HSBC has won the Best Consumer Internet Bank award at the recent World's Best Internet Bank 2008 awards ceremony held by Global Finance magazine in New York. The HSBC Group's internet sites also carried off a total of eight other regional and global category awards - an improvement over the five won last year.

This year, 207 banks from around the world entered the competition. A judging panel composed of representatives from Celent, Infosys Technologies Limited, Wipro Technologies and WNS evaluated the entries. Based on the judges' evaluations, Global Finance's editors made the final selections.

HSBC's wins were as follows: Global Winner: Best Consumer Internet Bank; Regional Winner: Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank: Europe; Regional Winners: Best Consumer Internet Bank: Europe; Latin America, Middle East and Africa; Global Sub Category Winner: Best Corporate/Institutional Internet Bank: Best Web Site Design; Global Sub-Category Winner: Best Consumer Internet Bank: Best Bill Payment & Presentment, Best Web Site Design, Best Information Security Initiatives.

The selection of winners was based on strength of strategy for attracting and servicing online customers, success in getting clients to use web offerings, growth of online customer base, the breadth of products offered, evidence of tangible benefits gained from internet initiatives, and website design and functionality.

"HSBC Group has been investing heavily to ensure our personal and business customers have the latest technology and the richest service possible," said HSBC's CEO Alan Richards. "More and more customers in Malta are using our world class internet banking service for routine transactions, through to account opening and online bill paying. Customers tells us they like the control and speed that the internet service provides."