HSBC plans to launch a Global Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Singapore in the second half of 2026 to develop AI capabilities that can be scaled across its global network.

The CoE will initially focus on enhancing customer wealth journey conversations, developing agentic treasury solutions and building AI-enabled digital payments capabilities. The initiative is aimed at improving customer experiences while maintaining strong governance, human oversight and accountability.

As part of the plan, HSBC expects to create roles for more than 100 AI specialists. The new hires will work alongside David Rice, Chief AI Officer, and teams responsible for areas including wealth management and global payments solutions.

The CoE will develop expertise across natural language processing, data science, AI governance and human-centred design. HSBC also plans to collaborate with educational institutions and government bodies in Singapore to build a pipeline of AI talent.

The initiative forms part of HSBC’s broader strategy to develop AI capabilities that can be deployed across its international operations.

Georges Elhedery, Group CEO, HSBC, said: “The new AI Centre of Excellence in Singapore will help drive our global AI vision – to empower our colleagues to use AI to create a personalised experience for each customer, deliver it safely, in real time and at scale, while keeping human judgement, decision-making and accountability at the core.”

The CoE is expected to serve as a hub for developing and scaling AI solutions across the bank, with a focus on combining advanced AI capabilities with governance and human oversight.