HSBC says first-half pre-tax profits soar to $21.7B

HONG KONG  -Banking giant HSBC said on Tuesday that pre-tax profit more than doubled to $21.7 billion in the first half of 2023, boosted by higher interest rates.

The massive jump from $8.8 billion in the same period a year ago came as central banks around the world have ramped up borrowing costs to fight inflation, helping inflation lenders’ income.

HSBC said revenue jumped $12.3 billion to $36.9 billion.

“We have delivered a strong first-half performance and are confident of achieving our revised mid-teens return on tangible equity target in 2023 and 2024,” chief executive Noel Quinn said in a statement.

“There was good broad-based profit generation around the world, higher revenue in our global businesses driven by strong net interest income, and continued tight cost control,” chief executive Noel Quinn said in a statement.

The bank would issue an interim dividend of $0.10 per share and flagged a share buy-back of up to $2 billion, matching a similarly sized buyback announced in its earnings three months ago.