Community
HSBC believes sustainability is the key to long-term success. Since the 1990s, the bank has been supporting rural revitalisation, financial education, environmental conservation, elderly care, child welfare, community development, innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as pandemic control and disaster relief, benefitting nearly 10 million people in 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.
By the end of 2022, HSBC had made accumulated donations of over RMB1.3 billion in mainland China. HSBC China is the only foreign company to have received the “China Charity Award”, the highest national-level philanthropic honour from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, nine times.
HSBC China manages its donations with a professional and rigorous approach throughout the project selection, supervision, evaluation and replication process, so as to maximise the impact and bring lasting benefits to society.
In 2022, HSBC Insurance supported “Financial Literacy Plan for Community Migrant Children – Phase II”, “Empowering rural mom - Supporting Rural Women Artists” in Sichuan and “Care for communities during Shanghai Covid 19 period” in April. HSBC Insurance volunteers took part in financial education, elderly care, rural women and children summer camps and environmental protection activities, contributing expertise and love to the community where we operate.
- Haihui Hubei Tianmen Youth Employability Support Programme Got Awarded
- “Empowering Rural Mom - Supporting Rural Women Artists” Programme Launched in Sichuan
- INSH CEO was Invited to Speak at 2022 China Green Finance Forum
- Volunteer Experience at Guangdong Rural Summer Camp to Help Local Women and Children
- Financial Literacy Plan for Community Migrant Children – Phase II Launched
- Principle of Sustainable Insurance-HSBC Insurnace disclosure
- Volunteer's Online Financial Education Class in Beijing
Highlights of HSBC China charity programmes
Fight against COVID-19
To battle the outbreak of COVID-19, HSBC took immediate action to donate RMB11 million to secure resources and supplies, benefiting more than 1,000 hospitals, welfare houses and prisons.
We also launched the second phase of our relief action plan, with a total donation of RMB52 million, to support the post-pandemic recovery.
In addition, we also helped 20 charity partners battle the pandemic in a better way.
Rural revitalisation
HSBC was an early pioneer of supporting targeted poverty alleviation and rural revitalisation.
From 2004 to the end of 2020, HSBC joined with a number of charity organisations to launch more than 70 projects in underdeveloped areas in Yunnan, Hubei, Chongqing, Guangdong and Gansu, with a donation of RMB120 million. This benefited nearly 9,000 rural families and more than 10,000 farmers.
The projects also helped more than 100,000 migrant workers improve their employment skills, more than 1,000 rural teachers enhance their teaching skills, and 300,000 rural primary school students add to their life skills.
Our efforts were recognised by the China Banking Association as a good example of how financial institutions support poverty alleviation.
Financial education
HSBC has been committed to promoting financial education to help people improve their financial literacy for career growth and plan their future development in a better way.
Since the launch of its first financial education programme in mainland China in 2005, HSBC has donated a total of over RMB230 million to nearly 50 programmes that have helped more than 1 million children, teenagers, elderly people, and construction workers from the Belt and Road Initiative projects enhance their financial literacy as well as have contributed to economic and social development.
Find out more: The story of financial literacy education for construction workers involved in “Belt and Road Initiative” projects
Environmental protection
HSBC has long supported environmental organisations in ecological protection, promoting sustainable finance and supply chains, and supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Since the launch of its Wetland Management Training Programme in 1999, HSBC has donated nearly RMB300 million to more than 10 environmental protection initiatives involving freshwater, biodiversity, environmental education, advocacy for a low-carbon life and green communities.
Find out more: Protecting the Yangtze River
Elderly care and child protection
HSBC has collaborated with governments and NGOs to promote the development of the elderly care sector since 1997. Over the years, HSBC has trained more than 1,100 elderly care home directors and 1,000 elderly caretakers, held more than 10 National Elderly Care Forums, and funded the development of “China’s Long-Term Care Industry Service Assessment Standards”.
Find out more: The story of caring for the elderly
Over the past 23 years, HSBC has supported children’s welfare in China. We have donated nearly RMB100 million to more than 100 programmes that have benefited over 1 million disadvantaged children. It is our hope to help children build self-confidence and self-reliance.
Find out more: Growing up at the child protection centre
Community building
By funding community welfare projects, cultivating community talent and stimulating community vitality, HSBC has contributed to promoting the community development and realising Chinese people’s aspirations for a better life.
HSBC has been committed to community development for 30 years. In 2013, it launched the “HSBC Community Partnership Programme”, the first company-initiated community development programme in mainland China. By the end of 2020, the programme had gone through seven phases with a total funding of RMB49.55 million, benefiting 391 communities in 34 cities and millions of residents.
Social innovation and entrepreneurship
Green supply chains
Since 2018, HSBC has initiated the sustainable supply chain programmes to promote the green transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises. As of the end of 2020, HSBC had donated over RMB60 million to the initiatives in palm oil, textile, real estate and electronics industries. Through technology innovation, awareness campaigns and enhanced industry standards, our efforts have helped expand the use of renewable energy and low-carbon technologies in production to create greater energy efficiency and accelerate the transformation of SMEs into a more sustainable business model.
Social Enterprises Facilitation and Incubation Programme
The programme, launched in 2018, helped start-ups grow through competitions, camps, incubators, investment alliances and pilot zones. Financing channels were made accessible to small and micro-sized enterprises to foster a social innovation ecosystem through certification, incentives, subsidies and talent introduction. The programme has benefited more than 700 companies.
Awards
- The only foreign invested company to have received the “China Charity Award”, the highest national-level philanthropic award by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, nine times
- The only company to have received “Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Protection of Wetlands”, presented by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration
- The only foreign-invested company to have received “Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Protection of Aquatic Life in the Yangtze River”, presented by the Ministry of Agriculture
- Winner of the “Best Charitable Contribution Award”, presented by the China Banking Association in consecutive years
| 1878 | Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. |
| 1981 | Established the Hongkong Bank Foundation to professionally manage its philanthropy programmes in HK. |
| 1991 | Began to offer disaster relief aid in mainland China. |
| 1994 | Collaborated with Shanghai Charity Foundation to provide continued support to youth employability and vocational training. |
| 1997 | Donated HKD25 million to China Charity Federation and launched the HSBC China Charity Elderly Care Programme and other initiatives. |
| 1999 | Launched the HSBC Wetland Management Training Programme which has trained more than 3,000 wetland reserve managers in mainland China. The programme kicked off HSBC’s two-decade-long support to China's freshwater conservation. |
| 2000 | Funded the first National Training Course for Elderly People Homes’ Managers. Since then the programme has trained thousands of managers for mainland China’ elderly care sector. |
| 2002 | Launched the five-year “Investing in Nature” initiative, with a focus on biodiversity conservation. |
| 2004 | Began to support a number of charity organizations in targeted poverty alleviation projects in more than 10 provinces. |
| 2005 | Launched children’s emotional wellbeing programmes such as “Zippy’s Friends”, “Apple’s Friends” and “Sunshine Kids Programme”. These programmes have helped more than 200,000 children cope with negative emotions and improve their social skills. |
| 2006 | Became the first foreign bank in mainland China to publish a corporate social responsibility report. |
| 2007 | Launched the five-year HSBC Climate Partnership Programme to tackle the challenges of climate change, with a commitment of more than RMB100 million in mainland China. |
| 2008 | Donated RMB18 million and raised another HKD200 million from the public via cooperation with the Hong Kong Red Cross for Wenchuan earthquake relief and post-disaster reconstruction. |
| 2008 | Donated RMB150 million to the Peking University Education Foundation to establish the Peking University HSBC Business School and the HSBC Financial Research Institute at Peking University. |
| 2010 | Funded the Yangtze Wetland Conservation Network, the world's first integrated river basin management network. |
| 2012 | Launched the five-year HSBC Water Programme, and committed more than RMB100 million to improve water resource management along the Yangtze River. |
| 2012 | The HSBC-funded high school economics course was approved by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission to be part of the city’s official curriculum, enabling more students to access economics learning. |
| 2012 | Partnered with the China Social Welfare Foundation, to launch a series of programmes to help disadvantaged children including orphans, homeless and disabled children, left-behind kids and the children of inmates. |
| 2013 | Launched the “HSBC Community Partnership Programme” with a donation of RMB10 million, leading businesses in supporting and participating in the development of “Chinese-style good neighbourhoods”. |
| 2015 | Donated an additional RMB30 million to support six charity projects in mainland China to mark HSBC’s 150th anniversary. |
| 2020 | Donated RMB11 million to support the fight against COVID-19, and provided RMB52 million in phase II of the HSBC China COVID-19 Disaster Relief Plan to support post-pandemic recovery. |
| 2021 | Launched the Climate Solutions Partnership, with a focus on nature-based solutions, energy transition and technological innovation to tackle climate change. |
| 1878 | 1981 |
|---|---|
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Established the Hongkong Bank Foundation to professionally manage its philanthropy programmes in HK. |
| 1878 | 1991 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Began to offer disaster relief aid in mainland China. |
| 1878 | 1994 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Collaborated with Shanghai Charity Foundation to provide continued support to youth employability and vocational training. |
| 1878 | 1997 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Donated HKD25 million to China Charity Federation and launched the HSBC China Charity Elderly Care Programme and other initiatives. |
| 1878 | 1999 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Launched the HSBC Wetland Management Training Programme which has trained more than 3,000 wetland reserve managers in mainland China. The programme kicked off HSBC’s two-decade-long support to China's freshwater conservation. |
| 1878 | 2000 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Funded the first National Training Course for Elderly People Homes’ Managers. Since then the programme has trained thousands of managers for mainland China’ elderly care sector. |
| 1878 | 2002 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Launched the five-year “Investing in Nature” initiative, with a focus on biodiversity conservation. |
| 1878 | 2004 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Began to support a number of charity organizations in targeted poverty alleviation projects in more than 10 provinces. |
| 1878 | 2005 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Launched children’s emotional wellbeing programmes such as “Zippy’s Friends”, “Apple’s Friends” and “Sunshine Kids Programme”. These programmes have helped more than 200,000 children cope with negative emotions and improve their social skills. |
| 1878 | 2006 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Became the first foreign bank in mainland China to publish a corporate social responsibility report. |
| 1878 | 2007 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Launched the five-year HSBC Climate Partnership Programme to tackle the challenges of climate change, with a commitment of more than RMB100 million in mainland China. |
| 1878 | 2008 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Donated RMB18 million and raised another HKD200 million from the public via cooperation with the Hong Kong Red Cross for Wenchuan earthquake relief and post-disaster reconstruction. |
| 1878 | 2008 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Donated RMB150 million to the Peking University Education Foundation to establish the Peking University HSBC Business School and the HSBC Financial Research Institute at Peking University. |
| 1878 | 2010 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Funded the Yangtze Wetland Conservation Network, the world's first integrated river basin management network. |
| 1878 | 2012 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Launched the five-year HSBC Water Programme, and committed more than RMB100 million to improve water resource management along the Yangtze River. |
| 1878 | 2012 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | The HSBC-funded high school economics course was approved by the Beijing Municipal Education Commission to be part of the city’s official curriculum, enabling more students to access economics learning. |
| 1878 | 2012 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Partnered with the China Social Welfare Foundation, to launch a series of programmes to help disadvantaged children including orphans, homeless and disabled children, left-behind kids and the children of inmates. |
| 1878 | 2013 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Launched the “HSBC Community Partnership Programme” with a donation of RMB10 million, leading businesses in supporting and participating in the development of “Chinese-style good neighbourhoods”. |
| 1878 | 2015 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Donated an additional RMB30 million to support six charity projects in mainland China to mark HSBC’s 150th anniversary. |
| 1878 | 2020 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Donated RMB11 million to support the fight against COVID-19, and provided RMB52 million in phase II of the HSBC China COVID-19 Disaster Relief Plan to support post-pandemic recovery. |
| 1878 | 2021 |
| Donated HKD1,000 to help disaster-hit victims in mainland China. This was the bank’s first recorded donation. | Launched the Climate Solutions Partnership, with a focus on nature-based solutions, energy transition and technological innovation to tackle climate change. |