[LONDON] HSBC Holdings Plc's $100 billion bet on Asia is bearing fruit, driving its third consecutive increase in quarterly revenue just months before Chief Executive Officer Stuart Gulliver hands the reins to John Flint. Asia posted the biggest revenue gain out of the bank's five regions, helping it report higher-than-expected third-quarter adjusted revenue of US$13 billion. During the period, HSBC added US$1.1 billion of loans in Guangdong, the southern Chinese province where the lender has targeted expansion, it said in a statement. "What we saw was good: continued revenue growth coming through the Asia and UK businesses, the vast majority of our markets saw balance sheet and revenue growth," Finance Director Iain Mackay said in an interview. The bank paid out US$300 million extra in performance-related pay because the strategy is "progressing well and ahead of our expectations," he said.