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Media Releases

Media Releases

HSBC Life media releases

Read the latest statements and press releases from HSBC Life. If you are a journalist, our communications team can be contacted by email:uklifepressoffice@hsbc.com

  • HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) has shown its commitment to supporting the growing need for estate planning with the launch of new tools and resources for advisers. Its own research1 indicates that while many advisers believe a significant number of their clients would benefit from estate planning, nearly two out of five (38%) of clients have yet to take any action. Less than half (47%) have taken steps to reduce or plan for Inheritance Tax (IHT).

  • HSBC Bank plc, a wholly owned subsidiary of HSBC Holdings plc, has entered into a binding agreement to sell its UK life insurance entity, HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life UK”), to Chesnara plc (“Chesnara”), a UK-based life and pensions business.

  • HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) has been announced as a signatory of the Protection Distributors Group’s (PDG) Claims Charter for 2025, underlining its commitment to delivering better customer outcomes in the protection insurance market.

  • HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) is continuing to expand in the protection market by recruiting more Business Development Managers (BDMs) and through the launch of a new Protection Adviser Support team. These latest initiatives underline its commitment to continual service development and growth by ensuring it is easy to do business with for advisers and customers.

  • Advisers should focus on the planning benefits of investment bonds generally, and onshore bonds specifically, at a time when client awareness of their importance in tax effective accumulation, decumulation and wealth transfer is on the rise, research* for a new HSBC Life (UK) report shows.

  • HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) paid out £93 million in life insurance and critical illness claims during 2024 with paid rates at 97.53% for life insurance and 94.44% for critical illness. The average time to settle life claims was well below the industry average at 19 days with 67% of claimants receiving a decision on day one whilst for critical illness claims the turnaround time was 41 days*.

  • HSBC Life (UK) Limited is expanding its Value-Added Benefits (VABs) to include policyholders' partners* as part of its ongoing commitment to providing wellbeing and peace of mind for customers. The VABs include mental health services, unlimited 24/7 digital GP, second medical opinions, remote physiotherapy, and an annual health check. They are available to HSBC Life UK’s existing and new protection customers who purchased their cover via intermediary distribution partners including price comparison websites.
    Policyholders’ dependents will also have access to digital GP appointments and second medical opinions. In addition, dependents aged 16-23 will be eligible for mental health services.

  • HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) has appointed Richard Waters as Head of Protection Distribution.

    Previously National Account Manager Protection Distribution at HSBC Life (UK), Richard brings more than 30 years’ experience to his new role having worked as a general insurance broker and latterly, in senior positions in HSBC’s mortgage intermediary and group insurance businesses. He will lead the Protection Intermediary Distribution team, overseeing key distribution relationships and a team of experienced business development professionals across the UK.

  • HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) has appointed Richard Waters as Head of Protection Distribution.

    Previously National Account Manager Protection Distribution at HSBC Life (UK), Richard brings more than 30 years’ experience to his new role having worked as a general insurance broker and latterly, in senior positions in HSBC’s mortgage intermediary and group insurance businesses. He will lead the Protection Intermediary Distribution team, overseeing key distribution relationships and a team of experienced business development professionals across the UK.

  • Advisers can calculate IHT liabilities based on future estate value and gifting plans.

    Recent HMRC data* shows that total IHT (inheritance tax) receipts for April 2023 to March 2024 climbed to £7.5 billion – £0.4bn higher than the same period last year. Government forecasts also estimate IHT receipts will grow to £8.4 billion in the 27/28 tax year**.

    As a result of these increases and to enhance the support it provides for advisers and their clients, HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) is launching an Inheritance Tax (IHT) calculator designed to estimate current and future client liabilities including gifting plans and increased asset values.

  • HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) continues to focus on its expansion of underwriting and inclusivity with the introduction of new digital rules for mental illness disclosures made during a life and critical illness cover application.

    This builds on the drive to trust the customer and remove the stigma of mental illness and barriers to protection.

  • The changing face of retirement is highlighting the need for advisers and their clients to make investments work harder for them, research* from HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) shows.

    HSBC Life’s nationwide study with advisers found that on average they expect 43% of their clients to work past standard retirement ages and 29% of their clients to retire overseas underlining how advice and the use of investable capital must adapt to help support clients with achieving their plans.

  • The changing face of retirement is highlighting the need for advisers and their clients to make investments work harder for them, research* from HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) shows.

    HSBC Life’s nationwide study with advisers found that on average they expect 43% of their clients to work past standard retirement ages and 29% of their clients to retire overseas underlining how advice and the use of investable capital must adapt to help support clients with achieving their plans.

  • Demand for tax-effective investment advice is likely to increase presenting a major opportunity for advisers to demonstrate their expertise and grow their businesses, new research* from HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) shows.

    The research by HSBC Life (UK), titled The Three I’s of Investable Capital, in association with consultancy Technical Connection, found currently 50% of surveyed advisers’ clients are higher rate taxpayers while nearly a third (32%) are additional rate taxpayers.

  • Advisers are risking losing potential clients and business despite believing that taking an intergenerational approach to clients is important, research* from HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) shows.

    The national study with advisers found almost all (96%) say intergenerational planning is important for their businesses with 56% saying it is highly important. However just 62% claim to have a clear intergenerational business strategy with 30% saying they are working on one. Another 6% say they plan to implement a strategy while 2% have ruled it out.

  • HSBC Life – the HSBC Group’s insurance business – has been awarded a Defaqto Gold Service rating for the third year in a row for its Onshore Investment Bond underlining its focus on supporting advisers in the fast-growing market.

    The Service rating, which is based on feedback from financial advisers, builds on a 5-star rating from Defaqto’s independent experts for HSBC Life’s Onshore Investment Bond Select.

  • In another UK protection market-innovation HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) continues to expand its focus on underwriting and inclusivity. Critical Illness cover will be available to Type 2 diabetic customers without the need for NHS records. These customers will have the opportunity to obtain Critical Illness cover by attending an independent nurse medical screening, the results of which will be assessed digitally in a three-day turnaround time.

  • HSBC Life (UK) Limited (“HSBC Life (UK)”) is extending its Value-Added Benefits proposition to new customers who apply for protection cover via external distribution partners including price comparison websites. The benefits will also be offered to existing protection customers who bought their policy via external distribution partners.

  • Advisers are concerned about their clients risking HMRC fines, by failing to register trusts with the Trust Registration Service (TRS) by 1st September, according to new research from HSBC Life (UK), the HSBC Group’s insurance business.

  • HSBC Life (UK) Ltd has signed the Protection Distributors Group (PDG) Claims Charter and Funeral Payment Pledge. The PDG introduced the Claims Charter to encourage best practice during the claims process and ensure claimants have the best support with claims paid as quickly as possible.

  • • Tax changes plus political and economic uncertainty are making investment decisions tougher, research shows
    • HSBC Life (UK) Limited launches Investable Capital Report to help address their concerns

    More than two out of three advisers believe financial planning has become harder over the past five years as tax changes combine with political and economic uncertainty plus market volatility, new research* from HSBC Life (UK) Limited shows.

  • In a UK Protection first, HSBC Life (UK) Ltd is launching a digital underwriting innovation that enables medical screening requests to be sent to and received back automatically from the medical screening provider Square Health, exclusively available on UnderwriteMe’s Protection Platform. Once the screening is completed, the results are returned to HSBC Life’s digital underwriting rules engine – provided by UnderwriteMe – to instantly provide an eligibility decision. This innovation will also be available via the HSBC Life extranet journey for those IFA users who use IRESS, iPipeline and Synaptic Webline.

  • A study by HSBC Life – HSBC’s insurance business – highlights how being financially fit benefits society by boosting support for charity and ESG investing.
    The +Factor study surveyed over 3,000 UK adults, to gauge their health and wellbeing in a bid to better understand the relationship between people’s physical health, mental wellbeing and their financial fitness as well as the wider societal impact of these three health dimensions.

  • Breast cancer claims support is increasing as speed of payouts and help for customers expands, says HSBC Life (UK) Ltd, HSBC Group’s insurance business, as it marks this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month

  • HSBC Life (UK) Limited has appointed Mark Green as a Senior Taxation and Trust Manager further building on the expertise available within its Taxation and Trust technical function. Formerly Head of Tax and Estate Planning at Legal & General, Mark’s career in tax has spanned 37 years, the last 25 years also spent working at Aegon and Clerical Medical. An Inland Revenue trained graduate with a Master’s degree in law, Mark also has TEP, ATT and FPFS qualifications.

  • New products for renters and millennials will help expansion. New independent research for HSBC reveals financial advisers believe innovation leading to faster underwriting is the most important requirement in the individual protection market to help drive growth, with 50 per cent of advisers calling for the process to be accelerated.

  • A new study by HSBC Life – HSBC’s insurance business – confirms the intrinsic link between financial planning and improved mental and physical health.
    The +Factor study surveyed over 3,000 UK adults, to gauge their health and wellbeing in a bid to better understand the interconnection between people’s physical health, mental wellbeing and their financial fitness.

  • Financial advisers believe increased demand for individual protection products will come from parents with young families, according to new independent research for HSBC Life UK. Over half (53 per cent) of advisers surveyed highlighted parents with young children will have the biggest need for protection, while parents starting a family will also potentially benefit from individual protection, 43 per cent of financial advisers revealed.

  • Advisers are seeing an increase in demand for ESG and sustainable investment options in onshore bonds as the market expands, according to new research1 among 100 UK based wealth management advisers, by HSBC Life – the HSBC Group’s insurance business.