HSBC pulls back from private credit lending as VivaTech showcases data centre challenges

HSBC, Europe’s biggest bank, has told some clients in recent weeks that it will not renew facilities as it pulls back from riskier private credit lending. The move comes as Shiona McCallum of the BBC visited VivaTech in Paris, one of Europe’s largest technology events. There, she found some of the latest kit that could soon appear in homes or workplaces. In a photo, McCallum is seen trying on wearable tech. The BBC’s Tech Life programme, presented by McCallum and produced by Tom Quinn, broadcast a 26-minute episode on 23 June 2026 from the event. During the episode, she spoke to the head of a major global data centre company about challenges facing the industry. Data centres are central to modern online lives, but not everyone supports them. The twin developments underscore a tension: while tech innovation accelerates, financial caution is tightening — especially for the infrastructure that powers it.