BWI: DBS Invests SGD 200 Million in DBS Asia Hub as Part of Multi-Year, Multi-Market Strategic Occupancy Plan

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: DBS Bank
Monday, September 27, 2010 12:31 PM IST (07:01 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest; Business: Accounting & management consultancy services, Banking & financial services, Business services, Education & training, Financial Analyst, Stock exchanges
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DBS Invests SGD 200 Million in DBS Asia Hub as Part of Multi-Year, Multi-Market Strategic Occupancy Plan
Bank to Deliver Improved Regional Connectivity, Greater Customer Value across Asia

Singapore, Monday, September 27, 2010 -- (Business Wire India) -- DBS Group Holdings Chairman Peter Seah today officially opened the bank's brand new purpose-built facility, DBS Asia Hub. The new facility occupies over 340,000 square feet and is one of the largest banking operations facilities at the Changi Business Park. DBS Asia Hub will house more than 3,000, or over 40% of DBS' Singapore-based staff. The newly opened facility will accommodate most of the bank's technology, operations and support functions.

DBS Asia Hub boasts open-concept workspaces with "social hubs" which are designed to foster greater team interaction. Staff based at DBS Asia Hub will enjoy the convenience of seamless communication and full mobility with wireless technology in all parts of the facility. They will also enjoy the convenience of a stylish in-house café that can accommodate over 300 people and a state-of-the-art 24-hour gym and dance studio.

Said Seah, "We are firmly committed to Asia and supporting our customers as they grow their businesses and wealth in the region. With our "front and hub" regional strategic occupancy model, we look to providing our customers with improved service levels and enhanced regional connectivity."

DBS Asia Hub is one of the many facilities across Asia that form part of the bank's regional strategic occupancy plan that was unveiled in 2007.

Last week, the bank began operations at its new DBS Taipei Hub. Located in the Nei Hu Technology Park, the 46,000 square feet facility houses about 500 staff. The bank will soon announce a new location for its Taiwan headquarters and branch premises within the heart of Taipei's financial centre.

DBS Hong Kong relocated most of its operations to One Island East in Quarry Bay and the Millennium City 6 at Kwun Tong in 2009. Covering a total area of 230,000 square feet, both developments house over 1,600 staff.

In China, the bank inaugurated the DBS Bank Tower in February. The 107,000 square feet facility is located next to the Pearl TV Tower, in the centre of Shanghai's new financial district.

In early 2013, DBS will relocate its headquarters in Shenton Way to Singapore's "new downtown". The bank will occupy 700,000 square feet in Tower 3 of the Marina Bay Financial Centre. As it deepens its footprint in the region, the bank is also actively looking for sites for its operations in India and Indonesia.

DBS Group Holdings CEO Piyush Gupta said, "As we invest in our physical infrastructure across the region, we can be a bank apart only if our people put the customer front and centre of all that we do. This requires leadership, commitment and most of all, an organisation-wide mindset change whereby everyone, from back office to front, operations to sales, is focused on creating customer value."

He added, "Having back-office staff who understand that their role goes beyond that of mere operations or support is essential. In our journey to deliver a distinctive brand of Asian service, our people will be trained and equipped with good technical skills, and more importantly, with the right service mindset; both hardware and 'heartware' are equally important. Changing the concept of the traditional back-office to a more progressive customer value centre is an important part of our journey."

A comprehensive and holistic suite of training and development programmes, including functional training and leadership forums, is offered at the newly set-up DBS Academy. The DBS Academy will occupy a total of 35,000 square feet in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and will also have branch simulation facilities and state-of-the-art e-Learning labs.

In the recent 2010 JobsFactory Employer of Choice Survey, DBS was ranked fifth among private employers and emerged as the most preferred financial institution that young graduates in Singapore want to work for. For two consecutive years, DBS was named the Safest Bank in Asia by Global Finance. The bank now ranks 23rd in their listing of "World's Safest Banks 2010", up a notch from last year.

About DBS

DBS - Living, Breathing Asia

DBS is one of the largest financial services groups in Asia with operations in 15 markets. Headquartered in Singapore, DBS is a well-capitalised bank with "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings that are among the highest in the Asia-Pacific region.

As a bank that specialises in Asia, DBS leverages its deep understanding of the region, local culture and insights to serve and build lasting relationships with its clients. DBS provides the full range of services in corporate, SME, consumer and wholesale banking activities across Asia and the Middle East. The bank is committed to expanding its pan-Asia franchise by leveraging its growing presence in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to intermediate the increasing trade and investment flows between these markets. Likewise, DBS is focused on extending its end-to-end services to facilitate capital within fast-growing countries such as Indonesia and India.

DBS acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in each of its 14,000 staff, representing over 30 nationalities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.


CONTACT DETAILS
Karen Ngui, Group Strategic Marketing & Communications, DBS Bank, (65) 6878 3008/ Mobile: (65) 9030 8080, karenngui@dbs.com
Edna Koh, Group Strategic Marketing & Communications, DBS Bank, (65) 6878 8134/ Mobile: (65) 9753 0117, ednakoh@dbs.com

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