Dubai: A new Guinness World Records title has been awarded to HSBC UAE in recognition of the bank’s commitment to diversity, connectivity and internationalism, celebrating them as values shared with UAE that marks its Golden Jubilee this year.
Fifty staff members from 50 nations, all based at HSBC UAE’s headquarters in Downtown Dubai, gathered to set the record for the ‘Most Nationalities Reciting a Poem’.
“Our 50 record-breakers represent the 50 years since the founding of the UAE as a nation and it is a proud moment for us to announce this achievement on UAE’s Flag Day,” said Abdulfattah Sharaf, group general manager and CEO, HSBC UAE, said. “We came together to celebrate the UAE’s Golden Jubilee and send a message of appreciation to the country by reciting one of the most popular poems written by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the nation.”
Raising awareness
This year, HSBC has chosen poetry as the art form to raise awareness on the importance of cities adapting to climate resilience and is partnering with local poets in major cities across the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey to do so.
The new world record, recognised by an official Guinness World Records adjudicator, also marks an important milestone in the history of HSBC UAE that celebrates its own 75th anniversary this year of being the first bank to open for operations here in 1946.
HSBC UAE has grown with the country, expanding from a single branch beside the Dubai Creek to build HSBC Group’s biggest business in the Middle East, supporting the growth ambitions of its customers from governments to multinationals, to fast-growing smaller companies, entrepreneurs and individuals.
‘Investing in future growth’
“The vision of the leaders in the UAE has built a country full of possibilities and that is more true than ever with Expo having just begun its six-month run as a global showcase of internationalism, innovation and ideas that will shape the world. As we celebrate 75 years of opening up a world of opportunity in the UAE, HSBC will continue to invest in the future growth of the country for decades to come,” Abdulfattah added.
HSBC has made several key announcements this year to support the growth plans of its customers in the UAE, including the $5 billion (Dh18.39 billion) UAE Growth Initiative and the expansion of its private banking operations in the Abu Dhabi Global Market in a drive to make the UAE a global centre for expatriate wealth management expertise for the bank.
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This is the second time that HSBC UAE has set a Guinness World Record after being recognised in 2019 for the ‘Most Nationalities in a Static Bicycle Relay’, which marked the official inauguration of the bank’s new UAE headquarters, HSBC Tower, in Dubai.
