HSBC second-quarter profit plunges 29%, missing expectations

Europe's largest lender HSBC on Wednesday missed second-quarter profit expectations, mostly on account of impairment charges, according to the bank.

It reported profit before tax for the three months ended in June of $6.3 billion, down 29% from a year ago.

Here are HSBC's second-quarter 2025 results compared with consensus estimates compiled by the bank.

• Profit before tax: $6.3 billion vs. $6.99 billion
• Revenue: $16.5 billion vs. $16.67 billion

The earnings come against the backdrop of ongoing tariff worries, with U.S. President Donald Trump's "reciprocal" duties set to come into effect on Aug. 1. The bank while reporting its first-quarter earnings had warned of heightened macroeconomic uncertainty, highlighting that protectionist trade policies were adversely affecting consumer and business sentiment.

HSBC is planning to terminate several employees in its equities team in its Germany office,  as part of a broader effort to scale back its investment banking operations outside of Asia and the Middle East, Bloomberg reported last week. 

The move is said to align with CEO Georges Elhedery's push to revamp the investment bank. Last October, HSBC announced a restructuring plan to split its operations into four divisions, creating separate "Eastern markets" and "Western markets" sectors. HSBC has said the reorganization will cut costs by about $300 million this year.

In January, the lender announced that it will shut down its M&A and parts of its equities operations in Europe and the Americas.