The Monetary Authority yesterday took the unusual step of advising banks and financial institutions not to single out clients, especially Filipino women, from countries designated as 'non-co-operative' by a global taskforce fighting money-laundering.
The circular issued by the authority's executive director (banking policy) Simon Topping was addressed to the chief executives of all authorised financial institutions in Hong Kong. It was in response to a series of reports by the South China Morning Post this week exposing a pattern of hurdles, inconvenience and rejection Filipino expatriates face when they request services at major banks.
Yesterday, Hang Seng Bank issued a formal apology to housewife Josefa Almeda, who was told by a teller that as a Filipino national, she could not open an account with the bank at its Hankow Road branch.
'We would like to apologise for the treatment Ms Almeda received which, I am sure, must have been a very distressing experience for her,' wrote S.C. Lau, a Hang Seng Bank assistant general manager, to the Post's Talkback readers' forum.
'I would like to state categorically that there is no racial discrimination involved. However, clearly, our branch staff could have shown more sensitivity in handling Ms Almeda's application.'
In the authority's circular yesterday, Mr Topping wrote: 'There have been reports that some customers from Non-Co-operative Countries and Territories designated by the Financial Action Task Force, especially Filipino women, have been encountering difficulties recently in opening bank accounts in Hong Kong.
