Bank of East Asia

The Bank of East Asia Limited
Company typePublic
SEHK23
IndustryFinance
Founded
  • Incorporated on 14 November 1918; 106 years ago (1918-11-14)
  • Officially opened on 4 January 1919; 105 years ago (1919-01-04)
Headquarters10 Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong
Key people
Sir David K.P. Li
(Executive Chairman)
Adrian M.K. Li
(Co-Chief Executive Officer)
Brian M.B. Li
(Co-Chief Executive Officer)
ProductsFinancial services
consumer banking
corporate banking
investment banking
private banking
Increase HKD17.1 billion (2018)[1]
Decrease HKD6.5 billion (2018)[1]
Total assetsIncrease HKD839 billion (2018)[1]
Websitehkbea.com
Bank of East Asia Ltd.
Traditional Chinese東亞銀行有限公司
Simplified Chinese东亚银行有限公司
Transcriptions
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationDūng a ngàhn hòhng yáuh haahn gūng sī
JyutpingDung1 aa3 ngan4 hong4 jau5 haan6 gung1 si1
BEA
Traditional Chinese東亞銀行
Simplified Chinese东亚银行
Literal meaningBank of East Asia
Transcriptions
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationDūng a ngàhn hòhng
JyutpingDung1 aa3 ngan4 hong4
The Bank of East Asia Building, Des Voeux Road Central, in Central, Hong Kong.
BEA tower in Kwun Tong, Hong Kong
A BEA Branch in Hong Kong


The Bank of East Asia Limited, often abbreviated to BEA, is a Hong Kong public banking and financial services company headquartered in Central, Hong Kong. It is currently the largest independent local Hong Kong bank, and one of two remaining family-run Hong Kong banks, with the other being Dah Sing Bank. It continues to be run by the 3rd and 4th generations of the Li family.[2]

It was incorporated as a publicly listed bank in Hong Kong on 14 November 1918, and officially opened for business on 4 January 1919, by a group of local Hong Kong Chinese businessmen who "not only understood modern banking, but the needs of modern Chinese business." Essentially, it aimed to serve local Hong Kong citizens and businesses who were currently underserved by the large British banks and small, unorganized, and often unincorporated local Hong Kong moneylenders. By the 1930s, BEA was considered the most influential local Hong Kong bank in the city.[3]

  1. ^ a b c BEA 2018 Annual Report
  2. ^ "HK-based Bank of East Asia falls over 8% on profit warning".
  3. ^ Panikkos, Kosmas, Sanjay, Poutziouris, Smyrnios, Goel (2013). Handbook of Research on Family Business. United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited. p. 284. ISBN 978-1-78100-938-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)