Financial Performance - Pre-tax profit increased by 2billionto32.3 billion, including a notable impact of 1billionfromsignificantitems[7]−Revenueremainedstableat65.9 billion, with a fixed exchange rate basis showing an increase of 2.9billionto67.4 billion[7] - Net interest income decreased by 3.1billionto43.7 billion, reflecting the impact of business disposals and increased funding costs[7] - Operating expenses rose by 1billionto33 billion, an increase of 3%, primarily due to technology spending and inflation[7] - The reported pre-tax profit increased by 1.3billionto3.2 billion, reflecting the absence of a 3billionimpairmentrelatedtotheinvestmentinthejointventure,BankofCommunications,inQ42023[10]−Reportedrevenuewas11.6 billion, down 11%, impacted by a foreign exchange reserve loss related to the sale of the Argentine business, but offset by the absence of impairments from the sale of the French retail banking business[10] - The company reported a net profit of 24,999millionfor2024,comparedto24,559 million in 2023, reflecting an increase of 1.8%[56] - The profit attributable to ordinary shareholders was 22,917million,comparedto22,432 million in the previous year, marking a growth of about 2.2%[43] - The company reported a total comprehensive income of 26,939millionfor2024,comparedto29,542 million in 2023, a decline of 8.8%[56] Capital and Dividends - The Common Equity Tier 1 capital ratio improved to 14.9%, up 0.1 percentage points, driven by capital generation[7] - The board approved a fourth interim dividend of 0.36pershare,totaling0.87 per share for 2024, including a special dividend of 0.21[7]−Thetargetcommonequitytier1capitalratioismaintainedat140.87 per share, including a special dividend of 0.21pershare[21]−Totaldividendspaidtoshareholdersin2024amountedto16,410 million, an increase from 11,593millionin2023,representinga41.50.36 per share, with an expected total payout of approximately 6,400million[94]ShareBuybacks−Thecompanyplanstoinitiateasharebuybackofupto2 billion, expected to be completed before the Q1 2025 earnings announcement[7] - The company announced a total of 9billioninsharebuybacks,withanadditional2 billion announced recently[21] - HSBC announced share buybacks totaling up to 20billioninFebruary2024,30 billion in April 2024, 30billioninJuly2024,andanother30 billion in October 2024, with completion dates extending into 2025[69] Customer Loans and Assets - Customer loans decreased by 8billiononareportedbasis,butincreasedby14 billion on a fixed exchange rate basis[7] - The net customer loans decreased to 930,658millionin2024from938,535 million in 2023, reflecting a decline of approximately 0.9%[12] - Total assets as of December 31, 2024, were 3,017,048million,aslightdecreasefrom3,038,677 million in 2023[12] - The total external assets increased to 3,017,048millionin2024,comparedto2,972,547 million in 2023[49] Credit Losses - Expected credit losses remained stable at 3.4billion,withspecificprovisionsrelatedtocommercialrealestateinmainlandChina[7]−Theexpectedcreditlossincreasedby300 million to 1.4billion,with800 million of this related to commercial banking, including 200millionassociatedwithrisksintheChinesecommercialrealestatesector[10]−Theexpectedcreditlossasapercentageofaveragetotalcustomerloanswas0.3633,043 million, an increase from 32,070millionin2023,whichisariseof3.0221 million recorded for the year[84] - The deferred tax assets net value is 5.5billionasofDecember31,2024,downfrom6.5 billion in 2023, with significant contributions from the UK (2.6billion),theUS(3.0 billion), and France ($0.5 billion)[88][89] Management and Governance - HSBC Holdings has complied with the corporate governance codes of both the UK and Hong Kong in 2024[145] - The Group Audit Committee has reviewed the 2024 Annual Report and Accounts, providing assurance to the Board of HSBC Holdings[145] - The management uses non-IFRS measures to present financial performance, adjusting for currency translation differences[150]