It has almost become customary to ask what would happen if HSBC were to leave Malta at every press event involving the financial media.

This was a question asked to Central Bank Governor Mario Vella recently and this was again the question asked to APS chairman Frederick Mifsud Bonnici when the bank announced its yearly results today.

Mr Mifsud Bonnici focused on the word 'speculation' in the question and pointed out that appearing on Bloomsberg and quoting a senior but unidentified top official the news item seemed more than speculative.

It would be a big disappointment if HSBC were to leave Malta because of what the bank had contributed to Malta in these years it's been here, but if it were to happen, APS bank would be ready to play its part, he said. It is anyway too early to say but it may also happen that HSBC gets replaced by another bank of relatively the same dimension.