HSBC donates US$12.8 million to help needy Hong Kong families hit by Covid-19, while AlipayHK cuts SME fees

The Hongkong Bank Foundation, the bank’s charitable arm, has teamed up with the Hong Kong Red Cross to provide care packages for needy families in Hong Kong

Ant Group’s affiliate AlipayHK said it would either waive or deduct transaction fees for SMEs for six months, depending on their transaction volume

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The HSBC headquarters in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 12:21pm, 21 Feb 2022Updated: 3:55pm, 21 Feb 2022

HSBC, the biggest lender in Hong Kong, has donated HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) to help low-income households hit hard by the Covid-19 outbreak, the biggest so far by the city’s financial sector.

The lender has joined a slew of companies, including Bright Smart Securities, Futu Securities, Ant Group and FTLife, which over the past week have offered support ranging from monetary donations, testing kits and other assistance to the city facing record infections nearly every day amid the fifth wave of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Hongkong Bank Foundation, the bank’s charitable arm, has teamed up with the Hong Kong Red Cross to help households who need to undergo compulsory home quarantine because of infections among family members or lockdowns of residential buildings for tests.

Under the programme, it will provide care packages including Covid-19 test kits, food, household items and basic medicines for these families. It will also have a hotline to offer psychological support and health related information for those having to quarantine.

People queue up in the rain for Covid-19 tests in Wan Chai on Sunday. Photo: Nora Tam

“We want to step up our efforts to help senior citizens and other vulnerable communities to ensure the continuity of their regular needs like medical treatments and household supplies during this critical period of the Covid situation in Hong Kong,” said Peter Wong Tung-shun, non-executive chairman of HSBC Asia-Pacific and chairman of The Hongkong Bank Foundation.