How HSBC used experts and AI to open up the investor market.

Need

In 2020, HSBC ran a customer survey that proved revealing. Nearly 400,000 UK customers, aged under 35, had surplus money but were not maximizing their savings potential. With rising inflation, these customers were missing out on valuable investment opportunities. HSBC decided to build a smart, safe, and simple-to-use app to encourage and empower these people to invest.

Solution

HSBC partnered with Zuhlke – a trusted transformation partner – to create an innovative investment app tailored for the UK market. The 5-point development process involved:

  1. Extensive customer research to understand mindsets, goals, and pain points across different investor segments.
  2. Mapping customer journeys to design an optimal Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
  3. Rigorous testing, including quantitative and qualitative research, to validate assumptions and optimise design.
  4. Ensuring compliance and accessibility through user testing with diverse customer groups.
  5. Developing educational content tailored to each stage of the customer journey.

The team focused on addressing key challenges such as customer caution, financial literacy, risk and compliance concerns, as well as integration with existing banking systems.

Value

The HSBC investment app has delivered significant results:

  • 93% year-on-year growth in new investment business volumes.
  • 69% of customers chose the mobile app as their preferred channel for investment.
  • HSBC rose from 5th to 1st place in the UK market for new investment accounts (IPSOS MORI report, 2023).
  • The app won ‘The Banker’ award for ‘Best Innovation in Digital Banking 2023’.
  • Success led to further developments, including an investment dashboard in the main HSBC UK mobile banking app.

This case study demonstrates how understanding customer needs, rigorous testing, and a focus on user experience can lead to transformative digital solutions in the financial sector.

MORE INFO
FOLLOW
IN TOUCH
© 2025 Clustre, The Solution Brokers All rights reserved.
  • We will use the data you submit to fulfil your request. Privacy Policy.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.