HSBC is in talks with two companies about the possible acquisition of their Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) operations, according to chairman David Eldon.
'If there are some MPFs in the market, we would be happy to take a look,' he said.
Mr Eldon said the MPF market was in a consolidation period and it was difficult for companies to make profits if they did not have the scale of operations.
'But we do have the scale, efficiency and are sure we can handle it in a better way,' he said.
On mainland expansion, Mr Eldon said the group would soon secure approval to offer foreign currency services to customers in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
'We hope to hear soon . . . the applications are already on [central bank] governor Dai's [Xianlong] desk and just waiting for a signature,' he said.