[moistly]

HSBC exists because of Opium. It has always been the bank of the drug cartels.

> HSBC was founded after the second of the Opium Wars, by which time the trade was already well established. The founders included several opium traders who recognised the profitable banking opportunities presented by the new market.

https://taxjustice.net/2015/02/27/hsbc-and-the-worlds-oldest...

They’ve been in the thick of it since forever, unrelentingly.

https://www.cadtm.org/HSBC-the-bank-with-a-shameful-past

https://unpublishedarticles.com/hsbc-hong-kong-shanghai-bank...