This is a sponsored article from HSBC Private Bank.

HSBC Private Bank in mainland China has put the market’s entrepreneurs – who make up an impressive two-thirds of its clients – at the heart of its vision, strategy and values. This has led to a holistic focus on their goals, needs and legacy aspirations. It’s a focus that thrives in China, but extends across the bank’s entire global presence. Here’s how and why.

HSBC Private Bank has structured its operations in mainland China to more effectively support mainland entrepreneurs, including founders, business leaders and wealth creators. 

The changes are aimed at providing a broader range of tailored resources, people and services to meet the evolving needs of this key client segment.  A key milestone of this strategy was the launch of the Entrepreneurial Wealth Proposition in mainland China in August 2025. This initiative represents a unique one-bank collaboration between HSBC’s private bank and corporate bank, designed to ensure HSBC delivers a seamless and comprehensive offering for its entrepreneur clients. 

Making 1+1 equal more

“You cannot properly serve China’s entrepreneurs if you only do so from a private bank perspective,” said Samuel Chen, head of private bank, HSBC China. “We work hand-in-hand in a very tangible way with our Corporate & Institutional Banking (CIB) colleagues daily to enable entrepreneurs’ businesses to grow and flourish in both domestic and international markets. Simultaneously, our private bankers are there to help the same entrepreneurs grow and protect their personal wealth and to secure the future of their families and their legacies.”

This collaboration is particularly relevant in the context of Hong Kong’s thriving IPO market, which has seen a significant surge in listings from mainland Chinese companies over the past year. “When the proceeds generated by those listings need to be routed back to mainland China, that’s where we are uniquely positioned to help,” Chen said. “We can leverage the bank’s integrated solutions spanning IPO execution, wealth planning, investment and succession planning, enabling a seamless alignment of global and domestic growth strategies for entrepreneurial shareholders.”

He champions fusing cross-business synergies as a “key driver” behind HSBC Private Bank’s increasingly fast-paced journey of growth and discovery since its expansion in mainland China four years ago. 

This period has also seen the bank establish the most extensive footprint among global private banks in the market, deliver robust double-digit financial growth in the past three years, and earn a strong record of industry awards and recognition for its achievements.

Most notably, Asian Private Banker awarded it “Best International Private Bank in Mainland China” for the fourth consecutive year in January 2026.

Know your client – very, very well

But Chen is also quick to point out that its focus on and success with entrepreneurs in China has been based on extensive, bottom-up, face-to-face research into their needs and desires conducted with a determination to align its bankers culturally, responsively and intuitively with their key clients. 

“We interviewed over 400 mainland Chinese entrepreneurs to understand as comprehensively as possible their individual business, investment and wealth planning hopes and requirements,” he says. “Not only did this tell us that mainland Chinese entrepreneurs are optimistic about their business prospects with over 80% bullish on their personal wealth significantly improving. It also revealed that 60% plan to expand beyond the mainland into new markets abroad. Hong Kong and Singapore are their top preferred destinations”

It’s the intimate knowledge of these international ambitions that has accelerated HSBC’s one-bank approach. That’s perhaps unsurprising, given its global reach sees it offer personal and commercial banking solutions in 57 markets and 11 private bank booking centres worldwide. 

“Simply put, Chinese entrepreneurs increasingly have global needs,” says Chen. “But market uncertainties have increased alongside, perhaps more important, regulatory and geopolitical risks at a time of simultaneous technological disruption on an unparalleled scale. So we see entrepreneurs both needing and demanding help to navigate complex issues from both the corporate and the wealth management perspectives of their lives as they go abroad.” 

Given these rising complexities and the imperative for tangible solutions that they present, Chen says the bank’s service proposition to its entrepreneurs begins with the regular delivery of tailored research, views and insights gathered from a deep well of global thought leaders and shapers. 

Bringing Chinese entrepreneurs to the world, and a world of relationships to Chinese entrepreneurs

Chen also noted that the business and personal connections HSBC has built over its 161-year history of doing business internationally are among the most valuable resources the bank can bring to bear in support of its entrepreneur clients. 

“We understand Chinese entrepreneurs’ global needs, and we have an unsurpassed network of both clients and in-house specialists whose combined knowledge and experience we can make available to them,” he said. “In this way, we ensure that our global reach meets, combines and bridges with our local expertise and relationships.” 

This involves dedicated private bank relationship managers working alongside CIB specialists to enhance client engagement. It also adds access to a layer of industry specialists to the entrepreneur relationship in high-growth sectors, including technology, telecommunications, energy, healthcare and new economy innovation banking. 

Chen was keen to stress the additional international benefits of this approach. “Our private bank team operates with a truly global mindset and strong synergy across markets,” he said. “That means we support our entrepreneur clients through a unified team that bridges global and local expertise. Our Mandarin-speaking specialists are based in key global wealth hubs such as Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK and the US, working closely with our colleagues in mainland China. Together, we deliver a seamless combination of global insights and local understanding, all through a cohesive and client-focused solution.”

The largest wealth transition in global history is upon us

We are about to witness the largest wealth transition in global history over the next 20 years. Just how big does Chen believe is the opportunity to serve China’s entrepreneurs? Let’s put it this way,” he said, “Over 80% of China’s top private enterprise leaders are aged 50 or above. Over 70% of Chinese entrepreneurs we’ve surveyed would like their children to succeed them in running their family businesses. 

“But at the same time, they are very concerned about family conflict issues, family governance and whether their children actually have the capabilities to take over these same businesses. This all amounts to the fact that there’s unprecedented demand for succession, wealth planning and advisory services.”

HSBC has positioned itself well to service this demand. With nearly 80 years of legacy planning experience in Asia, HSBC offers a comprehensive succession framework that combines family trust advisory, risk planning, international education, and philanthropy, supported by partnerships with legal, tax, and educational experts across Asia for regional families of note, size and distinction. 

Chen elaborated: “In mainland China, we were the first foreign bank to offer family trust advisory services – we’ve built a strong track record of qualifications and credentials. What sets us apart is our ability to support our clients not only with their local needs but also with their broader, international aspirations. Through collaboration with our teams across Asia and beyond, we are capable of delivering a seamless and locally tailored experience, underpinned by a shared platform and culture, to meet the evolving needs of our clients, whether they are planning for the next generation, exploring international opportunities, or building a lasting legacy.”

This is a sponsored article from HSBC Private Bank.