On 2 March 2009, HSBC Holdings PLC announced that it proposes to raise US$17.7b by way of a fully underwritten Rights Issue on the basis of 5 New Ordinary Shares for every 12 Existing Ordinary Shares. The Issue Price for Shareholders on the Hong Kong branch has been set at HK$28.00 per New Ordinary Share. For more details, please visit: http://www.hsbc.com/investor-relations.

As of 3 March 2009, the LSCOBA held 36,673 Ordinary Shares of HSBC. During the regular Board Meeting held on 2 March 2009, the topic of HSBC Rights Issue was discussed in detail; the Committee agreed to conduct a round of consultation, including but not limited to seeking views from Past Presidents of the Association and Old Boys who are financial experts in the field, in order to explore the pros and cons of exercising the option. Should the Committee opt to subscribe to the Rights Issue, it will be financed by the Associationˇ¦s internal resources.

For the HSBC Rights Issue Investment Forum, please find the details at http://www.lscoba.com/news/announcements/HSBC_Rights_Issue.pdf