Cross-border support and a culture of care: How bankers go the extra mile to earn customer trust

When you are moving funds across continents, the wait can be stressful. 

One HSBC client encountered difficulties with a global transfer, leaving her anxious. That was when Ms Melissa Fu, senior director for Premier Elite banking at HSBC Singapore, stepped in to help.

“I may be the go-to person for the client, but I’m not a one-person show, and I work alongside my colleagues to resolve issues,” says Ms Fu.

Together, they resolved the matter and kept the client reassured throughout – strengthening the client’s trust in HSBC.

This is just one of many stories of care that helped HSBC earn the title of leading consumer bank in

Singapore’s Best Customer Service 2025/26 list

, as surveyed by Statista and The Straits Times.

Ms Fu left such a lasting impression that when the client’s daughter needed banking support while pursuing her PhD in Australia, the family did not hesitate to turn to her again. This deepened a banking relationship that now spans three generations and two countries. The client’s mother had first opened an HSBC account decades before Ms Fu joined the bank 17 years ago.

“Today, I assist these amazing women across three generations, and they are very, very dear to my heart,” says Ms Fu. “The oldest, who is almost 100, has started including her daughter in investment discussions as part of legacy planning and ensuring a smooth transition to the next generation.”      

This ability to go beyond banking and nurture relationships that span generations – and borders – exemplifies HSBC’s customer-centric culture. 

Operating in 57 markets worldwide, HSBC helps customers manage their lives across borders. At the Raffles Place branch, Premier service manager Mary Chua regularly welcomes clients from around the world. 

She embodies HSBC’s client-centric culture, choosing to personally call customers over emails, listening closely and going the extra mile to ensure clients feel supported every step of the way. 

When a client walked into her branch recently, worried about a transaction, she immediately took action. Using her 28 years of customer experience, Ms Chua reassured him and averted what could have been a costly setback and a loss of trust. She resolved the issue within a week, earning her heartfelt thank-you messages from the client. 

“I escalated his case and got all the stakeholders involved to share information to look into the matter and get a timely resolution,” she says.

What anxious and worried clients need most is steady reassurance, she has learned over the years. This principle guides Ms Chua whether she is helping expatriates settle into Singapore or opening accounts for clients’ children studying abroad.

“Our international footprint is very important at HSBC. We have the resources and we have the connections to help clients with all they need,” she says.

Regular sharing sessions across global teams over phone calls and virtual meetings help to strengthen teamwork and build trust.

“We are empowered to reach out to our counterparts in whichever country the customer may be banking in,” says Mr Yan Onn Mun, an Offshore Premier Banking consultant. To better serve clients who live and work across the globe, he often adjusts his schedule to match clients’ time zones.

In Mr Yan’s 11 years with the bank, one client in particular stands out – an elderly woman in Portugal who kept her Singapore account after moving home.

“She wasn’t so digitally savvy, so I helped her closely through all her different transactions, from filling out forms to giving updates,” he says.

Their conversations were unhurried chats that would stretch to 30 minutes. Over the years, Mr Yan has urged her to appoint a joint account holder to avoid complications should anything happen to her.

“I used to call her during certain occasions of the year, for example, Christmas, but one year my call went straight to voicemail,” says Mr Yan. 

Two weeks later, he received an email from her children informing him their mother had passed away. She did not name a joint account holder before her demise. Working with his HSBC colleagues, Mr Yan proceeded to help her children through the complex legal process of closing their mother’s account and transferring the funds out of Singapore.

“What struck me was that in their moment of grief, her children reached out to me first before any of their mother’s other banks – because she had always spoken of how HSBC helped her through all her different needs,” says Mr Yan.

Reassurance when it matters most

For Ms Fu, Ms Chua and Mr Yan, their decades-long careers in serving customers have taught them one fundamental truth: Clients need a listening ear when problems arise.

“They do not always expect us to solve their problems immediately, but they do expect that we truly listen to them,” says Mr Yan. 

It is this empathy and commitment to patient listening and relationship building that have earned the bank recognition in the Best Customer Service ranking.

“Being recognised by customers reflects the dedication and teamwork of us as front-liners and the many unsung heroes working on the backend to support us, as well as the commitment across HSBC to develop meaningful experiences for our clients,” says Ms Fu.

At HSBC, true wealth is built on trust and lasting client relationships. By placing clients at the heart of what it does, it creates value that goes beyond banking.

More on HSBC Premier here.

Disclaimer

To qualify for HSBC Premier, you must keep a minimum Total Relationship Balance (TRB) of SGD200,000 (or its equivalent in foreign currencies).

Singapore dollar deposits of non-bank depositors are insured by the Singapore Deposit Insurance Corporation for up to S$100,000 in aggregate per depositor per Scheme member by law. Foreign currency deposits, dual currency investments, structured deposits and other investment products are not insured.