HSBC announces two-year Research Fellowship in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre

HSBC and the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford are pleased to announce the launch of the HSBC Research Fellowship, a two-year programme that seeks to advance our understanding of the relationship between financial health and general wellbeing. Moreover, the partnership will also conduct interdisciplinary research on the role and impact that different themes such as financial fitness and mental wellbeing play for our overall quality of life.

As part of the fellowship, a post-doctoral researcher will be hosted at the University of Oxford for the duration of the programme, with the insights from this academically independent fellowship being used to inform HSBC’s market-leading health and wealth business model.

Areas of interest for the collaboration will include the further exploration of the behavioural drivers and obstacles for each of the key dimensions of human health, and to gain a deeper understanding of the geographical, cultural, demographic differences and similarities with the aim of producing a set of recommendations for how to improve holistic wellbeing overall. The HSBC Research Fellowship will take an interdisciplinary approach with methods based on economics, behavioural science and psychology, as well as leveraging state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning tools.

These areas of interest aim to also build upon the findings of the HSBC Life +Factor Study, completed in 2021 and 2022, by the life insurance business of the HSBC Group. It assessed the link between various aspects of wellbeing and confirmed the relationship and compound effect of mental, physical and financial health for overall wellbeing.

Both HSBC and the Wellbeing Research Centre are also founding members of the not-for-profit World Wellbeing Movement, which seeks to place wellbeing at the heart of both business and public policy.

Greg Hingston, CEO of HSBC Global Insurance, commented: “The Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford is a leader in its field, specialising in interdisciplinary wellbeing research as a driver for public policy, interventions, and for improving the wellbeing of future generations. At HSBC, we are fully aligned with these objectives and are delighted to partner with them on such an important area of study for the financial services and insurance industry.

“Health, wealth and life insurance play a key role across a universe of customer needs. Demand for life solutions is continuing to grow, globally, as ageing populations and rising healthcare costs continue to be an issue leading to the widening of the protection gap. Through this partnership and subsequent research, we aim to grow awareness of the benefits of healthier living and wellbeing, the need for protection and the cross over to wealth, as well as inform our health and wealth strategy to provide enhanced and market-leading solutions to our customers.”

Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Director of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, added: “We are delighted to be collaborating with a like-minded partner in the form of HSBC to create this exciting new HSBC Research Fellowship. Our research already suggests that our financial situation is a key component of how we feel about our lives, and this collaboration will enable us to dig deeper into those factors which impact upon quality of life.

“By using the Wellbeing Research Centre as an independent platform for knowledge exchange, it is our hope that this research fellowship, and subsequent research, will enable meaningful and sustainable positive change in the sphere of financial wellbeing.”