London, Jan 12, 2026, 08:27 GMT — Regular session
- HSBC shares down about 0.8% in early London trade
- Bank launches UAE onshore asset management business with 10 locally regulated funds
- Investors look for detail on scale and timing as annual results approach
HSBC Holdings Plc shares edged lower in early London trade on Monday after the bank announced a new onshore asset management business in the United Arab Emirates and a slate of locally regulated funds. The stock was down 0.8% at 1,184.6 pence by 0822 GMT. 1
For investors, this is less about a single product launch and more about where HSBC is putting its weight. Wealth fees can be steadier than lending income, but they depend on winning clients and keeping money invested.
The Gulf, and the UAE in particular, has become a hard target for global banks and managers chasing affluent customers. The pitch is straightforward: build locally regulated products, catch inflows early, and try to keep them from drifting to rivals.
HSBC said it would open the UAE asset management business and launch 10 onshore funds — meaning domiciled and regulated in the UAE rather than routed through offshore centres — to tap rising wealth in the country. “Our investment in building an onshore asset management business is about capturing the significant and long-term wealth opportunity in the UAE,” Dinesh Sharma, its regional head of international wealth and personal banking for the Middle East and Turkey, said. The bank appointed James Grist as general manager of the new entity and said HSBC Asset Management had $852 billion in assets under management — the money it oversees for clients — at the end of September. 2
In a separate statement, HSBC said the 10 funds were registered with the UAE’s Securities & Commodities Authority and pitched the move as part of a push to deepen local markets. Daisy Ho, chief executive for Asia and the Middle East at HSBC Asset Management, said: “The launch of our Dubai branch reaffirms HSBC Asset Management’s commitment to expanding our presence and capabilities in the UAE.” 3
For HSBC, the attraction is that a bigger pool of managed money can throw off fees even when loan growth slows. The catch is that asset flows can turn quickly if markets wobble, and new fund ranges do not scale overnight.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 index was up about 0.8% in early trade, leaving HSBC lagging the broader market on the day. 4
But the announcement leaves gaps. HSBC did not put a number on how large the UAE operation will be, and investors have little to go on yet in terms of expected inflows, pricing or build-out costs.
Traders will likely watch for follow-through: any early sign of asset gathering, any hint of margin, and whether HSBC extends the onshore model across the Gulf as competition tightens.
The next set-piece for investors is Feb. 25, when HSBC’s calendar shows it is due to publish annual results for 2025. The same delayed quotes showed HSBC’s Hong Kong-listed shares down HK$1.50 and its U.S. ADR down $0.30. 5
