[6-K] HSBC HOLDINGS PLC Current Report (Foreign Issuer)

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

HSBC Holdings plc announced on 25 September 2025 that, on 24 September 2025, it granted share options under the HSBC Holdings Savings-Related Share Option Plan (UK) to employees to subscribe for a total of 11,900,815 ordinary shares of US$0.50 each. The announcement references the closing market price on the London Stock Exchange on the grant date as GBP 7.611. The disclosure notes the exercise period, performance targets and clawback, and arrangements for any financial assistance by the company or a subsidiary, and states the number of shares available for future grant under the plan mandate.

Positive

• 11,900,815 share options were granted to employees, as disclosed
• The announcement includes the closing market price GBP 7.611 on the grant date

Negative

• None.

Insights

Financial Analyst

TL;DR: HSBC granted options for 11.9 million shares at a listed grant price, a routine employee equity award disclosure.

The filing reports a grant of 11,900,815 options under the UK savings-related share option plan with the closing market price on the grant date shown as GBP 7.611. The announcement includes references to exercise period, performance targets, clawback provisions and potential financial assistance by the company, but does not provide further quantitative details such as dilution impact or vesting schedules.

Corporate Governance Expert

TL;DR: Disclosure conforms to Hong Kong listing rules for executive/employee option grants; substantive plan terms are referenced but not detailed.

The document fulfils rule-based disclosure by stating the aggregate number of options granted and referencing key elements like exercise period, performance targets and clawback arrangements. It does not supply granular terms (for example, vesting timelines or remaining plan capacity figures in numeric detail), so readers receive a compliance-level notification without full plan mechanics.

FORM 6-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Report of Foreign Private Issuer

Pursuant to Rule 13a - 16 or 15d - 16 of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the month of September

HSBC Holdings plc

42nd Floor, 8 Canada Square, London E14 5HQ, England

(Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F).

Form 20-F X Form 40-F  

The following is the text of an announcement released to the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited on 25 September 2025 pursuant to rules 17.06A, 17.06B and 17.06C of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited:

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited take no responsibility for the contents of this document, make no representation as to its accuracy or completeness and expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for any loss howsoever arising from or in reliance upon the whole or any part of the contents of this document.

25 September 2025

         (Hong Kong Stock Code: 5)

HSBC HOLDINGS PLC

GRANT OF SHARE OPTIONS

This announcement is made pursuant to Rules 17.06A, 17.06B and 17.06C of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited.

On 24 September 2025, HSBC Holdings plc (the "Company") granted share options ("Options") to employees to subscribe for a total of 11,900,815 ordinary shares of US$0.50 each of the Company ("Shares") under the HSBC Holdings Savings-Related Share Option Plan (UK) (the "Plan"). The following are the details of the grant:

Exercise Price at which the Options were granted	Option Period	Number of shares under Options
GBP 7.611	3 years 5 years	8,624,318 3,276,497
Total number of Options granted	11,900,815
Closing market price of the ordinary shares on the London Stock Exchange on the date of grant	GBP 10.372
Vesting period of the Options	3 years, exercisable from 1 November 2028 to 30 April 2029
	5 years, exercisable from 1 November 2030 to 30 April 2031
Exercise period of the Options	No later than six months from the vesting date of the Options
Performance Targets and Clawback	Grants of Options under the Plan do not include performance conditions or clawback provisions due to the requirements of the UK tax legislation relevant to the Plan
Arrangements for  the Company or a subsidiary to provide financial assistance to the grantees	None
Number of shares available for future grant under the plan mandate	The Plan is subject to three limits on the number of Shares committed to be issued under Options: 1.   10% of the ordinary share capital of the Company in issue immediately before that day, when added to the number of Shares which have been issued, or committed to be issued, to satisfy Options under the Plan, or options or awards under any other employee share plan operated by the Company granted in the previous 10 years. The number of Shares available to issue under this limit is 990,097,349. 2.   2,036,512,211 (being 10% of the Shares in issue (excluding treasury shares) on the date of shareholder approval of the numerical limit under the Plan) Shares issued under the Plan as well Options currently outstanding that were granted after last shareholder approval. The number of Shares available to issue under this limit is 1,961,176,885. 3.   4,675,000,000 Shares may be allocated for subscription under the Plan and put under option (including all outstanding Options). The number of Shares available to use under this limit is 4,116,641,441.

There were no Options granted to any director of the Company.

For and on behalf of

HSBC Holdings plc

Aileen Taylor

Company Secretary

The Board of Directors of HSBC Holdings plc as at the date of this announcement comprises:

Sir Mark Edward Tucker*, Georges Bahjat Elhedery, Geraldine Joyce Buckingham†, Rachel Duan†, Dame Carolyn Julie Fairbairn†, James Anthony Forese†, Ann Frances Godbehere†, Steven Craig Guggenheimer†, Manveen (Pam) Kaur, Dr José Antonio Meade Kuribreña†, Kalpana Jaisingh Morparia†, Eileen K Murray†, Brendan Robert Nelson† and Swee Lian Teo†.

*  Non-executive Group Chairman

†  Independent non-executive Director

HSBC Holdings plc

Registered Office and Group Head Office:

8 Canada Square, London E14 5HQ, United Kingdom Web:

www.hsbc.com

Incorporated in England and Wales with limited liability. Registration number: 617987

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

HSBC Holdings plc

By:

Name: Aileen Taylor

Title: Group Company Secretary and Chief Governance Officer

Date: 25 September 2025

FAQ

What did HSBC (HBCYF) disclose in the 6-K dated 25 September 2025?

The company disclosed that on 24 September 2025 it granted options to employees to subscribe for 11,900,815 ordinary shares under the HSBC Holdings Savings-Related Share Option Plan (UK).

How many shares were covered by the option grant reported by HSBC?

11,900,815 ordinary shares of US$0.50 each were covered by the options granted.

What grant price or market price was reported for HSBC's option grant?

The filing reports the closing market price of the ordinary shares on the London Stock Exchange on the date of grant as GBP 7.611.

Does the filing describe performance targets or clawback for the options?

Yes, the announcement references performance targets and clawback arrangements, but it does not provide detailed terms in the disclosed text.

Does the 6-K state whether the company or a subsidiary will provide financial assistance to grantees?

The announcement notes arrangements for the company or a subsidiary to provide financial assistance, without further numerical detail.