Hang Seng fine-tunes branch strategy
Lender plans to open more outlets in the New Territories and extend Saturday business hours at some others to cater for mainland tourists
Hang Seng Bank is set to open more branches in the New Territories and extend banking hours on Saturdays at some outlets to cater for mainland tourists.
"Many mainland tourists now do not only want to buy luxury goods when they come to Hong Kong, they also seek banking services here," said chief executive Rose Lee Wai-mun yesterday.
Lee said half of the bank's new commercial customers in Hong Kong were from the mainland. The number of personal accounts from the mainland increased about 40 per cent in the first half from last year.
"For new branches, we are eyeing locations frequented by mainland tourists. We have also started to upgrade our branches to provide a more comfortable environment and more services," Lee said.
Among Hang Seng's 220 outlets in the city, 90 are in the New Territories. Its Wan Chai branch, another hot spot among mainland tourists, underwent a major renovation and expansion last month.
The lender recently extended opening hours on Saturdays at its outlets in five popular shopping centres in the New Territories to offer account-opening and investment services.