HSBC takes $300 mln hit on Russia business sale, says deal on track for 2023

The HSBC building in Canary Wharf in London October 8, 2008. REUTERS/Kevin Coombs LONDON, Feb 21 (Reuters) – HSBC HSBA.L> said it still expects to complete the sale of its Russia business in first-half 2023, in the most significant update on the progress of the deal since it said in July 2022 it had agreed to sell the unit to local lender Expobank. Europe’s biggest bank has taken a $300 million loss on the expected sale of the business, HSBC said as it reported its annual results for 2022. HSBC said in July last year the deal was pending approval from Russia’s government and regulators, shortly before Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseev said Russia would block the sale of foreign banks’ Russian businesses. The London-based lender reiterated on Tuesday that the deal is still pending regulatory approval, and gave no further update on the status of that process. Many multinational corporations moved quickly to exit Russia following its invasion of Ukraine in February last year, but banks have been among the slower sectors to disentangle themselves amid concerns about what Russian law will permit. Moscow calls its action in Ukraine "a special operation". Credit Suisse last July was banned […]

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