Among them are Lebanese .. a bank that cuts its relations with 1,000 customers from the wealthy of the Middle East!

In a surprise move that sparked widespread controversy in the Arab financial circles, the British HSBC Bank announced via the Swiss Banking Services Unit in Switzerland that it cut off its relationships with more than 1,000 customers of the Middle East, including Saudis, Lebanese, Qataris and Egyptians, in the framework of a strategy aimed at reducing transactions with high -risk accounts. The decision came after intense investigations launched by the Swiss authorities in January 2025, related to With suspicions of money laundering linked to the former ruler of Lebanon Riad Salama and his brother Raja, it was found that the bank was not achieved sufficiently from the sources of transfers worth more than $ 300 million between Lebanon and Switzerland during the period from 2002 to 2015. The bank had announced in October 2024 plans to restructure aimed at simplifying the organizational structure and focusing on the markets in which it has a competitive advantage, with a focus on reducing the risk Associated with sensitive calculations. The Swiss Banking Supervision Authority (Finma) obligated the bank to a comprehensive review of all high risk accounts and prevent the opening of new accounts for prominent political figures until the completion of the reforms. HSBC started notifying the relevant customers, some of whom have wealth exceeding 100 million dollars, with plans to send official letters in the coming months to close accounts and transfer money to other judicial states. The decision comes in a historical record The bank is full of financial scandals, including a 192 million dollar settlement with the US authorities in 2019 due to the facilitation of tax evasion, and a record fine of $ 1.9 billion in 2012 for his involvement in laundering money linked to Mexican drug gangs, which was cast on HSBC and imposed strict supervision in Switzerland. Analysts considered that this step may push Egyptian and Arab customers to Searching for alternative banking havens in Dubai or Singapore, while a wave of controversy over the bank’s ability to manage wealth in the Middle East after a series of tensions and strict control. (Russia today)