HSBC: Powering innovation & real-time finance across Asia’s digital economy

“FOR businesses to thrive in this region, they must think and act in real time, from payments and collections to liquidity and funding,” says Gilbert Ng, head of banking, Singapore, corporate and institutional banking, HSBC. “We see HSBC’s role as a key enabler empowering businesses to tap into the vibrant South-east Asia digital economy for growth – through the breadth of our global network, innovative financing solutions, and full suite of transaction banking capabilities.”

South-east Asia’s digital economy is entering an inflection point. Fuelled by rising connectivity, mobile adoption, innovation and cross-border commerce, it is forecast to reach US$600 billion by the end of this decade. In 2024 alone, digital trade measured in gross merchandise value rose 15 per cent to US$263 billion.

Singapore stands at the heart of this momentum. As Asia’s most innovative economy, it offers strong intellectual-property protection, policy support, global capital markets and a dense network of incubators and funds. More than 5,000 start-ups, over 500 investors and nearly 250 incubator or accelerator programmes operate here. But for digital businesses aiming to scale regionally, the challenge lies not just in product development but in financial infrastructure. Expansion often leads to fragmented banking, liquidity blind spots, delays and operational drag.

HSBC is addressing these challenges through two strategic levers: HSBC Innovation Banking, designed to empower founders and its real-time treasury solutions, which help corporates gain control and visibility across markets.

Innovation Banking: Empowering the next generation of growth

The launch of HSBC Innovation Banking in Singapore extends the bank’s global innovation franchise to one of the world’s most dynamic technology hubs. It connects entrepreneurs, investors and high-growth companies with HSBC’s international network, stability and deep sector expertise. The proposition supports clients through all business life stages, from pre-Series A to post-IPO, helping visionaries achieve their ambitions and beyond, while providing banking solutions that scale with startups. It offers tailored credit, venture-debt and transaction-banking solutions, backed by specialists who understand the demands of technology and life-sciences firms.

HSBC Singapore is committed to supporting the thriving start-up ecosystem. Beyond extending innovative financing solutions, the bank recognises that investors play a vital role in funding growth from inception through expansion. To support them, HSBC Singapore has set up a dedicated coverage team for investors’ transaction-banking and funding needs. It also works with ecosystem partners such as Antler to expand networks for new-economy businesses through knowledge exchange and collaboration.

The Singapore launch builds on its Innovation Banking presence in key innovation hubs including Australia, New Zealand, India, Hong Kong, mainland China, UK, and US, extending HSBC’s global reach into Asia’s innovation belt. It strengthens the ecosystem that enables start-ups and investors to operate under one international banking umbrella, from the first time a start-up raises funds from investors to regional or global scale.

Real-time treasury: Turning visibility into velocity

Corporate treasuries are being reshaped by a perfect storm of volatility, regulatory complexity and technological disruption. HSBC’s Treasury Pulse Survey 2025 shows how widespread these challenges have become.

According to the survey, 63 per cent of treasuries globally plan to adopt, upgrade or harmonise their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) or Treasury Management System (TMS) within two years, a clear sign that existing infrastructure is not keeping pace with the demands of real-time business.

Treasuries that centralise operations and streamline bank relationships can free up more than 140 hours of capacity per month, yet many high-growth companies still manage multiple accounts across jurisdictions, creating reconciliation risk and reducing efficiency.

The same survey highlights liquidity control as a top priority. Organisations that use cash pooling or in-house banks are more likely to fund subsidiaries internally, reducing reliance on external borrowing.

In recent years, a proliferation of non-bank financial platforms has offered faster, cheaper or more flexible solutions for businesses. Yet for corporates and high-growth firms, the real differentiator lies in trust, scalability and security. HSBC combines its global network coverage, regulatory credibility and deep industry expertise with the latest technology to deliver modern, API-driven solutions that meet clients’ needs. Its co-creation approach with clients ensures every solution is tailored to specific operational and market demands.

To meet these evolving needs, HSBC has built a suite of digital transaction banking capabilities including HSBC Trade-Pay, Digital Merchant Services (DMS) and the Tokenised Deposit Service (TDS) in Singapore.

HSBC TradePay, its industry-first, fully digital trade finance solution, is a faster, simpler and fully digital way for companies to seamlessly pay suppliers and improve their working capital position.

“‘Instant’ is a growing need in global trade and particularly true for many of our clients working with a wide range of partners across markets and currencies,” says Runa Baksi, head of global trade solutions, South-east Asia, HSBC. “Since its 2023 launch, HSBC TradePay has made over US$10 billion of trade finance available globally. This is a testament of how our innovative solution is helping customers better manage their working capital in real-time while building stronger supplier relationships.”

Through DMS, businesses can accept multiple payment methods, including cards, digital wallets and real-time payments through a single contract and interface, simplifying the complexity of managing multiple payment providers and providing robust reconciliation capabilities.

“HSBC’s Digital Merchant Services has helped us simplify payment acceptance while strengthening security through features like tokenisation. With more digital options such as Apple Pay, our customers enjoy a faster and smoother checkout process that reflects Forty Two’s commitment to convenience and trust,” says Naveed Lee, founder & CEO, FortyTwo.sg.

TDS represents a form of digital money that allows instant, wallet-to-wallet transfers within HSBC entities, 24/7, while retaining the security and reliability of a global bank. The service enables instant movement of funds across markets by combining blockchain technology with the safeguards of a regulated institution.

HSBC has also introduced two new liquidity innovations: On-Demand Cash Concentration, which allows treasurers to trigger intercompany fund movements instantly through a self-service digital platform on HSBCnet, and Cross-Currency Cash Concentration, which automatically consolidates multi currencies into a single currency of choice in real-time using prevailing FX rates with HSBC. Both solutions enable corporates to optimise liquidity positions seamlessly across markets and time zones.

“As digital economies expand, businesses need faster, simpler and more transparent banking solutions,” says Winnie Yap, head of global payments solutions, Singapore, HSBC. “Consumers today demand greater speed and convenience, placing pressure on corporates to deliver an experience that can match these expectations.”

Yap adds, “We are continually investing in next-generation payment technologies and real-time liquidity tools that make treasury operations truly real time. The launch of our tokenised-deposit capability across borders demonstrates how we can move value instantly and securely, giving clients a new level of liquidity control and operational efficiency, whereas digital merchant services simplify digital collections optimising cash flow while enhancing customer experience.”

Together, these innovations transform treasury from a reactive to a strategic function. Businesses gain a unified view of global cash positions, automate funding decisions and mobilise liquidity across currencies and borders at any time of day.

A regional platform for the future

The acceleration of South-east Asia’s digital economy is reshaping how businesses operate, transact and fund growth. Whether managing complex treasury flows or raising capital for expansion, companies now need partners that combine technological capability with institutional strength.

Ng concludes, “The future of finance is not just about faster payments but empowering businesses with the agility to respond to opportunities while managing their risks. HSBC’s long history in this region and forward-looking approach makes us the ideal partner to support businesses as they shape South-east Asia’s digital economy.”