Singapore, Jan 21, 2026, 14:55 SGT — Regular session
- OCBC shares climbed 0.25% to S$20.40, closing in on their 52-week high, following the launch of a securities financing unit. (SG Investors)
- OCBC said the new desk aims to meet institutional demand by lending out equities and fixed-income assets from across the bank and its subsidiaries. (The Business Times)
- A separate filing revealed OCBC utilized 36,156 treasury shares for employee share schemes on Jan. 20.
OCBC shares edged up 0.25% to S$20.40 by 2:50 p.m. local time on Wednesday, with roughly 2.38 million shares changing hands. Over the past year, the stock has fluctuated between S$14.35 and S$20.54. (SG Investors)
OCBC is betting on fee income this round. The bank announced a new securities financing unit aimed at institutional investors, lending out stocks and bonds held in client accounts to generate fees and cater to borrowing needs. (The Business Times)
With the stock hovering near recent peaks, investors are shifting their focus from the general “banks are back” narrative to execution details. OCBC is set to release its full-year 2025 results on Feb. 25. (OCBC)
OCBC announced its new securities financing unit, part of its global markets division, will tap lendable securities from the bank and its subsidiaries, including OCBC Securities, Bank of Singapore, and Great Eastern. Jansen Chua, who started on Jan. 2, will head the team and answer to global markets chief Kenneth Lai. Lai emphasized that “the ability to access liquidity and deploy capital efficiently has become critical,” pointing to heightened volatility. (The Business Times)
Securities financing demand is climbing as buy-side firms tighten control over collateral and liquidity, with dealers keeping a sharper eye on balance sheet usage. Global securities lending revenues reached an all-time high of $15.3 billion in 2025, according to EquiLend Data & Analytics, a bank-backed industry platform, as reported by The Asian Banker. (The Asian Banker)
On Tuesday, OCBC disclosed in a separate exchange filing that it allocated 36,156 treasury shares to employee share schemes, with the shares worth approximately S$541,917.
This week brought a key finance shuffle at the lender. Bank of Singapore, OCBC’s private banking division, named Collins Chin—the bank’s ex-head of investor relations—as its new global CFO, effective immediately. The announcement came via a statement covered by Reuters. (Reuters)
The modest gain came as the Straits Times Index in Singapore fell roughly 0.7% on the day. (Trading Economics)
That said, the new unit won’t deliver instant results. Securities financing revenue tends to slip when volatility calms, clients reduce supply, or spreads narrow because more banks scramble for the same business.
