HSBC reports 21.7 bln USD half-year profit

LONDON, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- HSBC on Tuesday reported that its pre-tax profit for the first half of this year had reached 21.7 billion U.S. dollars. The figure was up by 12.9 billion dollars from a year earlier, amid rising interest rates.

This included a reversal of an impairment relating to the planned sale of its retail banking operations in France, and a provisional gain on the acquisition of Silicon Valley Bank UK, the company said.