Review Time
My experience with HSBC Expat has been one of the most frustrating and distrust-inducing banking relationships I have ever encountered across multiple jurisdictions.After having an account with HSBC Expat for a couple of years, the situation changed. What followed was an endless cycle of enhanced due diligence requests, layer upon layer of documentation, repeated verifications, and shifting requirements with no clear endpoint. It felt less like compliance and more like a deliberate strategy to exhaust the client.The so-called “safeguarding” process was particularly concerning. I was subjected to a prolonged call (around 45 minutes) where the tone was at times inappropriate and borderline sarcastic. Questions went far beyond reasonable financial due diligence, probing into highly personal matters such as whether I own luxury artwork and the contents of my personal safebox. This was presented under the pretense of “getting to know the client better,” but the approach felt intrusive, unprofessional, and, frankly, disrespectful.Throughout this process, there was a constant underlying assumption of suspicion, as if the client is guilty until proven otherwise. Access to funds can be restricted with little transparency, while communication remains slow, fragmented, and difficult to escalate. The responses from their side can take an unreasonable amount of time.For context, I maintain banking relationships across multiple regions (Europe, GCC, Asia, and the Middle East), and I have never encountered anything close to this level of friction, opacity, and distrust.Fortunately, I was able to transfer my funds out and terminate the relationship. Prospective clients should proceed with extreme caution. Understand that once your funds are in, control can effectively shift away from you under the broad umbrella of “compliance” and “safeguarding,” with very limited recourse in practice.Check all the reviews and the negative experiences shared on TrustPilot and you will have the proof that this bank is causing nightmares to many clients under the pretext of compliance.This experience left a lasting impression, primarily a loss of trust, not just in this institution, but in banking processes that claim to prioritize the client while operating in a fundamentally one-sided manner.This is not banking as it should be.
They've been freezing my money for almost 2 months!& they've initially not provided any explanation or sent me any email.After contacting their support countless times (over 7 times probably) the compliance department got in touch with me.They requested a lot of documents and information, after which they took a while, and requested even more, took a while again, then they requested even more.It takes ages to get a reply from them.My money is currently still frozen on HSBC EXPAT while I've provided everything they asked for.Outrageous!
They've been holding my money for over 60 days!!In the first place they suddenly restricted my account without letting me know anything at all.Only after contacting support many times, their compliance department got in touch with me and requested many documents and other info.After submitting all of that several times over, and waiting long times in between, nothing happened.My funds are still restricted to this day, and the compliance department is not even responding to my emails anymore.THIS IS DAYLIGHT ROBBERY!
I’m posting this in desperation. I opened an HSBC Expat account in Jersey to hold funds that I couldn’t keep in France.In April 2023, I received €300,000 into the account. Shortly after, they blocked it for “verification”. I complied with every request — over 50 documents, translations, bank confirmations — and still nothing.They sent me a closure letter, asked for my RIB, I sent it — and since then: silence. • 800+ calls • 2,000+ emails • Mental health collapsing • CIFO and JFSC complaints filedTheir team told me yesterday that they are waiting for a reply from an internal department no one can contact — not even their own supervisors. They gave me no timeline, no hope, and no answer.I have expressed that I’m on the edge mentally and physically. Still nothing.I’m begging anyone with advice or similar experience: what can I do? I’m running out of time.And the manager Mark Rabet is completely incompetent. Account number 027387232
Another hour wasted with a simple request to transfer credit card points rewards to airmiles and after no resolution, she tells me to have a great day! The only recent 5 star review in fact relates to a UK branch in Cheshire and has been posted to the wrong site - should be deleted
HSBC Expat froze my funds for 16 months and advised they were closing my accounts down a year ago. I took the case to the CIFO Ombudsman and won, where I was advised in their final response letter that they were closing my accounts in 60 days.So a year later I noticed by chance that they had not closed my accounts down. I could login, transfer money in and out of my account, a new debit card was sent, and I exchanged money.If I had not noticed and complained, my accounts would of been open without my agreement or knowledge for the forseeable future. This further proves that HSBC Expat is ran by nothing but a bunch of incompetent bandits. It is also a severe breach of contract (if there was one between us) and just solidifies the fact that they act against the law.I advise against any business dealings with this outfit. Don't expect your complaints or issues responded to legibily in understandable English, or in getting a reasonable response in terms of 'time' and 'sense'. Run a mile or 'two'.
Echoing what others are saying, it's basically an exercise in frustration and incompetence and idiosyncrasy. I'm close to giving up and closing my account. My account is not funded because it's impossible to fund it so far. I've never had this much trouble with a bank in my life, and I'm not young. They seem to have studied the best way to make it unclear, impossible, unnecessarily complicated - and gone that route, it almost seems intended to mess with peoples' heads. Requiring a mobile-app based PIN for basic functioning is problem 1 - I never use mobile apps for banking but HSBC Expat gives you no choice. The mobile app is completely unclear how to fund the account and since I'm unable to log in using a browser, I'm at a loss. If this is the way HSBC operates, count me out. I'm blown away by how bad this user experience has been. It's textbook "how to alienate a customer" protocol, almost from start to finish.
Went through the application and setup process which is quite old school and laborious. Two emails later I received a 'pin'. No idea what for. No other communication. Called to chase up, where I was told someone would call me back a few days later - that was a month ago. Can only assume they don't want new accounts. Can't really be bothered to chase again when there are other options on the market.
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