Singapore, Jan 21, 2026, 14:55 SGT — Regular session
- OCBC shares rose 0.25% to S$20.40, edging closer to their 52-week peak after the bank unveiled a new securities financing unit. 1
- OCBC announced its new desk will cater to institutional demand by lending equities and fixed-income assets sourced from the bank and its subsidiaries. 2
- A separate filing showed OCBC used 36,156 treasury shares for employee share schemes on Jan. 20.
OCBC shares inched higher by 0.25% to S$20.40 as of 2:50 p.m. local time Wednesday, with about 2.38 million shares traded. The stock has swung between S$14.35 and S$20.54 over the last year. 1
OCBC is placing its chips on fee income this time. The bank unveiled a new securities financing unit targeting institutional investors, lending stocks and bonds from client accounts to earn fees and meet borrowing demand. 2
As the stock stays close to recent highs, investors are moving past the broad “banks are back” story and zeroing in on execution specifics. OCBC will report its full-year 2025 results on Feb. 25. 3
OCBC unveiled a new securities financing unit within its global markets division that will leverage lendable securities from the bank and its subsidiaries, including OCBC Securities, Bank of Singapore, and Great Eastern. Jansen Chua, who joined on Jan. 2, will lead the unit and report directly to global markets head Kenneth Lai. Lai highlighted the rising market volatility, saying, “the ability to access liquidity and deploy capital efficiently has become critical.” 2
Securities financing demand is rising as buy-side firms clamp down on collateral and liquidity management, while dealers scrutinize balance sheet use more closely. Global securities lending revenues hit a record $15.3 billion in 2025, according to EquiLend Data & Analytics, a bank-backed industry platform, The Asian Banker reported. 4
On Tuesday, OCBC revealed in a separate exchange filing that it allocated 36,156 treasury shares to employee share schemes, valued at about S$541,917.
This week saw a major finance shake-up at the lender. Bank of Singapore, OCBC’s private banking arm, appointed Collins Chin—formerly the bank’s head of investor relations—as its new global CFO, effective immediately. The move was confirmed in a statement reported by Reuters. 5
The Straits Times Index in Singapore dropped about 0.7% on the day, while the modest gain was recorded elsewhere. 6
That said, the new unit won’t produce immediate gains. Securities financing revenue usually dips when volatility eases, clients cut back on supply, or spreads tighten as more banks compete for the same deals.
