Britain’s biggest bank is stepping up security arrangements at its new City of London headquarters ahead of a major relocation from Canary Wharf next year.
HSBC (HSBA) plans to install as many as 51 new CCTV cameras around its incoming base at 81 Newgate Street in central London, according to planning documents.
Of those cameras, 46 will be fixed to the exterior of the building, with a further five positioned within publicly accessible areas inside.
Many of the external cameras will feature “face detection” technology, whereby “an alarm is triggered when a face is fully visible,” according to planning documents seen by the Capitalist.
The cameras will also be equipped with microphones and “enhanced visibility” capabilities, significantly expanding the bank’s surveillance reach at the new site.
A “loitering detection” function will also be active, in which “an alarm is triggered when people remain in an area for too long,” the planning documents state.
A separate planning application was required for the surveillance infrastructure because it was not included in the building’s original design proposals.
Developers explained that “it was not confirmed that 81 Newgate Street would become HSBC’s global headquarters” when planning applications for the building were first submitted in 2023.
Because that confirmation came later, “the level of security infrastructure now required was not included” in those original plans, developers added.
The building at 81 Newgate Street was formerly the home of BT before HSBC selected it as its next global headquarters, triggering the need for a comprehensive security overhaul.
The external camera installation represents only part of the broader surveillance picture being constructed at the new site.
Reuters reported last year that HSBC plans a four-fold increase in the number of cameras inside the new building, with more than 1,700 units planned despite the site being half the size of its current Canary Wharf offices.
Access to the building will be controlled through biometric verification systems, including full-hand recognition technology, raising the security profile well beyond a typical corporate office environment.
The scale of the internal surveillance investment signals how seriously HSBC is treating physical security as it consolidates its global headquarters operations under one London roof.
HSBC declined to comment on the planned installations or the broader security arrangements at 81 Newgate Street.