BEA expands London branch as mainland investment in Britain remains strong despite Brexit

The Bank of East Asia has doubled the size of its London branch and now offers fully digitalised services in an effort to capture a growing share of the 600,000 Chinese and Hong Kong customers who are studying, working or investing in Britain, according to executives.

The branch first opened in May 1990 to serve the Chinese community in London, and has now expanded its reach to a growing number of customers from Hong Kong and the mainland living in Britain.

The 26-year old London branch, right in the heart of Chinatown, has now doubled in size to 20,000 square feet.

“The expansion was a must, as we have seen an increasing number of customers in London over the past five years. These include students, tourists, investors and executives,” said Joseph Chow York-wai, the branch’s general manager.

The renovated branch now offers a full range of individual and corporate banking services including deposits, credit cards, and mortgage loans.

“In this digital age, customers use computers and smartphones to conduct their banking services, and that’s why we have expanded and improved what we offer at the London branch.