September 3 2017
Hundreds of entrepreneurs — from one of Britain’s biggest YouTube stars to a fair trade handicraft maker — have had their business accounts frozen or threatened with closure by HSBC amid a crackdown on financial crime by Britain’s biggest bank.
The fast-growing businesses have become collateral damage as HSBC increases scrutiny of its clients following a money laundering scandal five years ago, when the bank was fined $1.9bn (£1.5bn) in America.