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HSBC Unveils Ambitious Global Expansion of Office Surveillance

Leaked internal plans secure a $15 million budget for AI analytics with increased biometric safeguards in the new City of London headquarters.

Two HSBC bank logos are displayed on an office building in Mexico City, Mexico, July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Henry Romero/File Photo
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Overview

  • The May 2025 presentation outlines an increase from roughly 444 to 1,754 security cameras and a rise in biometric readers from 350 to 779 for the City of London building.
  • HSBC plans to integrate AI-powered video analytics to monitor trading-floor entry and exit points after tripling its initial surveillance budget to about $15 million.
  • The bank has partnered with Israeli firm Octopus since 2024 to deploy surveillance tools in the UK and Hong Kong and intends to extend similar systems to India and Mexico.
  • Employees are required to use firm-installed software on personal mobile phones for digital badging and full-hand biometric scans, a policy that has met notable resistance and partial noncompliance.
  • Starting in October, senior staff will be mandated to work from their offices at least four days per week under the tighter return-to-office directive.