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LONDON, Feb 22 (Reuters) - HSBC will announce staffbonuses totalling just under 2.4 billion pounds ($4 billion)globally for 2013 and is expected to report a significant risein pretax profit, Sky News reported on its website on Saturdaywithout citing its sources.
Europe's biggest bank is expected on Monday to announce thesize of its bonus pool, a sensitive issue as many Britons stillblame banks for the 2008 financial crisis after which the statewas forced to bail out RBS and Lloyds.
Earlier this month Barclays prompted an angryreaction from politicians and labour unions after it increasedits bonuses by 13 percent to 2.4 billion pounds even as itannounced plans to axe 12,000 jobs.
Sky quoted an unnamed source saying the rise in variable payat HSBC would be smaller than its likely increase in earnings.
A spokesman at HSBC declined comment when contacted byReuters.
If made, the bonus payments would be marginally higher thanthe bank's 2012 bonus pool of 2.2 billion pounds and would comeonly a year before a new EU bonus cap which Britain is resistingthrough the courts.
The new rules would mean from 2015 bonuses cannot be morethan fixed salary, or double this amount if a bank obtainsshareholder approval.
Banks including HSBC, Barclays and Goldman Sachs areamong the banks expected to raise the non-bonus part ofremuneration with, for example, monthly or quarterly"allowances".
