The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, as it was known then, was founded by Thomas Sutherland, a young Scotsman who worked in Hong Kong for a large shipping firm.
Local and foreign trade in Hong Kong and at ports in China and Japan had increased rapidly in previous years, and Sutherland recognised that businesses needed better local banking facilities. By the time Sutherland’s prospectus was published, and backed by Hong Kong’s biggest firms, he had raised of HKD5 million of founding capital, [almost HKD100m in today’s money].
The 20,000 shares issued sold quickly and we opened our doors – in Hong Kong on 3 March 1865 – and in Shanghai a month later.
https://www.hsbc.com/who-we-are/our-strategy-and-values/our-history/history-timeline