Also unveils $2bn share buyback
HSBC posted an unexpected 4 per cent drop in first-quarter pre-tax profit due to a surge in investments, and announced plans to initiate a new share buyback of up to $2bn.
“We also made strategic hires in our securities joint venture in mainland China, and invested to enhance our digital capabilities in all our global businesses,” said Chief Executive John Flint in a statement.
Flint, according to reports, plans to double down on HSBC’s ‘pivot’ to Asia and China in particular, despite some setbacks in the plan launched in June 2015. The bank made over 75 per cent of its profits in Asia in 2017.
The bank’s pre-tax profit of $4.76 bn for the three months ended March 31 compared to $4.96bn in the year-ago period.
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