HSBC Buybacks Put on Ice Until Capital Recovers After Hang Seng Deal
HSBC isn’t planning fresh share buybacks until it restores its core capital ratio to the target range, following January’s Hang Seng Bank privatisation that dragged capital below the band. Chief executive Georges Elhedery described 2025 as “a year of decisive action and swift execution” after the bank raised profitability targets spanning the next three years. Timing’s key here—HSBC is hovering close to its 52-week high, so investors are zeroed in on the pace of any cash returns. Shares last finished at about 1,293 pence in London, with Hargreaves Lansdown’s data pointing to a dividend yield of roughly 3.9%.
