HSBC is a London-based banking and financial services multinational with a high-street presence in most UK towns and cities. What does HSBC stand for?

HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's fifth-largest bank by total assets, with total assets of US$2.67 trillion. It was established in its present form in London in 1991 by the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited to act as a new group holding company. The origins of the bank lie mainly in Hong Kong and to a lesser extent in Shanghai, where branches were first opened in 1865. The HSBC name is derived from the initials of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation. The company was first formally incorporated in 1866. The company continues to see both the United Kingdom and Hong Kong as its "home markets".