HSBC to Launch Global AI Centre in Singapore, Hire 100-Plus Specialists

HSBC is accelerating its use of artificial intelligence across global operations as banks seek to raise productivity and personalise customer service without weakening human oversight. The London-headquartered lender named David Rice its first Chief AI Officer on March 23, effective April 1. On June 17, it unveiled a multi-year Google Cloud partnership expected to support more than 200 new AI use cases over two years, with each top-priority initiative estimated to deliver more than US$100 million in benefits.

HSBC said on July 27 that it will launch a Global AI Centre of Excellence in Singapore in the second half of 2026 and create more than 100 roles for AI specialists. Led by Rice and working with wealth management and global payments teams, the centre will initially focus on customer wealth conversations, agentic treasury solutions and AI-enabled digital payments. It also plans to build expertise in natural language processing, data science, AI governance and human-centred design through partnerships with Singapore educational institutions and government bodies.