The world's local bank
Group Archives
Who we are
Located in London, HSBC Group Archives are among the most important and heavily used bank archives in the world. The archivists are responsible for the collection and management of the records, which span more than two centuries of financial and international history.
What we hold
The archives contain historical records from many of the banks that make up the modern HSBC Group.
Group Archives cover:
- The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (up to 1993)
- HSBC Bank plc (formerly Midland Bank plc)
- HSBC Bank Middle East Limited (formerly The British Bank of the Middle East)
- Mercantile Bank of India
Types of records include:
- Board minute books
- Annual reports
- Staff records
- Photographs of branches, staff and local scenes
- Advertisements and promotional videos
Researchers and research topics
The archives are used by a range of researchers for various purposes. Common categories of researcher include: economic and social historians; university and college students; genealogists; architectural researchers; local historians; television and film companies; and bank staff.
The archivists are able to carry out research in response to specific enquiries.
Typical questions include:
- My grandfather worked for the bank. Can you give me any details about his career?
- How long has HSBC been operating in Malaysia?
- When did Midland Bank become part of the HSBC Group?
- Can you provide images for publications and film productions?
- Can you tell me more about the history of my local branch?
Contact us
Group Archives
HSBC Holdings plc
8 Canada Square
London E14 5HQ
United Kingdom
Telephone: 44 020 7991 0632
Email: history@hsbc.com
Group Archives is open to researchers on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Admittance is by appointment only.
Please view our Conditions of Access. (1 page pdf 22k)
Useful tools
Increase font
Decrease fontFeatured content
The HSBC Group - A brief History
(40 page pdf 3,925K)
Due to the size of the document you may wish to download a specific section:
Contents, Foreword and Introduction.
(4 page pdf 667K)
The HSBC Group in the Asia-Pacific region
(10 page pdf 989K)
The HSBC Group in Europe
(8 page pdf 733K)
The HSBC Group in the Middle East
(4 page pdf 607K)
The HSBC Group in the Americas
(6 page pdf 533K)
The making of the modern HSBC Group
(4 page pdf 388K)
Principal members of the HSBC Group and Further reading
(2 page pdf 96K)
