HSBC in ‘Final Stages’ of WhatsApp Probe Settlement Talks in US

HSBC Holdings Plc is close to reaching a deal with US regulators over its employees’ use of unofficial messaging services like WhatsApp to conduct business, according to the bank.

The London-based lender said the investigations by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission had reached “settlements in principle” that were now subject to final approval by the regulators.

Noel Quinn

Photographer: Bryan van der Beek/Bloomberg

“We’ve reached an agreement, but we’re still going through the final stages of that agreement,” HSBC Chief Executive Officer Noel Quinnsaid in a phone interview. “We’ve not disclosed yet the final settlement.”

Wall Street banks have ...