(Yicai) Jan. 29 -- Shanghai is strengthening its position as an international financial hub, proven by visits made by several executives of foreign financial giants, including the chairman of HSBC Holdings, after the Covid-19 pandemic.

HSBC is willing to further cooperate financially and better support Chinese firms in the fields of green and low-carbon business, technological innovation, elderly care services, and going global, Mark Edward Tucker, chairman of the London-headquartered company, said at a recent meeting with Chen Jining, party secretary of Shanghai's committee of the Communist Party of China.

On Jan. 26, HSBC opened its latest flagship branch in Shanghai with an area of 1,500 square meters, the largest site for a foreign bank in China.

On Jan. 10, Chen met up with Colm Kelleher, chairman of UBS Group. "China continues to be the world’s second-largest economy and wealth creation hub and is a key market for UBS," the chief of the Swiss banking giant said. "We remain committed to our onshore growth strategy, and we are in a unique position to provide access to China to international investors, as well as to support Chinese companies and investors who want to go global," Kelleher added.

Moreover, Chen convened with Jamie Dimon, chairman of J. P. Morgan Chase, last May. Dimon came to Shanghai to host the Global China Summit.

Dimon noted that the US investment bank made great progress in Shanghai in recent years and will further enlarge its business positioning in Shanghai in the future by focusing on financing scientific and technological innovation, as well as green development.

Shanghai's edge is sharpening as its capital market transactions jumped by 15 percent to CNY3,373.6 trillion (USD469.8 trillion) last year from the year before. The number of licensed financial institutions increased by 47 to more than 1,770 and some of the latest additions include Schroder Fund Management China and a joint-venture wealth management company between BNP Paribas Asset Management and Agricultural Bank of China Wealth Management, according to data disclosed by the municipal government.

Shanghai intends to further make its financial market more international to attract more financial institutions and long-term capital while deepening cross-border collaboration to enhance payments in yuan, per the latest government work report.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Emmi Laine