According to some customers, the bank’s mobile app and online services were inactive as early as 1pm, with login attempts diverted to a screen stating the system was under maintenance and would be accessible at a later time.
A staff member at the bank’s Mong Kok branch said HSBC’s citywide computer network had failed early Friday afternoon, but the employee did not know the reason for the stoppage.
Branch services had returned to normal by 3.08pm, but customers said mobile app functionality remained suspended, with no money transfers, securities trading, foreign exchanges or credit card repayments possible via the platform.
At 6pm, an HSBC spokesperson issued a statement, saying all services had been fully restored and apologising for any inconvenience caused. The statement did not include a reason for the breakdown, nor an estimate for the number of customers affected by the outage.
“The HKMA has instructed the bank (HSBC) to conduct a thorough investigation into the root cause of the incident to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident,” an HKMA spokesman said.
