HSBC Business Account Review 2025

HSBC is the largest bank (by assets) in Europe. It’s a banking behemoth and a household name across the UK, thanks to various sports sponsorships and its presence on the high-street.

There are many reasons why businesses might choose a business account with HSBC, but it’s not faultless and nor is it the right fit for everyone. We’ve written this article to provide a clear rundown of HSBC’s business account, its pros and cons, its main features, and how it stands up against our own business account.

Read on to find out all you need to know about banking with HSBC and work out whether it’s the right choice for your business.

What is HSBC business banking?

As a universal bank, HSBC offers dozens of products and services. Business banking is an important part of their global business, responsible for 36% of the group’s profits before tax in 2024.

A well-known and respected institution, HSBC has a global presence and its name carries weight. That global presence makes their banking attractive to businesses with a global outlook.

HSBC offers four business bank accounts:

1. HSBC Kinetic Current Account – for sole traders or single director/sole shareholder companies.

2. Small Business Banking Account – for growing businesses with more complex structures or needs.

3. Business Banking Account – for enterprises that require a relationship manager and access to specialist teams.

4. Corporate Bank Account – for businesses with turnover above £15 million.

Throughout the rest of this article, we’ll reference HSBC’s small business banking account by default.

Key features of HSBC business accounts

Let’s take a look at the headline features of the HSBC small business banking account.

• Mobile/online banking

• Mobile cheque deposits

• Access to up to £100,000 in lending

• 327 branches in the UK, plus Post Office banking services

• Access to skill/sector specialists, providing support and advice

• Secure and compliant processes, in line with industry best practice

• Direct bank feed integration with Xero, Open Banking feed with other tools

• Access to the HSBC Small Business Growth Programme – offering free events, training and resources for UK businesses

• My Business Finances – a free ‘financial insights tool’, developed in partnership with Ember, that is embedded in your internet banking. Features include cashflow, tax and profitability tracking.

HSBC business account fees & pricing breakdown

If your business is a startup (trading for fewer than two years) or switching from another bank, HSBC has an introductory offer that makes all banking services free for the first 12 months. After that, you’ll move to your account’s normal tariff of fees.

Sources: product page and business price list (downloadable from product page).

* HSBC offers an additional Global Wallet account and an International Business Account (available in over 90 currencies). These accounts offer cheaper international transactions.

HSBC business account eligibility requirements in 2025

To be eligible for HSBC’s small business banking account, your business must be:

• A sole trader, limited company, or not-for-profit

• UK tax resident

• Free from any disqualified directors

• In need of finance totalling less than £100,000

Eligibility requirements differ between their four accounts.

What you’ll need to provide complete an application

In the application process, HSBC will ask for you to provide:

• Full business address

• Contact details (phone number(s) and email address)

• Companies House registration number (if incorporated)

• Estimated turnover

Personal details from you, plus any partners or directors:

• Full name and date of birth

• Phone number and email address

• Current personal address (and any others in the last three years)

• If you’re a personal banking customer:

  • Account number

  • Details of your debit/credit cards

HSBC vs. Airwallex: Which is better for global finance in 2025?

There are hundreds of banks, building societies, and eMoney institutions operating in the UK. Clearly, HSBC is not your only choice.

We’ve written another article comparing multiple business accounts in the UK, but we want to focus on how HSBC stacks up against our own product: the Airwallex business account.

Check the table below to compare some key features and costs.

If this is the first you’re hearing about Airwallex or you want to brush up on your knowledge, you can learn more about Airwallex’s business account now.

What current HSBC customers are saying

On TrustPilot, HSBC UK has a rating of 3.9. This is by far and away the highest of the remaining ‘big four’ banks (Barclays: 2.0, NatWest: 1.5, Lloyds: 1.6). While not the highest rating, compared to their competitors, HSBC UK ranks well.

The HSBC mobile app gets rave reviews, with a 4.8 average rating from 1.5 million users on the App Store and 4.7 from 354,000 reviewers on Google Play.

Looking at qualitative reviews from the general public, one Reddit user reported “getting increasingly frustrated with their customer services and high fees for receiving and making international payments” to the US and Europe.

Final thoughts: Is HSBC the right business account for you in 2025?

Even for the tiniest startups and sole director businesses, there’s something reassuring (internally and externally) about banking with a name as big as HSBC.

“Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM”, it’s often said, and HSBC might be the banking equivalent. While there may be some truth in that idiom, it’s also true that many businesses are left wanting more, or soon outgrow their first business bank.

In terms of the traditional big banks, HSBC is certainly a solid choice. For some of its features, it’s the best of the lot. However, if you’re looking for an experience that’s flexible, economical for international trade, and gives you the power to customise and integrate at scale – Airwallex should be on your list.

Disclaimer and references

The information in this article is based on our own online research in Q2 2025. Airwallex was not able to manually test each tool or provider. The information is provided for educational purposes only and a reader should consider the specific requirements of their business when evaluating providers. This research is reviewed annually. If you would like to request an update, feel free to contact us at [[email protected]]. This information doesn’t take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs.