HSBC Holdings plc — Ethics Grade D

HSBC Holdings plc receives an overall ethics grade of D (28/100) on CancelCo's corporate accountability database. Sector: Financial Services. Market cap: Large Cap.

Category scores

• labor: 45
• privacy: 45
• consumer: 30
• environment: 15
• humanRights: 25

Documented incidents (3)

• Money laundering for drug cartels (high, 2012) — Paid $1.9B fine for laundering $881M for Mexican and Colombian drug cartels and violating sanctions with Iran, Libya, and Sudan.
• Fossil fuel financing (high, 2023) — Among top global banks financing fossil fuel expansion, providing $130B+ since the Paris Agreement.
• Greenwashing penalties (medium, 2023) — UK advertising authority banned HSBC ads for misleading claims about green investments while funding major fossil fuel projects.

Documented good deeds

• $1T sustainable finance commitment — Committed to provide $750B-$1T in sustainable financing and investment by 2030.

Ethical alternatives

• Triodos Bank — Transparent ethical bank that only finances sustainable enterprises. Full loan book disclosure.