HSBC Greater Birmingham Area Director Mark Lupton has told how the bank wants to encourage greater investment in Birmingham when it opens its ring-fenced operations in the city next year.

Mr Lupton believes that backing this year’s Birmingham Post Business Awards will help to achieve this ambition and reaffirm its commitment to the city and region.

HSBC is headline sponsors of BPBA 2017 in which a wealth of the city’s best businesses – large and small – will compete to win one of the 13 prestigious categories, including the flagship award, Company of the Year.

Nominations for BPBA 2017 are open - enter your business by clicking here

Mr Lupton said: “HSBC is keen to support the local community to prosper by connecting our customers to opportunities and helping businesses to thrive.

“The Bank has shown great commitment to the UK and specifically the heartland of the Midlands where we have decided to house our UK Headquarters.

“Being headline sponsor of this year’s Birmingham Post Business Awards is a fantastic opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the city and region as we continue to support our customers in realising their hopes, dreams and ambitions.

“The HSBC UK Headquarters will open in 2018 here in Birmingham, representing huge investment in the city and we want to be synonymous with Birmingham as we encourage greater investment and support our customers with their growth ambitions.

“We are open for business and support SME’s of all sizes providing the funds and cash flow support they need to drive growth, provide jobs and contribute positively to the local economy.

“It just made absolute sense to me and seemed the right thing to do!"

HSBC’s network spans across 70 countries.

In the UK a fifth of SMEs bank with HSBC and it has committed to lending UK SME’s £24 billion in the past three years.

Next year more than 1,000 HSBC UK employees will be based at the bank’s headquarters in the Arena Central complex in Broad Street, where the bank’s retail and commercial business will operate separately from its investment arm in response to a change in legislation by the government.

In addition it has branches across the West Midlands.

Mr Lupton added: “Over the past three years we have committed £24bn in lending to SMEs and with our UK Headquarters opening here in 2018 our ambition is to encourage even more investment in local businesses and the community as a whole.

“Birmingham is a fantastic city and continues to evolve with huge inward investment.

“The economic revival of Greater Birmingham has certainly gathered pace and underlines the city’s position as a UK business hub and a prime location for professionals building their careers.

“Key stakeholders come together across the city to make things happen and we have a real mix of art, culture, sport, shopping and fine dining that makes the city very attractive to businesses, residents and tourists alike.

“We are committed to working with UK SMEs to help them realise their ambitions.

“We bank around 20 per cent of all SMEs in the UK, providing support to the businesses that play a key role in driving the growth of the economy nationally and locally.

“Whether it is working capital, term loans, trade finance or payments and cash management solutions, we provide the tools and expertise that businesses need to thrive.

“Equally as important, we understand that growing businesses want more than lending and products from their bank, they want a partner and expert guidance. To this end, we run a series of initiatives to meet the needs of businesses across the country at every stage of the growth journey.”

About BPBA 2017

Birmingham Post Business Awards 2016 at the ICC

This year’s Birmingham Post Business Awards will take place at the ICC Birmingham on Wednesday October 18.

For information about sponsorship contact Ashleigh Kerr at Champions (UK) plc on 01509 85 29 27 or email akerr@championsukplc.com

Nominations for BPBA 2017 are open - enter your business by clicking here

The closing date is Friday July 21.

BPBA 2017 HORIZONTAL BANNER