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SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–HSBC Bank USA, N.A., (HSBC), part of HSBC Group, one of the world’s
largest banking and financial services organizations, and SoftBank
Robotics America (SBRA), the North American arm of SoftBank Robotics
Group, today announced the launch of Pepper®,
the engaging, social humanoid robot, in its Seattle branch.

“Seattle is one of the two top tech markets in the nation making it a
natural landing pad for us to launch Pepper in the Pacific Northwest,”
said Pablo Sanchez, Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management for
HSBC in the US and Canada. “We changed the branch banking experience of
our customers when we piloted Pepper in the center of Manhattan and
we’re excited to bring that same experience to our customers here in
Washington State. Pepper will allow bank staff to have deeper, more
high-value customer engagements, by encouraging and educating consumers
on basic product information, the availability of self-service banking
options and by asking some initial questions to determine a customer’s
banking needs.”

Last year, HSBC became the first financial institution in the United
States to bring SoftBank Robotics’ humanoid robot, Pepper, to retail
banking. Since then, the bank has reported a significant increase in
branch activity, including an increase in ATM transaction volumes and
new credit card applications, as well as an overall increase in all new
business and products and more than 14,000 total customer interactions
with Pepper.

“The digital banking experience is transforming as quickly as the
smartphone revolution took off,” said Jeremy Balkin, Head of Innovation
at HSBC. “Pepper’s rollout is part of a larger vision to transform
HSBC’s branch banking experience, we like to call it the ‘Branch of the
Future,’ by providing a host of consumer-facing upgrades that will take
the franchise in an exciting new direction. By creating these
revolutionary new types of digitally enhanced retail banking experiences
that use data intelligence and leading edge robotics, HSBC is
transforming the everyday task of a branch visit into a memorable and
extraordinary experience.”

Some key features of Pepper’s Seattle rollout include:

  • Notify a banker – Pepper will communicate directly with bank
    staff based on customers’ answers to qualifying questions. HSBC’s goal
    is to reduce customer waiting time and free up the valuable time of
    their skilled bankers to deliver a more personalized service.
  • Tutorials and instructions – As HSBC rolls out bank branches of
    the future, customers need to be kept up-to-date on the latest banking
    technologies, products and services. Pepper provides information on
    ATMs, the HSBC Mobile Banking app, self-service options, customer
    support and more. By educating and encouraging the use of technical
    tools and platforms available to HSBC customers, bank staff will have
    deeper, more meaningful customer engagements.
  • Products and services – Pepper will be used to drive attention
    to and awareness of HSBC products and services, including special
    promotions, so that customers can be better informed, facilitating
    more productive interactions with HSBC Relationship Managers.
  • #PoseWithPepper – Pepper is all about making the retail banking
    experience fun and enjoyable for customers. HSBC launched a campaign
    to visit Pepper and #PoseWithPepper for a selfie. Customers and
    visitors are encouraged to upload their photos to their favorite
    social media channels using the hashtags #MeetPepper and
    #PoseWithPepper.

“As we’ve already seen in the Fifth Avenue and Beverly Hills branches,
Pepper provides services that truly elevate the retail banking
experience for both visitors and staff,” said Kass Dawson, Global Head
of Marketing Communications, SoftBank Robotics America. “Seattle, as a
major innovation hub, is a natural fit for this unique banking
experience that is enriched by human-robot interactions.”

For more information about HSBC Bank, SoftBank Robotics and Pepper
please visit: www.softbankrobotics.com
and www.us.hsbc.com

Follow us using these hashtags:

#PoseWithPepper
#MeetPepper

HSBC Bank USA, National Association (HSBC Bank USA, N.A.) serves
customers through retail banking and wealth management, commercial
banking, private banking, and global banking and markets segments. It
operates bank branches in: California; Connecticut; Washington, D.C.;
Florida; Maryland; New Jersey; New York; Pennsylvania; Virginia; and
Washington. HSBC Bank USA, N.A. is the principal subsidiary of HSBC USA
Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC North America Holdings Inc. HSBC
Bank USA, N.A. is a Member of FDIC. Investment and brokerage services
are provided through HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., (Member
NYSE/FINRA/SIPC) and insurance products are provided through HSBC
Insurance Agency (USA) Inc.

HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is
headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide across 66
countries and territories in Europe, Asia, North and Latin America, and
the Middle East and North Africa. With assets of US$2,558bn at 31
December 2018, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial
services organizations.

About SoftBank Robotics

SoftBank Robotics is driving technology forward by becoming a worldwide
leader in robotics solutions. With more than 500 employees working in
Paris, Tokyo, San Francisco, Boston and Shanghai, SoftBank Robotics is
constantly exploring and commercializing robotics solutions that help
make people’s lives easier, safer, more connected, and more
extraordinary. There are currently over 25,000 SoftBank Robotics robots,
Pepper and NAO, used in more than 70 countries worldwide and offer
innovative applications relevant for the fields of retail, hospitality,
healthcare, finance and education.

SBRA is headquartered in San Francisco and oversees all North American
business operations.

To learn more about SoftBank Robotics, go to www.softbankrobotics.com.

Pepper ® and NAO ® are trademarks of SoftBank Robotics Europe registered
in the US and other countries. SOFTBANK ® is a trademark of SOFTBANK
GROUP CORP.

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