1968
As a young nation strives to forge its path, a small group of EDB staff set up the Development Bank of Singapore to finance Singapore's fledgling industries and grow new ones.
1972
Our logo, modelled after the caissons of the DBS Building foundation, makes its first appearance! Notice it now looks different? We've pinched the edges of our logo closer to show that wealth will not slip through our bank!
1972
With Jurong being the largest industrial estate and a fast-developing residential area, it only made sense we opened our first branch there! Fun fact: the branch had our only watchman/carpark attendant!
1972
It was a triumph for Singapore when camera maker Rollei, which DBS invested in, started a factory here. This created more jobs and crucially, shifted the Republic to higher-tech, value-added industries.
1975
Our staff certainly had a great view! At 50 stories high, DBS Tower One, when completed, broke the glass ceiling for the construction of office blocks and was the tallest building in Singapore then.
1975
Taking customer convenience up a notch, we took the lead in extending banking hours on Saturday. The first three branches to offer Saturday afternoon banking: Katong, Toa Payoh and Orchard Road.
1975
The start of a shopaholic nation? Plaza Singapura, financed by DBS, was among the most successful malls here. It was the first multi-storey shopping mall and pioneered the anchor tenant concept with Yaohan.
1976
To grow viable new industries, we teamed up with EDB to launch the Small Industries Finance Scheme to finance the expansion, modernisation and diversification of small industries.
1976
We marked our foray outside of Singapore with our first overseas representative office in Tokyo. It became a full-service branch in 1977, and was the largest Singapore bank in Japan by 1980.
1977
We launched Pandan Valley Condominium, Singapore's largest condo and one of its first. It was designed by Tan Cheng Siong, Singapore's star architect of the 60s and 70s, and "Designer of the Year" in 2012.
1979
We brought shopping to the heartlands with Thomson Plaza, affectionately known as "Thomson Yaohan". It was one of the first public buildings to be designed with barrier-free features from the onset!
1980
Setting a landmark in employee benefits among local banks, we gave employees the opportunity to hold a stake in the bank by buying DBS shares through the DBS Share Ownership Scheme.
1980
We broke new ground with DBS Autosave, the first interest-bearing current account in Singapore. It was unheard of then, that a customer could enjoy checking facilities and earn interest with just one account!
1983
To help Singaporeans get their homes, we introduced a housing loan scheme in a market dominated by finance companies.
1983
We opened our first Taiwan branch in Taipei. Over 3 decades later, we cemented our position as a leading wealth manager in Asia with the transfer of ANZ Taiwan's Retail and Wealth business to DBS Taiwan.
1985
We propelled Singapore Airlines onto the global market by lead managing its IPO, the first international IPO of a locally incorporated firm.
1986
We financed Raffles City, the single largest commercial development then. The 73-storey Westin Stamford hotel was the tallest such structure globally, and Raffles City Convention Centre the largest convention centre here.
1986
DBS Autophone, a telephone banking service, was introduced to make it quick and easy for customers to do their banking without having to visit a branch.
1989
Continuing our international expansion, we opened a representative office in Jakarta and obtained approval to establish a joint-venture bank. Fast forward to 2017, we introduced digibank by DBS, a groundbreaking mobile-led bank.
1993
We opened our first representative office in Beijing and were among the first group of foreign banks and the first Singaporean bank to incorporate in China in 2007.
1993
A nation of investors was birthed with the Singtel IPO. We lead-managed the milestone SGD 4.3 billion IPO. When Singtel debuted, over 1.4 million Singaporeans, foreign and local institutions, acquired shares.
1994
We were the first Singapore bank to set up a representative office in India in 1994, upgrading it to a formal bank branch a year later. Recently, we received approval to be a locally incorporated wholly-owned subsidiary.
1997
We were the first bank in the region to launch comprehensive internet banking in 1997. Services offered included funds transfer, bill payments and online loan applications.
1998
We acquired POSB, in line with the government's call for local banks to merge and create larger and stronger banks able to compete internationally. We became Southeast Asia's largest bank.
2001
In line with our pan-Asian strategy, we acquired 100% interest in Dao Heng bank and its subsidiary Overseas Trust bank, making us the fourth largest banking group in Hong Kong.
2002
We were the first foreign bank to break into the tightly-regulated RMB syndicated loans market, establishing our capabilities in this area.
2007
We were among the first few foreign banks and first Singapore bank to incorporate a fully owned local subsidiary in China. We offered a comprehensive suite of RMB products and services to local residents.
2008
We launched a social enterprise banking package, the first of its kind in the region, to power the growth of social entrepreneurship in Singapore.
2008
To mark our 40th anniversary, our colleagues across the region completed 80 Corporate Social Responsibility projects in 40 days in support of children in Asia. We helped 8,300 children in 11 markets.
2008
We worked hard to acquire the "good bank" assets of Bowa Bank, expanding our presence in Taiwan as a result.
2009
Creating an impact in our community, DBS Hong Kong launched the flagship "DBS Social Enterprise Experience", providing a learning platform for youths to hone their business skills and cultivate social entrepreneurship.
2009
We launched the DBS Happy Ever Asia relay, which supports children in the area of learning. With dollar-for-dollar funds matching by the bank, we raised SGD 1.3 million to help keep children in Asia in schools.
2010
We introduced the industry-first "money safe" guarantee to give our internet banking customers added protection and greater peace of mind.
2010
We inaugurated the new China headquarters building in Shanghai on 3 February.
2012
We made the historic head office move to the DBS Asia Central @ MBFC Tower 3. A year later, we pledged to help bring Marina Bay to life with a SGD 10 million investment over three years.
2012
DBS Bank Taiwan subsidiary commenced business on 1 January, underscoring our long term commitment to the Taiwan market.
2012
We started the annual Marina Regatta to enliven the Bay with action packed and unforgettable experiences.
2012
We were the first Singapore bank to introduce secure contactless payments using mobile phones with DBS One.Tap, powered by NFC technology.
2014
We enter a new frontier with the launch of mobile wallet DBS PayLah!.
2014
We established DBS Foundation with a SGD 50 million fund to nurture social enterprises across the region, enabling them to build innovative, sustainable businesses and scale their social impact.
2015
The launch of DBS Academy across Singapore, Indonesia and Taiwan set a new benchmark for innovative learning spaces and approaches in the region. We conducted close to 15,000 training sessions annually.
2016
Digibank India is the first mobile-only, completely paperless, signatureless and branchless bank incorporating ground breaking technology, from biometrics to artificial intelligence.
2016
We were awarded World's Best Digital Bank by Euromoney!
2016
DBS Asia Hub 2, the bank's first technology development centre outside Singapore, opened in Hyderabad, offering local tech talents opportunities to work on cutting edge developments.
2016
DBS Omni Credit Card Companion app was launched in Hong Kong. It featured 4 first-to-market innovations in one app such as instant verification, instant redemption and managing expenses.
2017
We received approval to establish a locally incorporated wholly-owned local subsidiary in India a year after we launched digibank, another milestone in our journey in India.
2017
We affirmed our sustainability commitment by being the first Asian bank and first Singapore company to join the global renewable energy initiative RE100. We were also the first Singapore bank to join the global sustainability index.
2017
Reimagining banking, we launched the world's largest banking API developer platform, making available a wide array of APIs for others to plug into to make all our lives easier.
2017
To help you thrive in an increasingly digitalised world, we committed SGD 20 million over five years to transform our employees into a digital workforce.
2017
In line with Singapore's Smart Nation agenda, we started getting children future-ready by introducing POSB Smart Buddy, the world's first in-school wearable tech savings & payments programme.
2017
We unveiled digibank by DBS, a groundbreaking mobile-led bank, in Indonesia. Paperless and signatureless, it brings together an entire suite of innovative technology so customers can enjoy a whole new way of banking.
2018
DBS completed its acquisition of ANZ’s wealth management and retail banking business in five markets, adding a large customer franchise to DBS in Indonesia and Taiwan.
2018
We're proud to have been named to Bloomberg's 2018 Gender-Equality Index, and recognised for our leadership among firms worldwide in creating a work environment that supports gender equality.
2019
In a feat unmatched by other banks globally, DBS becomes the first bank to concurrently hold three global best bank awards. This was achieved after DBS was named "World's Best Bank" by leading global financial publication Euromoney in its 2019 Awards for Excellence.
2020
In a pandemic year, we stood with our customers, employees and the community to lend a hand, ease a burden, and navigate the uncertainty. #StrongerTogether
2021
While other banks battened down during the pandemic, we continued to launch businesses harnessing new technologies, namely Partior and Climate Impact X. We also saw good traction with the DBS Digital Exchange.
2021
DBS is the first Singapore bank to become a signatory to the United Nations-convened Net-Zero Banking Alliance. This reinforced our commitment to the global transition towards net zero.
2022
DBS Newton Green, Singapore’s first net zero building by a bank, achieved net zero within three months of its opening.
2022
We became the first bank in Singapore to make a foray into the metaverse when we partnered with The Sandbox to launch ‘DBS BetterWorld’. The interactive metaverse experience sought to showcase the importance of building a better, more sustainable world, and invited others to come alongside.
2022
To deepen our ability to create an impact beyond banking, we committed an additional SGD 100 million to support DBS Foundation’s new Community Impact Chapter.
2022
We launched the Asia Impact First Fund with Heritas Capital to support innovative and high-growth social enterprises in the region. The fund raised over USD 20 million after its first successful close in 2023.
2023
We committed to subsidising five million hawker meals over 12 months to provide some relief to customers and the community amid the persistent inflation.