Client Q&A — HSBC Project Finance
Internal use only. Deal-specific Q&A prepared for HSBC Project Finance engagement. Source: HSBC Project Finance (Smartflow) 20251215 Annex Q&A (draft).
Relationship & Background
Q: When did HSBC invest in Marketnode?
A: HSBC's strategic investment in Marketnode was made in May 2024 to strengthen its digital transformation roadmap.
Q: Is Marketnode supporting any HSBC teams or businesses? Are there ongoing discussions?
A: Yes. Marketnode is engaged in multiple projects across Loans, Fund Tokenisation, and Pension Fund streamlining. We have also signed an overarching framework agreement with HSBC.
Q: Have you delivered similar solutions to other financial institutions or other HSBC teams?
A: Yes. Through Smartflow v1.0, we've delivered AI-driven automation for a major Hong Kong bank's client onboarding and SGX's sustainability reporting and monitoring. We've built a production-grade workflow platform that automates manual, fax-based fund-order processing connected to the fund agents. We also have a partnership with a major loan platform in the market.
Q: Given that Marketnode and HSBC have an existing Master Agreement, can we confirm this will facilitate internal compliance and data-control discussions?
A: Yes.
Platform & Integration
Q: What's the cooperation setup with Microsoft Copilot?
A: The solution is Azure Marketplace-ready, deploys securely with no technical friction, and qualifies for Microsoft credits.
Q: How capable is Marketnode in extracting data from HSBC's internal systems?
A: We're familiar with HSBC's IT landscape and are already in discussions with other HSBC teams for ongoing projects. Smartflow integrates with bank-grade systems through APIs, secure email, and standard enterprise connectors.
Q: Can the system extract data from other HSBC systems — for example, dynamic data such as outstanding exposure, internal credit ratings, or RWA?
A: Yes, provided HSBC grants access. Integration work would be delivered under Ad Hoc Services if beyond the contracted scope.
Q: Can we assume the platform is self-learning — meaning it will avoid similar mistakes once we provide the correct answer?
A: The system does not automatically change its behaviour based on individual corrections. This is intentional — uncontrolled updates can create compliance, auditability, and performance risks. Instead, we use a governed improvement process: users can flag issues and provide correct outputs, and our team incorporates this aggregated feedback through supervised, versioned updates that are fully tested and validated against golden datasets. This ensures consistency, quality, and full traceability.
Commercials & Fees
Q: What does the Ad Hoc Services fee cover?
A: Ad Hoc Services include any specialised incremental work beyond the contracted scope — for example, enhancements, configuration changes, or new workflows. These are billed on a time-and-materials basis as needed.
Q: Does the licence and maintenance fee include initial development and coordination with HSBC IT/Microsoft? How are Microsoft Copilot costs handled?
A: HSBC hosts the infrastructure. Implementation, onboarding, and ongoing servicing are billed separately. Copilot-related costs are covered under HSBC's existing Microsoft Azure consumption and credits (where applicable).