HSBC began in Hong Kong during the colonial period.  Pummelled by regulators in the UK where its headquarters are now located and looking at drramatic rises in GNP in Asia, HSBC is contemplating a move back to its roots in Hong Kong.

Deutsche Some and  other big banks having probelm in thier home countries are looking to retrench.  Few have HSBC’s history.

With the exception of CItibank in the US, most of the big banks weathered the most recent financial crisis well.  Part of this came from their presence across the globe.

Where bigs will operate and how big they will be are questions on the table now.