31 March 2023

HSBC HOLDINGS PLC

PUBLICATION OF BASE PROSPECTUS

The following base prospectus and registration document have been approved by the Financial Conduct Authority and are available for viewing:

Base Prospectus dated 31 March 2023 for the HSBC Holdings plc Debt Issuance Programme

Registration Document dated 31 March 2023 in respect of HSBC Holdings plc

To view the full documents, please paste the following URL into the address bar of your browser:

http://www.hsbc.com/investors/fixed-income-investors/issuance-programmes

A copy of each of the above documents has been submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will shortly be available for inspection at:

https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.

Investor enquiries to:

Greg Case                    +44 (0) 20 7992 3825                 [email protected]

Media enquiries to:

Gillian James                +44 (0) 20 7992 0516                 [email protected]

Note to editors:

HSBC Holdings plc

HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 62 countries and territories in our geographical regions: Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,967bn at 31 December 2022, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations.

DISCLAIMER - INTENDED ADDRESSEES

IMPORTANT: You must read the following before continuing: The following applies to the base prospectus and registration document available by clicking on the link above (together, the 'Base Prospectus', which expression includes the documents incorporated by reference therein), and you are therefore advised to read this carefully before reading, accessing or making any other use of the Base Prospectus. In accessing the Base Prospectus, you agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions, including any modifications to them, any time you receive any information from us as a result of such access.

THE BASE PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE FORWARDED OR DISTRIBUTED OTHER THAN AS PROVIDED BELOW AND MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER. THE BASE PROSPECTUS MAY ONLY BE DISTRIBUTED OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES TO PERSONS THAT ARE NOT U.S. PERSONS AS DEFINED IN, AND IN RELIANCE ON, REGULATION S UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE 'SECURITIES ACT') OR WITHIN THE UNITED STATES TO QIBs (AS DEFINED BELOW) IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT ('RULE 144A'). ANY FORWARDING, DISTRIBUTION OR REPRODUCTION OF THE BASE PROSPECTUS IN WHOLE OR IN PART IS PROHIBITED. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS NOTICE MAY RESULT IN A VIOLATION OF THE SECURITIES ACT OR THE APPLICABLE LAWS OF OTHER JURISDICTIONS.

NOTHING IN THIS ELECTRONIC PUBLICATION CONSTITUTES AN OFFER OF SECURITIES FOR SALE IN ANY JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO DO SO. ANY NOTES ISSUED OR TO BE ISSUED PURSUANT TO THE BASE PROSPECTUS RELATING TO THE HSBC HOLDINGS PLC DEBT ISSUANCE PROGRAMME HAVE NOT BEEN, AND WILL NOT BE, REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION. ANY NOTES ISSUED OR TO BE ISSUED PURSUANT TO THE BASE PROSPECTUS MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT (1) IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT TO PERSONS REASONABLY BELIEVED TO BE QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYERS (EACH A 'QIB') WITHIN THE MEANING OF RULE 144A OR (2) IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION TO A PERSON THAT IS NOT A U.S. PERSON IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT.

Please note that the information contained in the Base Prospectus may be addressed to and/or targeted at persons who are residents of particular countries (specified in the Base Prospectus) only and is not intended for use and should not be relied upon by any person outside these countries and/or to whom the offer contained in the Base Prospectus is not addressed. Prior to relying on the information contained in the Base Prospectus you must ascertain from the Base Prospectus whether or not you are part of the intended addressees of the information contained therein.

Confirmation of your Representation: In order to be eligible to view the Base Prospectus or make an investment decision with respect to any Notes issued or to be issued pursuant to the Base Prospectus, you must be (i) a person other than a U.S. person (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act); or (ii) a QIB that is acquiring the securities for its own account or for the account of another QIB. By accessing the Base Prospectus, you shall be deemed to have represented that you and any customers you represent are not a U.S. person  or that you are a QIB, and that you consent to delivery of the Base Prospectus and any supplements thereto via electronic publication.

You are reminded that the Base Prospectus has been made available to you on the basis that you are a person into whose possession the Base Prospectus may be lawfully delivered in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which you are located and you may not, nor are you authorised to, deliver the Base Prospectus to any other person.

The Base Prospectus does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer or solicitation in any place where offers or solicitations are not permitted by law. If a jurisdiction requires that the offering be made by a licensed broker or dealer and the underwriters or any affiliate of the underwriters is a licensed broker or dealer in that jurisdiction, the offering shall be deemed to be made by the underwriters or such affiliate on behalf of HSBC Holdings plc in such jurisdiction. Under no circumstances shall the Base Prospectus constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of any Notes issued or to be issued pursuant to the Base Prospectus, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

The Base Prospectus has been made available to you in an electronic form. You are reminded that documents transmitted via this medium may be altered or changed during the process of electronic transmission and consequently none of HSBC Holdings plc, its advisers, any person who controls HSBC Holdings plc or any director, officer, employee or agent of HSBC Holdings plc or affiliate of any such person accepts any liability or responsibility whatsoever in respect of any difference between the Base Prospectus made available to you in electronic format and the original version.