HSBC eyes growth prospects in Guangdong

HSBC Holdings Plc plans to step up hiring in China for its retail and wealth business next year, as the UK lender persists with its expansion there.

The bank increased the its retail-bank employees in Guangdong province's Pearl River Delta by 57 percent in the 12 months to September, according to Kevin Martin, the firm's Asia-Pacific head of retail banking and wealth management.

The pace of hiring may accelerate in 2017 as the London-based lender expands in areas from mortgages to credit cards, personal lending and wealth services in the manufacturing hub north of Hong Kong, he said.