Thousands of youth across Canada benefitted from HSBC's 150th anniversary community fund last year

** 2015 Public Accountability Statement available at www.hsbc.ca/pas**

TORONTO, May 10, 2016 /CNW/ - In 2015, HSBC Bank Canada made $7,105,337 in charitable investments to 81 registered charities, and our employees volunteered nearly 5,000 hours with charities at over 200 bank-supported events or on their own. These charities will in turn help more than 180,000 young people across Canada access high-quality education and environmental programs.

HSBC Bank Canada in the Community, available today, chronicles how we contributed to the communities where we operate, as well as how we continued to grow our business and serve our valued customers in Canada last year. It also details HSBC's operational footprint, community investment programs, our approach to sustainability and our inclusive employee culture.

Sandra Stuart, President and CEO, HSBC Bank Canada said: "Last year HSBC celebrated 150 years of helping people realize their ambitions and enabling trade flows around the world – including more than 30 years as the leading international bank in Canada. It is our focus on the long term and on staying true to our values – to be open, dependable and connected – that drives how we conduct our business."

Read the full report to learn more about:

• how our employees helped decide the focus areas of the HSBC 150^th Anniversary Community Fund in Canada, and why we've partnered with eight Canadian charities in support of education, the environment and children's health programs and research across Canada;
• the impact of our 11 core charitable programs and partnerships in Canada – including three new initiatives launched in 2015 – and the record number of Canadian employees who contributed to global freshwater research through the HSBC Water Programme;
• the 60 internationally-minded undergraduate students who will realize their dreams of studying abroad by 2017, thanks in-part to the new HSBC International Business Award established at 10 universities last year;
• how we're addressing workforce representation, cultural competency and marketplace presence, driven by an ambitious four-year Employment Equity Plan. For example, the three-fold increase in the number of HSBC Diversity Internship Program participants compared to 2014;
• the significant investments made to grow our businesses, improve our digital and online channels, as well as develop new products and services for internationally-minded individuals and businesses; and
• our efforts to reduce energy consumption, waste produced, and water consumption per employee in Canada compared to the previous year – a significant step towards our goal of cutting carbon emissions per employee from 3.5 to 2.5 tonnes by 2020.

Read the full 2015 report online at www.hsbc.ca/pas

About HSBC Bank Canada
HSBC Bank Canada, a subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc, is the leading international bank in the country. We help companies and individuals across Canada to do business and manage their finances internationally through three global business lines: Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets, and Retail Banking and Wealth Management. Canada is a priority market for the HSBC Group – one of the world's largest banking and financial services groups with assets of US$2,596bn at 31 March 2016. Linked by advanced technology, HSBC serves customers worldwide through an international network of around 6,000 offices in 71 countries and territories in Europe, Asia, North and Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa.

SOURCE HSBC Bank Canada

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