RAROC profile and corporate credit pricing model derived from Pillar 3 disclosures.
HSBC is a United Kingdom-based bank with approximately EUR 540bn of corporate credit exposure (EAD) under the Mixed approach to credit risk capital. The numbers below come directly from HSBC's most recent Pillar 3 CR6 regulatory filings and are used to model how this bank prices corporate credit facilities.
HSBC's corporate book is dominated by Asia-Pacific trade finance and UK mid-market lending, two segments with very different PD-LGD profiles. The consolidated average masks a bimodal book: short-dated, low-LGD trade claims pull the capital number down, while UK corporate term lending drives most of the credit RWA. That's why HSBC's sample RAROC on a 5-year term loan is less flattering than its headline cost-to-income would suggest.
HSBC is mid-sized by corporate EAD (22 of 59). Its cost-to-income ratio of 53.3% is structurally efficient (+3.5pp vs the 59-bank cross-section average of 49.8%). The corporate portfolio is weighted toward sub-IG obligors, with an EAD-weighted average PD of 3.1% against a cross-bank average of 2.1%.
The consolidated book blends A-IRB and F-IRB sub-portfolios, so the headline PD and LGD averages mask meaningful dispersion between segments — relevant when benchmarking specific sectors or geographies. Unsecured LGD disclosed at 39.9% is +3.1pp against the 36.8% cross-bank average, indicating a harder workout profile than the peer median and pushing up capital consumption on defaulted exposures.
On the standardised BBB+ EUR 25M 5-year term loan used across every bank profile, HSBC lands in the top half of the pricing ranking (#21 of 59), with a RAROC of 7.53% and a minimum spread of 244bp to reach the 12% hurdle. Within United Kingdom specifically, the bank ranks #2 of 5 on this same calculation.
| Parameter | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| IRB approach | Mixed | How the bank computes risk-weighted assets |
| Cost-to-income ratio | 53.3% | Operating cost share of net revenue |
| Effective tax rate | 22.7% | Applied to RAROC numerator after EL and funding |
| Average corporate PD | 3.07% | EAD-weighted probability of default |
| Avg LGD (unsecured) | 39.9% | Loss share if borrower defaults, no collateral |
| Avg LGD (secured) | 20.0% | Loss share with eligible collateral |
| Funding spread | 15bp | Bank's wholesale funding cost above risk-free |
| Corporate EAD | EUR 540bn | Total exposure at default to corporates |
On a representative BBB+ rated, 5-year term loan of EUR 25M at 150bp spread with a 20bp commitment fee, HSBC would generate an estimated RAROC of 7.53% against a typical 12% bank hurdle rate. To hit that hurdle on this exact deal, the bank would need a minimum spread of 244bp. This deal is significantly below target — the bank would either reprice it or decline.
| Component | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual revenue (spread + fees) | EUR 385,000 |
| Operating cost | EUR 154,000 |
| Expected loss (PD × LGD × EAD) | EUR 28,750 |
| Capital required (FPE) | EUR 2,451,320 |
| RAROC (after tax) | 7.53% |
| Min spread to hit 12% RAROC | 244bp |
Out of 59 banks in the OpenRAROC dataset, HSBC ranks #21 by RAROC on this sample deal.
| Rank | Bank | Country | RAROC | Min spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Qatar National Bank | Qatar | 9.00% | 203bp |
| 2 | DBS Group | Singapore | 8.18% | 224bp |
| 3 | JP Morgan | United States | 8.12% | 231bp |
| 4 | ICBC | China | 8.06% | 233bp |
| 5 | China Construction Bank | China | 8.06% | 233bp |
| 20 | KBC Group | Belgium | 7.59% | 243bp |
| 21 | HSBC | United Kingdom | 7.53% | 244bp |
| 22 | Rabobank | Netherlands | 7.45% | 251bp |
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