HSBC reported a 6.6% rise in annual profit on Wednesday, beating market expectations, as income withstood the impact of falling interest rates during a year in which sweeping restructuring pushed up costs.

The London-based bank booked net profit of $197 million for the three months ended December, beating estimates by Visible Alpha.

HSBC said it will repurchase up to $2 billion in shares, expected to be completed by the end of their first quarter of 2025. These are the lender's first full-year results with Ge