LONDON, May 3 (Reuters) - HSBC is in a strong position to continue paying robust dividends to shareholders despite an uncertain global economic outlook and central bank policy moves, its chairman Mark Tucker said at the bank's annual shareholder meeting on Friday.

The bank returned $19 billion to shareholders in 2023 through dividends and share buybacks, has announced a further $8.8 billion so far for 2024, and is targeting a dividend payout ratio of 50% this year, Tucker said.

HSBC has been able to splash out on such shareholder rewards in recent years as rising central bank interest rates have boosted its lending income, turbo-charging its profits.

Inflation remains key to the global interest rate outlook, Tucker said. HSBC economists forecast that global inflation will fall gradually to 5.8% in 2024 and 3.8% in 2025.

The bank expects the European Central Bank and Bank of England to cut rates in June, both lowering by 150 basis points by the end of 2025, and expects the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut in September, cutting by 100 basis points by the same time.

The meeting came days after HSBC CEO Noel Quinn announced his surprise retirement after a five-year tenure during which he oversaw a sweeping restructuring that slashed the bank's retail banking footprint in Western markets. (Reporting by Lawrence White; Editing by Jason Neely and Alexander Smith)