The gleaming skyscrapers of London’s east skyline, built almost 40 years ago, are home to the headquarters of the world’s biggest banks and tens of thousands of their office workers.But when the workweek starts these days, the towers in Canary Wharf are quieter and the nearby restaurants are emptier — the result of a shift to remote work during the pandemic that sent office markets around the world plunging and vacancy rates rising. As firms adjust to hybrid work, many are downsizing their physical footprint.HSBC became the latest, announcing recently that it would leave its longtime headquarters in Canary Wharf in late 2026 and move its 8,000 employees to a smaller space in London’s central banking district about three miles to the west. Its …
