HSBC is a 'men's club' says banker suing for racial discrimination

A senior banker at HSBC is currently suing his former employers for racial and religious discrimination.

German-born Muslim Habib Kaya Biber, the former Co-Head of HSBC’s Industrial Unit has filed a law suit against the bank worth £15million. Biber has likened HSBC to “an old fashioned colonial bank” and “men's club”.

The former employee was on a salary of £275,000 a year; however he claims that he was paid less than his colleagues due to his race and his religion, as well as having been unfairly dismissed. In 2012 Biber was paid a bonus of £186,282, yet others in his position were paid up to £1million more. He explained: “If you are a member you are fine, if not the outlook is not so good. I was never admitted to the club.

“I knew that my peers at other banks were being paid total compensation of between US$1.5 million (£960,000) to US$2.5 million. I was certain that my peers had been paid a lot more than me. I was singled out to be treated differently from other investment banking global sector heads.”