天津的金融业历史源远流长,清光绪年间是天津票号和银号的鼎盛时期,也是银行业、保险业兴起阶段。自咸丰十年(1860)天津开埠至光绪二十六年(1900)庚子事变,外商纷纷在津开办保险公司; 英国、德国、美国、俄国、日本、法国等银行相继在津设立分行。天津的票号、银号和银行达到300余家。中街(今解放北路)成为金融一条街,天津成为中国华北的金融中心。
        英国汇丰银行,是最早在天津设立的外国银行。英国汇丰银行创办于清同治三年(1864),总行在香港。中文取名 “汇丰” ,是含有预期汇兑、业务发达的意思。光绪六年(1880),英商汇丰银行天津分行开始筹建; 光绪七年(1881),在英租界设立,直隶总督兼北洋大臣李鸿章,应邀出席祝贺; 光绪八年(1882),正式营业。首任买办吴调卿,在任25年,后任是郭矩卿等。
        最初,其行址在宝士徒路 (今营口道)与河坝道 (今台儿庄路)拐角处。1925年迁入新建大楼。大楼坐落在英租界维多利亚道 (今解放北路84号),由英商同和工程司设计,主楼为钢筋混凝土结构,古典式造型,解放北路正门,矗立几棵圆柱; 大楼南侧临大同道,建有偏门,并衬托着古典圆柱,大楼整体外观雄伟庄重而又富丽堂皇。主楼3层; 地下室建有大型金库和证券保险库等; 后楼是储藏室和杂房。建筑面积共5539平方米。全楼共有房屋98间,大部分是汇丰银行自用,小部分出租给亚细亚火油公司。
        汇丰银行主要经营外汇和银行各种业务,清廷和北京政府向其贷款,主要以中国的关税和盐税为担保,这就使国家的两大税收控制在该行之手。汇丰银行天津分行的地位,一直高于清廷银行天津分行; 在天津外商银行中总是独执牛耳;该行成立后,天津的外汇市场价格即以汇丰银行的牌价为准; 天津外汇经纪人也完全由以该行为主席的 “外商国际汇兑银行工会”指定和指挥,并在汇丰银行的指导下设有外汇经纪人工会。把持了天津的外汇市场。
        汇丰银行天津分行曾在中国发行钞票,并一度成为它的主要业务。该行发行的纸币进入华北地区,其数额达到47.5万元。
        汇丰银行天津分行的实力,雄踞各行之首。如1934年天津共有17家外国银行,资力总额近43613万元,其中该行资力达8099多万元,占18%。

        

·汇丰银行天津分行

        抗日战争爆发后,汇丰银行天津分行的霸主地位被日本横滨正金银行所取代。1941年底,太平洋战争爆发后,日军接管英、美在津财产,汇丰银行停业; 1945年8月,日本投降后,又恢复营业。
        1949年天津解放后,汇丰银行天津分行经中国银行批准,成为办理国外汇兑业务的指定银行。1950年1月6日,汇丰银行向人民政府有关部门申请登记房地产; 1954年11月25日,将全部房屋交由天津市房产公司管理; 1955年4月26日,汇丰银行将在华一切产业转让给上海大华企业公司抵债。汇丰银行大楼先后由天津市民用设计院、河北省人民政府、天津市档案馆办公使用,现为中国银行天津分行。
        The history of finance in Tianjin can be traced back tothe boom of exchange shops and taels shops during thereign of Emperor Guangxu,which also witnessed thestart of banking and insurance. From 1860 to 1900,lotsof foreign businessmen set up insurance companies inTianjin. Banks from Britain,Germany,the United States,Russia,Japan and France opened their branches in thecity. The number of exchange shops,taels shop andbanks surpassed 300. Zhongjie Street (now JiefangbeiRoad) became a financial hub and Tianjin turned intothe financial center of North China.
        HSBC was the first foreign bank established inTianjin. It was founded in 1864 with its headquarterin Hong Kong. Its Chinese name "Huifeng" meansexchange and prosperity. In 1880,it began preparationand set up the Tianjin Branch in British Concession in1881. Governor-General Li Hongzhang was invitedto attend the opening ceremony. In 1882,the TianjinBranch began its operation. The first comprador of thebranch was Wu Tiaoqing,who worked for the bank for25 years. His successor was Guo Juqing.
        At the beginning,the branch was located at thecorner of Baoshitu Shixi Road (now Yingkou Road)and Heba Road (Tai`rzhang Road). In 1925,it moved toa new building at Victoria Road of British Concession(now No. 84,Jiefangbei Road).
        HSBC`s main business was foreign exchange andbanking services. The Qing Government and BeijingGovernment got loans from it with customs and salttaxation as guaranty. As a result,the two major taxes inChina were controlled by the bank. The status of HSBCeven overshadowed that of the Branch of Qing DynastyBank. The HSBC branch took the lead among all theforeign-funded banks in Tianjin. After its operation,HSBC`s quote price was the benchmark of Tianjinforeign currency market. The brokers of foreign currencywas appointed and commanded by "Foreign CurrencyBank Association" with HSBC as the Chairman. It alsoled the Foreign-Currency Broker Association. Tianjinforeign currency market was controlled by HSBC.
        The Tianjin Branch of HSBC once issued cashes inChina as its major business. A total of 475,000 yuan ofbank note had entered into the North China.
        The value of HSBC Tianjin Branch`s assets reached80.99 million yuan,accounting for 18 per cent of thetotal 436.13 million of all the 17 foreign banks in Tianjinin 1934. After the Anti-Japanese War broke out inAugust 1943,Japan`s Japanese Yokohama Specie Banksurpassed the Tianjin Branch of HSBC. In the end of1941 when the Pacific War broke out,the Japanese armytook over the assets of Britain and of the US. HSBC wasforced to shut down. It restored its operation in August1945,when Japan surrendered.
        After the liberation of Tianjin in 1949,the TianjinBranch of HSBC,with the approval from the Bank ofChina,became the appointed bank of foreign currency.On January 6,1950,the HSBC applied the governmentto register its real estate. On November 25,1954,allits houses were managed by the Tianjin Real EstateCompany. On April 26,1955,the HSBC transferredall its assets in China to Shanghai Dahua Company forpaying debts. The HSBC`s building was used by TianjinCivilian Design Academy,the government of HebeiProvince and Tianjin Annals Office. Now,it is used bythe Tianjin Branch of Bank of China.