel that they can contribute to our purpose and fulfil their potential with our support.

Giving employees a voice

Since 2012, we have been hosting HSBC Exchange to give employees a voice. Exchanges are meetings with no agendas, where managers and leaders simply listen and employees do the talking. It's an innovative approach that provides a forum for people to share their views on any issue and talk about what matters most to them.

Our monthly employee survey - Snapshot - tests the views of a representative sample of colleagues on topics such as our strategy, regulation, culture and customer experience. Results are presented to the Group Management Board and relevant executive committees of the global functions and businesses, regions and countries.

Whilst 77% of employees feel able to speak up when they see behaviour which they think is wrong and 72% believe that HSBC is genuine in its commitment to encourage colleagues to speak up, a smaller proportion of employees - 61% - say that where they work people can state their opinions without fear of negative consequence.

The insight from Snapshot surveys, Exchanges and other employee engagement initiatives, informs policy, process and strategy across the Group and helps leadership make decisions that take employees into account.

Creating a diverse and inclusive environment

We believe that a diverse and inclusive workforce is critical to running a sustainable and successful business. Our approach aims to increase and leverage diversity of thought to drive greater innovation, better manage risks, enhance collaboration and improve workforce agility.

Our commitment

We are committed to enabling a thriving environment where people are valued, respected and supported. We create business value by drawing on the richness of ideas, backgrounds, styles and perspectives of our employees.

Gender balance at senior leadership

We focus on improving gender balance in senior leadership across the Group. Our objective was for the female share of our senior leadership** to be more than 26.3% by the end of 2017, and we achieved 26.8%. This is a 1.4 percentage point increase on our 2016 year-end position and is an improvement to the trend year on year.

Employee networks

Our seven global employee networks play a key role in building community, highlighting opportunities and achieving our diversity and inclusion ambitions. The networks focus on gender, age, ethnicity, LGBT+, faith, working parents and carers, and ability. Additionally we have common interest groups sharing experiences and engaging with others both internally and externally.

Employee retention

85.7%

(2016: 81.7%)

*Combined Executive Committee and direct reports was reported as at 30 June 2017 to the UK's Hampton Alexander Review and includes the Executive Directors, Group Managing Directors and their direct reports (excluding administrative staff).

**Senior leadership refers to employees performing roles classified as 0, 1, 2 or 3 in our Global Career Band Structure.

Whistleblowing

We work hard to create an environment in which people feel able to speak up, but understand that employees may not always feel comfortable raising concerns through their regular escalation channels. There will also be some circumstances which require more discretion. We operate a global whistleblowing standard, HSBC Confidential, which allows individuals to report matters of concern confidentially. We also maintain an external email address for concerns about accounting and internal financial controls or auditing matters ([email protected]). The Group has a strict policy prohibiting retaliation against those who raise concerns. All allegations of retaliation reported are escalated to senior management.

HSBC Confidential is overseen by our Conduct & Values Committee and Group Audit Committee. Investigations are carried out thoroughly and independently, drawing on the expertise of a variety of teams, including Regulatory Compliance, Human Resources, Legal, Financial Crime Risk, Information Security and Internal Audit.

1,585

Cases were raised during 2017 (2016: 1,102 cases). All cases are subject to investigation. In 30% of the closed cases in 2017 (2016: 34%), allegations were substantiated in whole or in part and appropriate remedial action taken.

Other

HSBC's purpose is to connect people with opportunities. With this purpose comes the responsibility to protect our customers, our communities and the integrity of the financial system.

Non-financial risks

We use a range of tools to monitor and manage our non-financial risks including our risk appetite, risk map, top and emerging risks and stress testing processes. In 2017, HSBC completed a multi-year Operational Risk Transformation Programme, the purpose of which was to make it easier to manage operational risk consistently in HSBC. This included the implementation of a new operational risk management framework ('ORMF') and system of record. The new ORMF provides an end-to-end view of non-financial risks, enhancing focus on associated controls and the capital we hold. It provides a platform to drive forward-looking risk awareness and assist management focus. Further details may be found in the Risk section on page 63 and page 77.

Financial crime compliance

HSBC operates in many countries around the world. As part of financial crime risk management, we have built a strong financial crime compliance system with a global footprint, and have a dedicated Financial Crime Risk team. We have invested heavily in training and communication for all employees. Our risk appetite has been set formally. Further details may be found in the Risk section on page 63.

Anti-bribery and corruption

As part of financial crime risk management, we have a global anti-bribery and corruption policy. The policy gives practical effect to global initiatives such as the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development ('OECD') Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions and Principle 10 of the United Nations Global Compact. We continue to invest in technology and training; in 2017 98% of our workforce was trained via a mandatory e-learning course 'My Financial Crime Risk Responsibilities'.

Tax

Total: $6.8bn