Issuance of Perpetual Subordinated Contingent

The Company

US$3,000,000,000

Perpetual

100% of the aggregate principal amount

From (and including) the Issue Date to (but excluding) 22 May 2027, the interest rate on the Securities will be 6.000% per annum. From and including each Reset Date to (but excluding) the next following Reset Date, the applicable per annum interest rate will be equal to the sum of the applicable Mid-Market Swap Rate on the relevant Reset Determination Date and 3.746%.

The "Mid-Market Swap Rate" means the rate for US dollar swaps with a five-year term commencing on the relevant Reset Date which appears on Bloomberg page "ISDA 01" (or such other page as may replace such page on Bloomberg, or such other page as may be nominated by the person providing or sponsoring the information appearing on such page for purposes of displaying comparable rates) (the "relevant screen page") as at approximately 11:00 am (New York time) on the relevant Reset Determination Date, all as determined by the calculation agent.

If no such rate appears on the relevant screen page for such five-year term, then the Mid-Market Swap Rate will be determined through the use of straight-line interpolation by reference to two rates, one of which will be determined in accordance with the above provisions, but as if the relevant Reset Period were the period of time for which rates are available next shorter than the length of the actual Reset Period and the other of which will be determined in accordance with the above provisions, but as if the relevant Reset Period were the period of time for which rates are available next longer than the length of the actual Reset Period.

22 May 2027, and each fifth anniversary date thereafter (each, a "Reset Date").

The "Reset Determination Dates" shall be the second business day immediately preceding a Reset Date.

Each period from (and including) a Reset Date to (but excluding) the following Reset Date shall be a "Reset Period".

Semi-annual on each 22 May and 22 November, commencing 22 November 2017 subject to cancellation or deemed cancellation as described in the Prospectus Supplement.

The Company will have sole and absolute discretion at all times and for any reason to cancel (in whole or in part) any interest payment that would otherwise be payable on any interest payment date. In addition, the terms of the Securities restrict the Company from making interest payments in certain circumstances, including where the Company's distributable items or the maximum distributable amount is exceeded or the Company would not be solvent at the time of such interest payment or the Relevant Regulator orders the Company to cancel (in whole or in part) the interest otherwise payable on such interest payment date, in which case the interest payment will be deemed to have been cancelled.

If a Capital Adequacy Trigger Event occurs, then an Automatic Conversion will occur without delay (but no later than one month following the date on which it is determined such Capital Adequacy Trigger Event has occurred).

An "Automatic Conversion" is the irrevocable and automatic release of all of the Company's obligations under the Securities in consideration of the Company's issuance of the Conversion Shares to the Conversion Shares Depository (or to the relevant recipient in accordance with the terms of the Securities) (on behalf of the securityholders) on the date on which the Automatic Conversion will take place, or has taken place, as applicable (such date, the "Conversion Date"), all in accordance with the terms of the Securities and the Securities Indenture.

After a Capital Adequacy Trigger Event, subject to certain conditions, the Company expects the Conversion Shares Depository to deliver to the securityholders on the settlement date (as determined pursuant to the terms of the Securities Indenture) either (i) Conversion Shares or (ii) if the Company elects, in its sole and absolute discretion, that a Conversion Shares Offer be made, the Conversion Shares Offer Consideration.

"Conversion Shares Depository" means a financial institution, trust company, depository entity, nominee entity or similar entity to be appointed by the Company on or prior to any date when a function ascribed to the Conversion Shares Depository in the Securities Indenture, is required to be performed, to perform such functions and which, as a condition of such appointment, such entity will be required to undertake, for the benefit of the securityholders, to hold the Conversion Shares (and any Conversion Shares Offer Consideration) on behalf of such securityholders in one or more segregated accounts, unless otherwise required for the purposes of the Conversion Shares Offer and, in any event, on terms consistent with the Securities Indenture.

"Conversion Shares" means the Company's ordinary shares (the "Ordinary Shares") to be issued to the Conversion Shares Depository (or to the relevant recipient in accordance with the terms of the Securities) following an Automatic Conversion, which Ordinary Shares will be in such number as is determined by dividing the aggregate principal amount of the Securities outstanding immediately prior to the Conversion Date by the Conversion Price rounded down, if necessary, to the nearest whole number of Ordinary Shares.

The "Conversion Price" is fixed initially at US$3.47990 and is subject to certain anti-dilution adjustments as described below.

Assuming that there is no adjustment to the Conversion Price, the maximum number of Ordinary Shares that may be issued upon an Automatic Conversion is 862,093,738.

The Conversion Shares issued following an Automatic Conversion will in all respects rank pari passu with the fully paid Ordinary Shares in issue on the Conversion Date, except in any such case for any right excluded by mandatory provisions of applicable law, and except that the Conversion Shares so issued will not rank for (or, as the case may be, the relevant securityholder will not be entitled to receive) any rights, distributions or payments, the entitlement to which falls prior to the Conversion Date.

A "Capital Adequacy Trigger Event" will occur if at any time the End-point CET1 Ratio is less than 7.0%. Whether a Capital Adequacy Trigger Event has occurred at any time will be determined by the Company, the Relevant Regulator or any agent of the Relevant Regulator appointed for such purpose by the Relevant Regulator.

"End-point CET1 Ratio" means, as at any date, the ratio of CET1 Capital to the Risk Weighted Assets, in each case as of such date, expressed as a percentage.

"CET1 Capital" means, as of any date, the sum, expressed in US dollars, of all amounts that constitute common equity tier 1 capital of HSBC Holdings together with its subsidiary undertakings (the "HSBC Group") as of such date, less any deductions from common equity tier 1 capital required to be made as of such date, in each case as calculated by the Company on a consolidated basis and without applying the transitional provisions set out in Part Ten of the CRR (or in any successor provisions thereto or any equivalent provisions of the Relevant Rules which replace or supersede such provisions) in accordance with the Relevant Rules applicable to the Company as at such date (which calculation will be binding on the trustee, the paying agent and the securityholders). For the purposes of this definition, the term "common equity tier 1 capital" will have the meaning assigned to such term in CRD IV (as the same may be amended or replaced from time to time) as interpreted and applied in accordance with the Relevant Rules then applicable to the HSBC Group or by the PRA (or any successor entity primarily responsible for the Company's prudential supervision (the "Relevant Regulator").

"Risk Weighted Assets" means, as of any date, the aggregate amount, expressed in US dollars, of the risk weighted assets of the HSBC Group as of such date, as calculated by the Company on a consolidated basis and without applying the transitional provisions set out in Part Ten of the CRR (or in any successor provisions thereto or any equivalent provisions of the Relevant Rules which replace or supersede such provisions) in accordance with the Relevant Rules applicable to the Company as at such date (which calculation will be binding on the trustee, the paying agent and the securityholders). For the purposes of this definition, the term "risk weighted assets" means the risk weighted assets or total risk exposure amount, as calculated by the Company in accordance with the Relevant Rules.

"CRD IV" means, taken together, (i) the CRR, (ii) the CRD and (iii) the Capital Instruments Regulations.

"CRR" means regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 26, 2013 on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms and amending regulation (EU) No 648/2012, as amended, supplemented or replaced from time to time and (where relevant) any applicable successor EU or UK legislation.

"CRD" means Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 26, 2013 on access to the activity of credit institutions and the prudential supervision of credit institutions and investment firms, amending Directive 2002/87/EC and repealing Directives 2006/48/EC and 2006/49/EC as amended, supplemented or replaced from time to time, and (where relevant) any applicable successor EU or UK legislation.

"Capital Instruments Regulations" means any regulatory capital rules, regulations or standards which are applicable at any time to the Company (on a solo or consolidated basis and including any implementation thereof or supplement thereto by the UK Prudential Regulation Authority (or any successor entity) (the "PRA") from time to time) and which lay down the requirements to be fulfilled by financial instruments for inclusion in the Company's regulatory capital (on a solo or consolidated basis) as may be required by (i) the CRR and/or (ii) the CRD, including (for the avoidance of doubt) any delegated acts and implementing acts made by the European Commission (such as regulatory technical standards and implementing technical standards) and European Banking Authority guidelines all as amended from time to time and as implemented in the UK.

"Relevant Rules" means, at any time, the laws, regulations, requirements, guidelines and policies relating to capital adequacy (including, without limitation, as to leverage) then in effect in the UK including, without limitation to the generality of the foregoing, as may be required by CRD IV or Directive 2014/59/EU establishing a framework for the recovery and resolution of credit institutions and investment firms, as amended, supplemented or replaced from time to time ("BRRD"), or any applicable successor legislation, or any delegated or implementing acts (such as regulatory technical standards) adopted by the European Commission and applicable to the Company from time to time and any regulations, requirements, guidelines and policies relating to capital adequacy adopted by the Relevant Regulator from time to time (whether or not such requirements, guidelines or policies are applied generally or specifically to the Company or to the Company and any of the Company's holding or subsidiary companies or any subsidiary of any such holding company).

The Company may elect, at its sole and absolute discretion, that the Conversion Shares Depository make an offer of all or some of the Conversion Shares issued in connection with the Securities to all or some of the Company's ordinary shareholders at a cash price per Conversion Share equal to the Conversion Shares Offer Price, subject to certain conditions.

The "Conversion Shares Offer Price" is fixed initially at £2.70 and is subject to certain anti-dilution adjustments as described below.

"Conversion Shares Offer Consideration" means in respect of each Security (i) if all the Conversion Shares are sold in the Conversion Shares Offer, the pro rata share of the cash proceeds from such sale attributable to such Security converted from sterling (or any such other currency in which the Ordinary Shares are denominated) into US dollars at the prevailing rate (as calculated pursuant to the Securities Indenture) as of the date that is three Depository Business Days prior to the relevant settlement date as determined by the Conversion Shares Depository (less the pro rata share of any foreign exchange transaction costs) (the "pro rata cash component"), (ii) if some but not all of the Conversion Shares are sold in the Conversion Shares Offer, (x) the pro rata cash component and (y) the pro rata share of the Conversion Shares not sold pursuant to the Conversion Shares Offer attributable to such Security rounded down to the nearest whole number of Conversion Shares, and (iii) if no Conversion Shares are sold in a Conversion Shares Offer, the relevant Conversion Shares attributable to such Security rounded down to the nearest whole number of Conversion Shares, subject in the case of (i) and (ii)(x) above to deduction from any such cash proceeds of an amount equal to the pro rata share of any stamp duty, stamp duty reserve tax, or any other capital, issue, transfer, registration, financial transaction or documentary tax that may arise or be paid as a consequence of the transfer of any interest in the Conversion Shares to the Conversion Shares Depository (or the relevant recipient in accordance with the terms of the Securities) in order for the Conversion Shares Depository (or the relevant recipient in accordance with the terms of the Securities) to conduct the Conversion Shares Offer.

"Depository Business Day" means a day on which the Conversion Shares Depository is open for general business.

The Conversion Price and Conversion Shares Offer Price will be adjusted upon the occurrence of the following events: (i) a consolidation, reclassification or subdivision of the Ordinary Shares, (ii) an issuance of Ordinary Shares in certain circumstances by way of capitalisation of profits or reserves, (iii) certain issues of rights for the Ordinary Shares, (iv) an Extraordinary Dividend or (v) a Qualifying Takeover Event, in each case only in the situations and to the extent provided in the Securities Indenture.

Adjustments are not required for every corporate or other event that may affect the market price of the Conversion Shares and an Independent Financial Adviser may make modifications as it determines to be appropriate.

The Securities may be redeemed in whole (but not in part) at the option of the Company in its sole discretion on any Reset Date at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount plus any accrued and unpaid interest to (but excluding) the date of redemption (which interest will exclude any interest that is cancelled or deemed to have been cancelled), subject to certain conditions described in the Securities Indenture.

The Securities may be redeemed in whole (but not in part) at the option of the Company upon the occurrence of a Tax Event or a Capital Disqualification Event, subject to certain conditions described in the Securities Indenture. In each case, the redemption price will be equal to 100% of the principal amount plus any accrued and unpaid interest to (but excluding) the date of redemption (which interest will exclude any interest that is cancelled or deemed to have been cancelled).

A "Tax Event" will be deemed to have occurred if at any time the Company determines that certain detrimental tax events have occurred (as specified in the Securities Indenture) as a result of a change in, or amendment to, the laws of the UK or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein that has the power to tax (each a "taxing jurisdiction"), including any treaty to which the relevant taxing jurisdiction is a party, or a change in an official application or interpretation of those laws or regulations on or after the Issue Date, including a decision of any court or tribunal that becomes effective on or after the Issue Date.

A "Capital Disqualification Event" will be deemed to have occurred if the Company determines, at any time after the Issue Date, there is a change in the regulatory classification of the Securities that results or will result in either their (i) exclusion in whole or in part from the HSBC Group's regulatory capital (other than as a consequence of an Automatic Conversion); or (ii) reclassification in whole or in part as a form of the HSBC Group's regulatory capital that is lower than additional tier 1 capital.

By its acquisition of the Securities, each securityholder (which, for these purposes, includes each beneficial owner) will acknowledge, accept, consent and agree, notwithstanding any other term of the Securities, the Indenture or any other agreements, arrangements or understandings between the Company and any securityholder, to be bound by (a) the effect of the exercise of any UK bail-in power by the relevant UK resolution authority that may include and result in any of the following, or some combination thereof: (i) the reduction of all, or a portion, of the Amounts Due; (ii) the conversion of all, or a portion, of the Amounts Due into the Company's or another person's ordinary shares, other securities or other obligations (and the issue to, or conferral on, the securityholder of such ordinary shares, other securities or other obligations), including by means of an amendment, modification or variation of the terms of the Securities or the Indenture; (iii) the cancellation of the Securities; and/or (iv) the amendment or alteration of the redemption date of the Securities or amendment of the amount of interest payable on the Securities, or the interest payment dates, including by suspending payment for a temporary period; and (b) the variation of the terms of the Securities or the Indenture, if necessary, to give effect to the exercise of any UK bail-in power by the relevant UK resolution authority. No repayment or payment of Amounts Due will become due and payable or be paid after the exercise of any UK bail-in power by the relevant UK resolution authority if and to the extent such amounts have been reduced, converted, cancelled, amended or altered as a result of such exercise. Moreover, each securityholder (which, for these purposes, includes each beneficial owner) will consent to the exercise of any UK bail-in power as it may be imposed without any prior notice by the relevant UK resolution authority of its decision to exercise such power with respect to the Securities.

For these purposes, (a) "Amounts Due" are the principal amount of, and any accrued but unpaid interest, including any Additional Amounts (as defined herein), on, the Securities. References to such amounts will include amounts that have become due and payable, but which have not been paid, prior to the exercise of any UK bail-in power by the relevant UK resolution authority; (b) a "UK bail-in power" is any write-down, conversion, transfer, modification, or suspension power existing from time to time under, and exercised in compliance with, any laws, regulations, rules or requirements in effect in the UK, relating to the transposition of the BRRD or otherwise, including but not limited to the UK Banking Act 2009 and the instruments, rules and standards created thereunder, pursuant to which (i) any obligation of a regulated entity (or other affiliate of such regulated entity) can be reduced, cancelled, modified, or converted into shares, other securities, or other obligations of such regulated entity or any other person (or suspended for a temporary period); and (ii) any right in a contract governing an obligation of a regulated entity may be deemed to have been exercised. A reference to a "regulated entity" is to any BRRD Undertaking as such term is defined under the PRA Rulebook promulgated by the PRA, as amended from time to time, which includes certain credit institutions, investment firms, and certain of their parent or holding companies, or any comparable future definition intended to designate entities within the scope of the UK recovery and resolution regime; and (c) the "relevant UK resolution authority" is any authority with the ability to exercise a UK bail-in power.

On the suspension date (as determined pursuant to the terms of the Securities Indenture and which will be no later than 38 business days after the delivery of the Company's notice to DTC specifying whether to conduct the Conversion Shares Offer), the Depository Trust Company ("DTC") will block all positions relating to the Securities, which will suspend all clearance and settlement of transactions in the Securities through DTC. As a result, the securityholders will not be able to settle the transfer of any Securities through DTC following the suspension date, and any sale or other transfer of the Securities that a securityholder may have initiated prior to the suspension date that is scheduled to settle after the suspension date will be rejected by DTC and will not be settled through DTC.  

The Securities will be issued in the form of one or more global securities registered in the name of the nominee for, and deposited with, DTC.

The denominations of the Securities will be US$200,000 and integral multiples of US$1,000 in excess thereof.

The Securities will constitute the Company's direct, unsecured and subordinated obligations, ranking equally without any preference among themselves. The Securities will be subordinated to the claims of Senior Creditors.

"Senior Creditors" means the Company's creditors (i) who are unsubordinated creditors; (ii) whose claims are, or are expressed to be, subordinated to the claims of the Company's unsubordinated creditors but not further or otherwise; or (iii) whose claims are, or are expressed to be, junior to the claims of the Company's other creditors, whether subordinated or unsubordinated, other than those whose claims rank, or are expressed to rank, pari passu with, or junior to, the claims of the securityholders in a winding-up occurring prior to a Capital Adequacy Trigger Event. For the avoidance of doubt, holders of any of the Company's existing or future Tier 2 capital instruments will be Senior Creditors. 

Application is expected to be made to The Irish Stock Exchange plc for the Securities to be admitted to the Official List and to trading on the Global Exchange Market.