HSBC Holdings plc

** French daily Les Echos reports that HSBC has told French union members on Monday afternoon that selling its French retail arm has become a priority. Paper reports that the bank wants to take a decision by end of April

HSBC <HSBA.L> has named Georges Elhedery and Greg Guyett as co-heads of the global banking and markets division, which contains the lender's troubled investment banking business, as part of a reshuffle under interim Chief Executive Noel Quinn.

HSBC has named Georges Elhedery and Greg Guyett as co-heads of the global banking and markets division, which contains the lender's investment banking business.

Britain's competition watchdog said HSBC <HSBA.L> and Santander UK <SANS_pa.L> had agreed to refund customers after they broke a legal order that ensures customers receive text alerts before banks charge them for going into an unarranged overdraft.

Britain's competition watchdog said HSBC and Santander UK had agreed to refund customers after they broke a legal order that ensures customers receive text alerts before banks charge them for going into an unarranged overdraft.

HSBC aims to shift $20 billion (£15 billion) worth of assets to a new blockchain-based custody platform by March, in one of the biggest deployments yet of the widely-hyped but still unproven technology by a global bank.

Steel, the biggest industrial contributor to climate change, needs innovative financing such as "transition bonds" to help pay the massive costs of turning green, the head of HSBC's sustainable think tank said.

HSBC <HSBA.L> will soon announce it is replacing investment banking head Samir Assaf as part of a broader set of forthcoming senior management changes, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

HSBC Holdings <HSBA.L> has laid off about 40 bankers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Emirates NBD is cutting around 100 jobs, as banks in the Arab world's second-biggest economy reduce costs, sources familiar with the move told Reuters.

British banking heavyweights HSBC <HSBA.L> and RBS <RBS.L> are launching new digital banking platforms, as competition for digitally savvy customers steps up in the face of a wave of online startups.

HSBC <HSBA.L> has been told by the Bank of England to tighten up compliance controls for fraud, staff conduct and other non-financial risks, a source close to the bank said on Thursday.

Two of Hong Kong's biggest banks on Thursday cut their key benchmark rates in the city, their largest market, which is bracing for its first recession since the global financial crisis following months of protests.

* HSBC trims key rate for first time since global financial crisis

HSBC <0005.HK> <HSBA.L> on Thursday cut its best lending rate in Hong Kong for the first time since the global financial crisis, lowering it by 12.5 basis points to 5%, effective on Friday, November 1.

HSBC Holdings Plc <HSBA.L> dropped its 2020 profit target, reported a sharp fall in earnings and warned of a costly restructuring, as interim Chief Executive Noel Quinn seeks to tackle its problems head-on in his bid for the full-time role.

European shares were inched lower on Monday as a glum profit outlook from lender HSBC offset gains following positive developments in the U.S.-China trade talks and Brexit.

A sell-off in financial stocks following an underwhelming earnings update from HSBC kept UK shares in the negative territory on Monday, while confusion around a potential delay to Brexit and a snap election lingered.

HSBC Holdings Plc reported an 18% drop in its third-quarter pre-tax profit, lagging forecasts, as the Sino-U.S. trade war and Brexit uncertainties weighed on business sentiment in its core markets of Asia and Britain.

China should ease regulations so that foreign financial institutions can obtain licenses and raise deposits more easily in the country, a senior executive from HSBC <HSBA.L> <0005.HK> said on Sunday.