SABB Final Dividend for 2006

HSBC Holdings PLC
19 December 2006

The following is a translation of a news release issued by The Saudi British
Bank, a 40 per cent indirectly-held associate of HSBC Holdings plc.

THE SAUDI BRITISH BANK RECOMMENDS TOTAL NET DIVIDEND
OF SAR3.75 PER SHARE FOR YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2006

The Board of Directors of The Saudi British Bank (SABB) has recommended a final
net dividend of SAR2.25 (US$0.60) per share for the second half of 2006. This
follows the payment earlier in 2006 of an interim dividend of SAR1.5 (US$0.40)
net per share.

The final net dividend of SAR2.25 per share will be distributed to shareholders
following approval of the regulatory authorities and of SABB shareholders at the
bank's Annual General Meeting.

SABB's total gross dividend for the year ending 31 December 2006 will amount to
SAR1,500 million (US$400 million). This represents an 85 per cent increase over
cash dividend distribution for the year ended 31 December 2005.

The increase in dividend reflects the bank's strong financial performance and
its continuous efforts towards improving returns for its shareholders.

Note to editors:

The HSBC Group
The Saudi British Bank is a 40 per cent, indirectly-held associate of HSBC
Holdings plc, and a member of the HSBC Group. Serving over 125 million customers
worldwide, the HSBC Group has over 9,500 offices in 81 countries and territories
in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa.
With assets of US$1,738 billion at 30 June 2006, HSBC is one of the world's
largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide
as 'the world's local bank'.

                               





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