Hong Kong banks give staff gifts, extra holiday, lai see as they return to work

Thousands of Hong Kong bank employees will receive a return-to-work lai see on Friday, with some banks handing out extra benefits and gifts to their staff amid improving economic and market sentiment. While it is a Chinese tradition for companies to give their staff lai see on the first working day of the Lunar New Year as a token of appreciation for their hard work, many banks nowadays give their staff lai see and other goodies before the holiday. Bank of China (Hong Kong) is giving each of its 15,000 staff a HK$500 (US$64) laisee to mark the Year of the Horse, the same as in previous years. However, the bank’s gift hamper this year is bigger, with the number of items increasing to eight from six. The basket consists of mushrooms, morel mushrooms, dried scallops, fish maw, XO sauce, dried conch, pistachios and American ginseng. HSBC and its subsidiary Hang Seng Bank are also distributing HK$500 to each of their combined staff of nearly 26,000 electronically, amounting to around HK$13 million, the largest payout among Hong Kong banks. “The Year of the Horse symbolises vitality, speed and success – qualities that perfectly reflect the energy we’re bringing into 2026,” said Maggie Ng, CEO of HSBC Hong Kong, in her new year message to staff. “I’m confident that it’s going to be another exciting year where we will harness our collective strengths to create many opportunities for our customers.” ZA Bank, the city’s biggest virtual lender, remains the most generous, paying its staff a HK$1,000 return-to-work lai see. This year, the digital bank has added a HK$10,000 bonus for each employee after it signed up a million customers in 2025. The bank is also giving its employees an extra day of leave on Friday. It is not known how many employees ZA Bank has on its payroll, but virtual lenders in Hong Kong typically operate lean teams, with only a few hundred people, as they do not have physical branches. “The Horse symbolises energy and progress,” said Calvin Ng, CEO of ZA Bank, in a statement. “Through concrete actions – including the extra day off and a total of HK$11,000 in New Year rewards – we want our staff to take this time to recharge with their families and adjust their pace for the challenges ahead.” Staff at investment banks UBS, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup have recently been paid bonuses, with the amount this year increasing by about 20 per cent, as numerous initial public offerings helped their bottom lines. Citigroup’s return-to-work laisee is the second best after ZA Bank, with the US bank paying its nearly 4,500 employees HK$800 each. The number eight is auspicious in Chinese and is associated with wealth. In her Lunar New Year message, Citigroup Hong Kong CEO Aveline San said this year the bank would build on artificial intelligence innovation and sustainable business growth. “Building on the strong momentum we have gained last year, we will continue to capture the immense China opportunities, leverage Citi’s global network spanning over 180 markets to support clients across key corridors, and lead in wealth with our world-class advisory offering,” she said.