Issuance of Contingent Convertible Securities

HSBC HOLDINGS PLC

ISSUANCE OF PERPETUAL SUBORDINATED CONTINGENT CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES

HSBC Holdings plc (the 'Company') is pleased to announce that all of the conditions precedent under the securities terms agreement between the Company and the underwriters listed therein dated March 2, 2021 (the "Securities Terms Agreement") in relation to the Company's previously announced issuance of perpetual subordinated contingent convertible securities have been satisfied (or where permitted, waived). The US$1,000,000,000 4.000% Perpetual Subordinated Contingent Convertible Securities (Callable During Any 2026 Securities Optional Redemption Period) (ISIN US404280CP20) (the '2026 Securities') and US$1,000,000,000 4.700% Perpetual Subordinated Contingent Convertible Securities (Callable During Any 2031 Securities Optional Redemption Period) (ISIN US404280CQ03) (the '2031 Securities' and, together with the 2026 Securities, the 'Securities') were issued on 9 March 2021 in accordance with the terms of the Securities Terms Agreement.

Application will be made to The Irish Stock Exchange plc trading as Euronext Dublin ('Euronext Dublin') for the Securities to be admitted to the Official List and to trading on the Global Exchange Market of Euronext Dublin.

Investor enquiries to:

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

Media enquiries to:

Ankit Patel        +44 (0) 20 7991 9813                 [email protected]

Vinh Tran            +852 2822 4924                        [email protected]

Disclaimers

The offering was made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement on Form F-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC'). The offering was made solely by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus which have been filed with the SEC. You may obtain these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov or by writing or telephoning us at either of the following addresses: 

Group Company Secretary

HSBC Holdings plc

8 Canada Square

London E14 5HQ

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 20 7991 8888
 

HSBC Holdings plc

c/o HSBC Bank USA, National Association

452 Fifth Avenue

New York, New York, 10018

Attn: Company Secretary

Tel: +1 212 525 5000

The distribution of this announcement in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons into whose possession this announcement comes are required to inform themselves about and to observe any such restrictions. 

This announcement does not constitute an offer or an invitation to subscribe or purchase any of the Securities. No action has been taken in any jurisdiction to permit a public offering of the Securities where such action is required other than in the US. The offer and sale of the Securities may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions.

The Securities are complex financial instruments. They are not a suitable or appropriate investment for all investors, especially retail investors. In some jurisdictions, regulatory authorities have adopted or published laws, regulations or guidance with respect to the offer or sale of securities such as the Securities. Potential investors in the Securities should inform themselves of, and comply with, any applicable laws, regulations or regulatory guidance with respect to any resale of the Securities (or any beneficial interests therein).

a.         In the United Kingdom ('UK'), the UK Financial Conduct Authority ('FCA') Conduct of Business Sourcebook ('COBS') requires, in summary, that the Securities should not be offered or sold to retail clients (as defined in COBS 3.4, and each, a 'retail client') in the UK.

b.         Some or all of the underwriters are required to comply with COBS.

c.         By purchasing, or making or accepting an offer to purchase, any Securities (or a beneficial interest in such Securities) from the Company and/or the underwriters, each prospective investor represents, warrants, agrees with and undertakes to the Company and each of the underwriters that:

i.    it is not a retail client in the UK; and

ii.    it will not sell or offer the Securities (or any beneficial interests therein) to retail clients in the UK or communicate (including the distribution of the Prospectus Supplement or the accompanying Base Prospectus) or approve an invitation or inducement to participate in, acquire or underwrite the Securities (or any beneficial interests therein) where that invitation or inducement is addressed to or disseminated in such a way that it is likely to be received by a retail client in the UK.

d.         In selling or offering Securities or making or approving communications relating to the Securities, it may not rely on the limited exemptions set out in COBS.

e.         Potential investors in the Securities should also inform themselves of, and comply with, any applicable laws, regulations or regulatory guidance with respect to any resale of the Securities (or any beneficial interests therein).

The obligations set out above are in addition to the need to comply at all times with other applicable laws, regulations and regulatory guidance (whether inside or outside the European Economic Area ('EEA') or the UK) relating to the promotion, offering, distribution and/or sale of the Securities (or any beneficial interests therein), whether or not specifically mentioned in the Prospectus Supplement (including (without limitation) any requirements under MiFID II or the UK FCA Handbook as to determining the appropriateness and/or suitability of an investment in the Securities (or any beneficial interests therein) for investors in any relevant jurisdiction. By purchasing, or making or accepting an offer to purchase, any Securities (or a beneficial interest in such Securities) from the Company and/or the underwriters each prospective investor represents, warrants, agrees with and undertakes to the Company that it will comply at all times with all such other applicable laws, regulations and regulatory guidance.

Where acting as agent on behalf of a disclosed or undisclosed client when purchasing, or making or accepting an offer to purchase, any Securities (or any beneficial interests therein) from the Company and/or the underwriters the foregoing representations, warranties, agreements and undertakings will be given by and be binding upon both the agent and its underlying client.

PRIIPS Regulation-Prohibition of sales to EEA retail investors - The Securities are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the EEA. For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II; or (ii) a customer within the meaning of Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II. Consequently, no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended, the 'PRIIPs Regulation') for offering or selling the Securities or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the Securities or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation.

UK PRIIPS Regulation-Prohibition of sales to UK retail investors - The Securities are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the UK. For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client as defined in point (8) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 2017/565 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, as amended (the 'EUWA'); (ii) a customer within the meaning of the provisions of the FSMA and any rules or regulations made under the FSMA to implement Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the EUWA. Consequently, no key information document required by the Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the 'UK PRIIPs Regulation') for offering or selling the Securities or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the UK has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the Securities or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the UK may be unlawful under the UK PRIIPs Regulation.

For and on behalf of

HSBC Holdings plc

Aileen Taylor

Group Company Secretary and Chief Governance Officer

Notes to editors:

1. HSBC Holdings plc

HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The HSBC Group serves customers worldwide from offices in 64 countries and territories in its geographical regions: Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,984bn at 31 December 2020, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations.

2. The Board of Directors of HSBC Holdings plc as at the date of this announcement is:

Mark Tucker*, Noel Quinn, Laura Cha^†, Henri de Castries^†, James Anthony Forese^†, Steven Guggenheimer^† ,Irene Lee^†, José Antonio Meade Kuribreña^†, Heidi Miller^†, Eileen K Murray^†, David Nish^†, Ewen Stevenson, Jackson Tai^† and Pauline van der Meer Mohr^†.

* Non-executive Group Chairman

^† Independent non-executive Director

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