M and A
HSBC Swoops To Buy Silicon Valley Bank's UK Business For £1
The Hong Kong/UK-listed banking group's UK arm has bought the local UK part of the stricken Silicon Valley financial group, ending some of the worries that counterparties and clients will have had.
HSBC today announced that
its UK ring-fenced subsidiary, HSBC UK Bank plc, is acquiring
Silicon Valley Bank UK Limited for £1 ($1.21). SVP UK was
taken over by the Bank of England after its parent financial
group collapsed late last week.
The lender is buying the UK arm of the stricken California-based
bank (see an associated analysis
here). There was speculation over the weekend about what
would happen to the UK operation and the impact on
depositors and clients.
As at 10 March 2023, SVB UK had loans of around £5.5 billion and
deposits of around £6.7 billion, HSBC said in a statement to the
London Stock Exchange today.
For the financial year ending 31 December 2022, SVB UK recorded a
profit before tax of £88 million. SVB UK's tangible equity is
expected to be around £1.4 billion, HSBC continued.
HSBC said that it will provide the final calculation of the gain
arising from the acquisition in due course.
“The assets and liabilities of the parent companies of SVB UK are
excluded from the transaction. The transaction completes
immediately. The acquisition will be funded from existing
resources,” HSBC said.
"This acquisition makes excellent strategic sense for our
business in the UK. It strengthens our commercial banking
franchise and enhances our ability to serve innovative and
fast-growing firms, including in the technology and life-science
sectors, in the UK and internationally,” Noel Quinn, HSBC Group
CEO, said.
"We welcome SVB UK's customers to HSBC and look forward to
helping them grow in the UK and around the world. SVB UK
customers can continue to bank as usual, safe in the knowledge
that their deposits are backed by the strength, safety and
security of HSBC. We warmly welcome SVB UK colleagues to HSBC, we
are excited to start working with them,” he added.
HSBC will update shareholders on the acquisition at its 1Q 2023
results on 2 May 2023.
