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500 Dollars HSBC
| Issuer | The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited |
|---|---|
| Year | 2018-2023 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Dollars |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse carries a panoramic intaglio vignette of the Hexagonal Rock Columns of the Hong Kong Global Geopark in warm brown tones, with two figures standing at the base of the dramatic geological formation and two birds in flight against a pale sky. The large ornate numeral '500' appears at upper right, with a latent-image '500' in pale blue-grey at upper left. A broad terracotta-toned band along the base bears the HSBC logotype, the denomination, and the issuer's full name in both English and Chinese. |
| Reverse lettering | 六角岩柱 Hexagonal Rock Columns 500 HSBC THE HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION LIMITED 香港上海匯豐銀行有限公司 |
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| Comments |
HSBC's 500-dollar note occupies the top of the three-issuer system unique to Hong Kong, where three commercial banks — HSBC, Standard Chartered, and Bank of China (Hong Kong) — retain the legal authority to issue currency, with each note backed by US dollar reserves held through the Exchange Fund at a fixed rate of HK$7.80. That arrangement, unchanged since the 1983 peg, means these are genuine legal tender issued by a private bank, not a central bank — a distinction increasingly rare in the world.
De La Rue's involvement with HSBC's Hong Kong notes stretches back decades. The 2018 series introduced updated security architecture, including an upgraded security thread, in direct response to pressure from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to modernize against improved counterfeiting technology circulating elsewhere in the region.