HSBC agreed to sell its Australian retail operations, including an AUD 36 billion ($25.3 billion) home and personal loan portfolio, to Blackstone and its Egypt retail business to Emirates NBD. Standard Chartered will invest further in Trust Bank and transfer selected Singapore credit-card and personal-loan customers from September, as Trust and Mox move into profitability.

Elsewhere, China implemented new personal-loan cost-disclosure rules, while Visa agreed to acquire BioCatch for $2.4 billion to extend its fraud capabilities beyond payment authorisation.

Read more on the week’s key developments:

1. HSBC reshapes retail footprint with Australia exit and Egypt sale

HSBC has agreed to sell its AUD 36 billion ($25.3 billion) Australian home and personal loan portfolio to Blackstone while exiting the country’s broader retail banking market. The bank will wind down branches, deposits, transaction accounts and cards over 18 months, with Pepper Money providing loan servicing after completion. Separately, HSBC agreed to sell its Egypt retail banking business to Emirates NBD Egypt. The Egypt disposal group comprised approximately $0.4 billion in assets and $2.8 billion in liabilities as of June 2026, with HSBC expecting an estimated $0.3 billion pre-tax gain.

The transactions concentrate HSBC’s resources on businesses linked to international banking, wealth and corporate relationships. In Australia, a large bank-originated mortgage portfolio will move to non-bank capital, while Emirates NBD gains customers, deposits and distribution capacity in Egypt. Both transactions depend on regulatory approvals and successful customer transitions, with the Australian sale expected to complete in the first half of 2027 and the Egypt transaction in the second half.

2. Visa acquires BioCatch for $2.4 billion to extend fraud controls beyond payments

Visa agreed to acquire behavioural-intelligence provider BioCatch for $2.4 billion in cash. BioCatch analyses behavioural and device signals to distinguish legitimate customers from fraudsters and detect account takeovers, scams and fraudulent applications. The company supports more than 350 financial institutions across 21 countries, covering approximately 760 million users and 1.8 billion devices. The transaction is expected to close by the end of Visa’s second fiscal quarter of 2027, subject to regulatory approval.

The acquisition extends Visa’s fraud capabilities beyond payment authorisation into the activity preceding a transaction, including account opening, account access and customer behaviour. Visa said BioCatch would help its clients stop fraud before it reaches the point of payment, addressing scams in which legitimate customers are manipulated into authorising transactions. The deal also expands Visa’s value-added services business as banks increase spending on fraud prevention and digital identity controls.

3. Standard Chartered transfers Singapore unsecured loans to Trust Bank, digital banks reach profitability

Standard Chartered announced on 31 July that it will invest further in Trust Bank and transfer part of its Singapore unsecured retail lending portfolio to the digital bank. Selected credit-card and personal-loan customers will move to Trust from September, while their Standard Chartered deposits, wealth products and insurance policies remain unchanged. Trust serves more than one million customers and recorded four consecutive profitable months from March to June, while Hong Kong-based Mox became profitable in the first half.

The transfer sharpens the division within Standard Chartered’s Singapore retail strategy. Trust will scale everyday digital banking through the acquired lending relationships, while Standard Chartered focuses investment on affluent and international clients. Affluent customers generated 73% of Wealth and Retail Banking income in the first half, excluding the digital banks, up from 70% a year earlier. Trust and Mox’s profitability also shows that both banks are progressing beyond their initial investment phase.

4. Société Générale’s BoursoBank reaches 9.1 million customers, digital bank becomes earnings driver

Société Générale’s digital subsidiary BoursoBank reached approximately 9.1 million customers at the end of June after adding more than 280,000 during the quarter. Assets under administration increased 16% year on year to EUR 84 billion ($98 billion), including EUR 49 billion ($57 billion) in deposits, while loans rose 8% to EUR 17.8 billion ($20.8 billion). BoursoBank generated EUR 84 million ($98 million) in quarterly net income and remains on track to exceed EUR 300 million ($351 million) for 2026.

BoursoBank is becoming a material source of customers, deposits and profit for Société Générale as the group simplifies its conventional retail operations. Its scale provides the group with a substantial digital retail channel and a growing funding base. Further expansion will depend on maintaining customer economics and asset quality as BoursoBank works toward its longer-term ambition of serving 20 million to 25 million customers.

5. Lloyds commits GBP 13 billion to Accelerate 2030 and targets GBP 2 billion in savings

Lloyds Banking Group unveiled a four-year strategy under which it plans to invest more than GBP 13 billion ($17.5 billion) between 2027 and 2030 while generating approximately GBP 2 billion ($2.7 billion) in gross cost savings. Accelerate 2030 includes greater use of artificial intelligence, a Lloyds smart wallet and further digitisation of customer journeys, including mortgage processing. The bank is targeting a cost-to-income ratio below 45% and return on tangible equity of approximately 20% by 2030.

The strategy follows Lloyds’ 2022–2026 transformation programme and connects further technology spending with measurable targets for efficiency and returns. Its retail initiatives are intended to shorten customer journeys, increase personalisation and generate more fee-based income from its domestic customer base. Execution will determine whether the investment produces sustained operating leverage while maintaining service quality across branch and digital channels.

6. Grab records $307 million gain from Superbank consolidation

Grab reported second-quarter revenue of $997 million, up 22% year on year, while adjusted EBITDA rose 54% to $168 million. Monthly transacting users reached 54 million, while Grab began consolidating the results of Indonesia’s Superbank, a digital bank serving more than seven million customers. Net profit included a one-time $307 million gain arising from the consolidation.

Consolidating Superbank gives Grab control of a regulated deposit and lending platform in Indonesia and brings the bank’s results onto its accounts. It also creates a clearer route for Grab to connect payments and platform activity with deposits and credit. The next measure of progress is whether it can convert its regional user base into recurring banking income while controlling funding and credit costs.

7. SoFi originates $3.1 billion in personal loans for third parties, fee revenue reaches 39% of total

SoFi originated $14.8 billion in loans during the second quarter, including $10.7 billion in personal loans. Of the latter, $3.1 billion was originated for third-party partners through its Loan Platform Business, which generated $140.9 million in fees and referrals. SoFi sold or transferred more than $4.1 billion in personal and home loans during the quarter, while fee-based revenue reached $472.3 million, or 39% of total revenue.

The expansion of third-party origination allows SoFi to increase lending volumes without retaining every loan on its balance sheet. This generates fees, recycles capital and diversifies funding alongside its deposit-backed lending business. SoFi has extended the model into SME loans and home-equity lending, but further growth will depend on institutional demand for its originated assets and consistent credit performance.

8. China requires lenders to disclose full cost of personal loans

Rules issued by China’s National Financial Regulatory Administration and People’s Bank of China took effect on 1 August, requiring banks and non-bank lenders to disclose the full annualised financing cost of personal loans. Disclosures must incorporate interest, instalment charges and related service or credit-enhancement fees across lending journeys, including digital channels.

The changes mark a broader regulatory push to improve transparency in consumer finance and reduce hidden fees or misleading pricing practices. Lenders will need to adjust product disclosures, marketing and digital onboarding processes. Applying the requirements across banks and non-bank lenders also establishes a more consistent basis for consumers to compare personal-loan products.

9. Kakao Pay’s financial-services revenue overtakes payments for the first time

South Korea’s Kakao Pay reported second-quarter revenue of KRW 335.1 billion ($242 million), up 41% year on year, while operating profit reached a record KRW 58.6 billion ($42 million). Total payment volume increased 20% to KRW 54.2 trillion ($39.2 billion). Financial-services revenue from securities, insurance and lending rose 75% to KRW 175.2 billion ($126 million), accounting for 52% of total revenue and exceeding payments revenue for the first time.

The change in revenue mix marks Kakao Pay’s transition from a payments-led platform into a broader provider and distributor of consumer financial services. Investment and insurance were the main sources of financial-services growth, increasing 99% and 86%, respectively. As regulated financial products become its main source of revenue, Kakao Pay will face greater exposure to product suitability, credit assessment and conduct requirements.

10. Banco de Bogotá absorbs 267,000 Itaú retail customers as transfer takes effect

Colombia’s Banco de Bogotá completed the transfer of Itaú Colombia’s personal banking business on 31 July, adding approximately 267,000 customers, COP 6.45 trillion ($2.05 billion) in consumer and mortgage loans and COP 4.80 trillion ($1.52 billion) in deposits. The transaction, first announced in December 2025, followed regulatory approval from Colombia’s Financial Superintendence, with customer accounts and digital services migrated by 1 August.

The deal expands Banco de Bogotá’s retail franchise while allowing Itaú Colombia to focus on corporate banking, treasury and specialised financial services. Itaú said its retail business lacked sufficient scale to deliver stronger profitability, highlighting the challenge foreign banks face competing in consumer banking markets dominated by established local players. The immediate test is integrating the transferred customers and products without material service disruption or attrition.