0:00
0:00
Hong Kong Banks Mark Lunar New Year Return With Cash Bonuses, Gifts and Extra Leave
Major lenders distribute HK$500 lai see and expanded festive benefits to tens of thousands of staff as market sentiment improves
Thousands of bank employees in Hong Kong returned to work after the Lunar New Year holiday to receive traditional lai see bonuses, with several major lenders supplementing the customary red packets with additional gifts and benefits amid signs of improving economic and market sentiment.
The practice of distributing lai see — red envelopes containing cash — on the first working day of the Lunar New Year remains a longstanding corporate tradition in the city, symbolising appreciation and good fortune for the year ahead.
In recent years, many financial institutions have opted to distribute the cash gifts before the holiday, alongside festive hampers and other tokens of appreciation.
Bank of China (Hong Kong) confirmed that each of its approximately 15,000 employees will receive HK$500 to mark the Year of the Horse, maintaining the same amount as in previous years.
However, the bank expanded its festive hamper this year, increasing the number of items to eight from six.
The basket includes premium ingredients such as mushrooms, morel mushrooms, dried scallops, fish maw, XO sauce, dried conch, pistachios and American ginseng — items traditionally associated with prosperity and health.
HSBC and its subsidiary Hang Seng Bank are also distributing HK$500 to each of their combined workforce of nearly 26,000 employees through electronic transfers, bringing the total payout to about HK$13 million.
The distribution represents the largest aggregate lai see allocation among Hong Kong’s banks this year.
In her New Year message to staff, Maggie Ng, chief executive of HSBC Hong Kong, said the Year of the Horse symbolises vitality, speed and success.
She expressed confidence that the year ahead would present opportunities for the bank to leverage its collective strengths in serving customers and capturing growth.
The enhanced festive gestures come as Hong Kong’s financial sector benefits from stabilising capital markets and a rebound in cross-border activity, with banks seeking to reinforce staff morale and signal optimism for the months ahead.
While the monetary amounts remain consistent with previous years, the expanded hampers and public messaging reflect a broader tone of renewed confidence within the city’s banking industry.
The practice of distributing lai see — red envelopes containing cash — on the first working day of the Lunar New Year remains a longstanding corporate tradition in the city, symbolising appreciation and good fortune for the year ahead.
In recent years, many financial institutions have opted to distribute the cash gifts before the holiday, alongside festive hampers and other tokens of appreciation.
Bank of China (Hong Kong) confirmed that each of its approximately 15,000 employees will receive HK$500 to mark the Year of the Horse, maintaining the same amount as in previous years.
However, the bank expanded its festive hamper this year, increasing the number of items to eight from six.
The basket includes premium ingredients such as mushrooms, morel mushrooms, dried scallops, fish maw, XO sauce, dried conch, pistachios and American ginseng — items traditionally associated with prosperity and health.
HSBC and its subsidiary Hang Seng Bank are also distributing HK$500 to each of their combined workforce of nearly 26,000 employees through electronic transfers, bringing the total payout to about HK$13 million.
The distribution represents the largest aggregate lai see allocation among Hong Kong’s banks this year.
In her New Year message to staff, Maggie Ng, chief executive of HSBC Hong Kong, said the Year of the Horse symbolises vitality, speed and success.
She expressed confidence that the year ahead would present opportunities for the bank to leverage its collective strengths in serving customers and capturing growth.
The enhanced festive gestures come as Hong Kong’s financial sector benefits from stabilising capital markets and a rebound in cross-border activity, with banks seeking to reinforce staff morale and signal optimism for the months ahead.
While the monetary amounts remain consistent with previous years, the expanded hampers and public messaging reflect a broader tone of renewed confidence within the city’s banking industry.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
