HSBC chief executive, Noel Quinn, said that forcing its 210,000 employees back to the office in the wake of Covid-19 would be a "betrayal of trust" and that 70% of its staff want to retain flexible working.

Speaking on a wide range of topics at the 2021 Sibos conference, Quinn said that the UK lender was unlikely to require staff to come back to the office full-time, even as its Canary Wharf headquarters has returned to around 40% of full capacity in recent weeks.