Hong Leong Bank Berhad
Hong Leong Bank Berhad is a regional financial services company based in Malaysia, with presence in Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia and China. The Bank is technology focused and emphasises the development of financial capabilities to serve its clients across the five geographies.
HLB is listed on Bursa Malaysia Berhad and forms part of the Hong Leong Group. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the Bank has a strong Malaysian entrepreneurship heritage.
HLB was originally incorporated as Kwong Lee Mortgage and Remittance Company in 1905 in Kuching, Sarawak and later as Kwong Lee Bank Limited in 1934, bearing heritage of the oldest local financial institution in Malaysia. Kwong Lee Bank Berhad was acquired by the MUI Group in May 1982 and renamed Malayan United Bank Berhad on 2 February 1983. In 1989, it was renamed as MUI Bank. Under the MUI Bank banner, it grew from 11 to 35 branches nationwide. On 3 January 1994, Hong Leong Group acquired MUI Bank Berhad through Hong Leong Credit Berhad (now known as Hong Leong Financial Group Berhad) and renamed it Hong Leong Bank Berhad. The Bank was listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (now under Main Market of Bursa Malaysia) on 17 October 1994 and since then, has grown to be a significant player in the Malaysian banking and financing landscape, organically as well as through mergers and acquisitions, with its merger with EON Bank Group in 2011. Today the Bank is Malaysia’s fifth largest banking group by assets with over RM254.3 billion in assets as at 30 June 2022, and fourth largest by market capitalisation as at the same date.
HLB’s extensive branch network with 232 branches extends beyond Malaysian borders with one branch each in Labuan Offshore, Singapore and Hong Kong respectively, two branches in Vietnam and seven branches in Cambodia as well as a full-service call centre and more than 1,044 self-service terminals. Customers also have the privilege of tapping on Wealth Management services which are offered at all branches throughout Malaysia and Singapore, in addition to various Priority Banking centres also in Malaysia and Singapore.
On the regional front, HLB was the first Malaysian bank to enter the Chinese banking sector in 2008 with a strategic investment in Bank of Chengdu Co. Ltd (“Bank of Chengdu”) and has an 18% stake in the company. Bank of Chengdu is a leading city commercial bank in Western and Central China based in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, and is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. HLB also holds a 12% equity investment in Sichuan JinCheng Consumer Finance Company, a licensed consumer finance firm in Chengdu in March 2010.
As a bank that places customers at the core, we reimagine banking to be a pivotal catalyst to support, enlighten and enrich the lives of the people and the community. This belief is reflected in our brand promise of ‘Built Around You’ that puts people at the very centre of everything we do, and guides our actions and commitments to them. Strengthened by our ethos to be ‘Digital at the Core’, we work to ensure that all our offerings, products and services deliver and uphold the different lifecycle needs of our customers through a combination of digital and people that is seamless, safe, efficient and convenient as we move towards becoming a digitally-geared society.
In a rapidly changing business environment, our beliefs and strategy help us deliver on our purpose and create sustainable value for our stakeholders. We do this by investing in new and innovative technologies, leverage consumer insights and collaboration, research and testbed offerings so that they are well-received, all with the aim of personalising solutions around customers' needs. When our customers and the community prosper, we prosper.
Building on strong entrepreneurial roots and its firm foundation of values, HLB is committed to embedding itself in the communities within which it operates to meet the needs of its customers. Under the umbrella of the Hong Leong Financial Group, the Group’s ability to harness cutting edge technologies to provide a comprehensive suite of conventional and Islamic financial products and services under one roof truly makes it a leading integrated financial services organisation in Malaysia and Asia.
