Can a bank’s business helpline become a lifeline?

The phones were silent at DBS BusinessCare in Hong Kong. With business at a standstill due to the virus, their customers seemed to have little need for assistance.

The team knew that SMEs were hurting. Already reeling from months of social unrest, the lockdown had added to their burden. To make things worse, these cash-based businesses couldn’t even rebuild income by going online.

So the team took action.

Why not reach out to help customers instead of waiting for them to call?

One such customer was Solidar Suisse. The Swiss NGO was working to help impoverished communities in Cambodia and Bangladesh – some of the hardest hit in the region.

The BusinessCare team helped to set up QR code payments and internet banking facilities, allowing Solidar Suisse to receive donations easily, as well as to access funds from their headquarters in Zurich. With the assistance, the NGO was able to continue their work.

It was, as one customer put it, “warmth in the middle of a chilly winter’s night”.

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Can a bank plant the seeds of hope in Taiwan’s farmers?

Time was running out for Guo Zheng Zhi.

When the pandemic hit and supply chains stopped running, the Taiwanese farmer was suddenly faced with a drought of customers. And as each day ticked by, Guo knew his entire harvest was at risk of going bad.

Hearing about the circumstances faced by local farmers like Guo, DBS immediately sprang into action.

Working with social enterprise Goodwill Foods, DBS and its employees made bulk purchases for clients and themselves, rescuing over a ton of fruits and vegetables.

For Guo, the help was like a bout of timely rain.

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Can a bank fight a virus by putting frontline workers in front?

As the virus loomed over Singapore, many seniors were forced to shelter at home. Without access to vital care, they were vulnerable.

Care professionals from social enterprise Homage stepped up to protect their wellbeing.

With a fresh grant from DBS Foundation, Homage’s care professionals were well-equipped to carry out swab test at nursing homes and other care facilities safely.

Meanwhile, Homage also introduced new mobile medicine, tele consultation and medication delivery services to meet a surge in request from families.

So seniors could get the care they need. And be safe from the virus. And know that they are not alone.

What happens when a bank serves up a bowl of human kindness?

For the Goh family, fishballs are life.

Over the last 30 years, patriarch Got Heng Hock, a second-generation hawker running ‘Million Fishball Noodle’, has been serving up nearly 400 bowls of noodles a day; but when the virus hit, his customers stayed home, sales plunged - his family’s livelihood was under threat.

So when he was invited to participate in the DBS Stronger Together Fund initiative, he said yes without hesitation. In fact, once he learnt his noodles were going to the elderly and lower-income families, he lowered his prices and made bigger portions.

“I was happy to be part of the programme. I now have orders, and I can help the needy at the same time.”

“When you’ve been hungry before, you know how it feels. This is my bit to help,” he said.

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Actually, it’s the virus that’s got a test for us.

It’s testing our ability to work together, as human beings, as societies and as nations.

The simple truth is that none of us can pass this test alone.

We must stand together to reach out and think, feel and act beyond ourselves.

When we do, portraits of courage, perseverance and generosity emerge.

Supporting businesses to help them fight another day.

Working with partners to put food on the tables of the hardest-hit among us.

Taking care of our people so they can continue to give of their best.

To bring more of what the world needs today.

For all of us. For all our tomorrows.

Together.

Can a bank save lives by beating a deadline?

As more cases of the virus began to emerge across China, the pressure was on for Sichuan-based textile manufacturer Yibin Grace.

To produce masks and other medical supplies for the entire province, Yibin Grace needed raw materials from abroad. But time was running out as global supply lines were closing day by day.

At DBS, the team knew Yibin Grace needed to remit payment to bring in supplies as soon as possible.

But paperwork would usually take a week or more, which would be too late. Pulling together multiple departments, DBS pushed through the funding in just days.

Easing the pressure on the company, and providing much-needed masks for 81 million people in Sichuan.

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