DBS People of Purpose (DBS PoP) is our employee volunteer movement empowering colleagues across key markets to create impact beyond banking. DBS PoP volunteers play a vital role in the bank’s impact journey – contributing their time and/or skills to make a difference.
Since 2014, our employees achieved over 1 million volunteering hours and reached more than 790,000 individuals.
As the bank further catalyses social impact – committing up to SGD 1 billion over the next decade to improve lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable and foster a more inclusive society – we will also contribute over 1.5 million volunteering hours over the same period.
With two official volunteer-leave days per year, employees are encouraged to join skills- and service- based programmes that align with the bank’s third sustainability pillar: impact beyond banking.
As part of our bank-wide effort to tackle the urgent challenges of ageing societies, we work together with DBS Foundation to enable every person at every stage of life to age with dignity, purpose and joy.
We do this by:
Read how DBS PoP volunteers create impact beyond banking with their time and/or skills.
Teaching seniors digital literacy skills with 'Getai' shows
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Empowering people with disabilities with financial literacy skills
Her grandfathers kindness sparks her to volunteer and give back every weekend
Fostering resilience among lower-income families
Mentor-mentee pair proves that ITE is not 'the end' of their dreams
Driving communication accessibility for the deaf using AI
Read about how we’ve worked with partners to understand and support the needs of local communities to drive long-term, sustainable and meaningful impact in their lives.
Since 2024, we’ve been partnering Shanghai Adream Foundation and China Guang Hua Science and Technology Foundation to equip seniors and students from rural areas with financial and digital literacy skills. Our PoP volunteers have also organised workshops to empower the youth to embrace mental wellness.
Since 2014, we’ve been partnering the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals' Elderly Community Centre to address the concerns of Hong Kong’s ageing population. Our programmes include engaging and expanding the social circles of seniors as well as raising awareness on cognitive impairment prevention in the community.
Our DBS PoP volunteers have reached 165,000 vulnerable individuals, including people with disabilities, seniors and children from lower-income households. Our initiatives include recording audiobooks for the visually impaired, organising outings to befriend and engage seniors and supporting school infrastructure transformation projects.
In 2024, our DBS volunteers dedicated over 17,200 hours and reached 21,850 individuals by fostering inclusion in the community. Our initiatives include mentoring the youth, establishing STEM infrastructure (including libraries, teaching materials, and robotics labs), supporting girls' education and equipping vulnerable individuals with financial and digital literacy skills.
Since 2024, DBS Foundation partnered FoodCycle Indonesia (FCI), a non-profit organisation committed to providing essential needs to vulnerable segments in the community. Through our programmes, DBS PoP volunteers have distributed 67,170 Meals Package to 14,219 individuals, including those who live in orphanages, elderly homes and slum areas.
Since 2015, we’ve been working with community partners like Lions Befrienders to promote active ageing among seniors. DBS PoP volunteers in Singapore have been contributing their time and skills to upskill seniors in digital and financial literacy, organise befriending activities and conduct door-to-door outreach to engage seniors at risk of social isolation.We also believe in equipping underprivileged youth with skills to thrive in a multigenerational workforce. To date, we’ve reached more than 750 students from various tertiary institutions including the Singapore Management University and the Institute of Technical Education.
Since 2022, DBS Taiwan has been working with the Huashan Social Welfare Foundation to support vulnerable seniors, ensuring their essential needs are met and promoting ageing with dignity.DBS PoP volunteers have not only delivered nutritious meals to vulnerable seniors but also engaged and befriended seniors at risk of social isolation. Our programmes also include equipping the elderly with digital literacy skills and strengthening their scam awareness.In 2024, 1030 colleagues dedicated 8,266 volunteering hours, benefiting over 1,000 individuals.
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Learn how DBS scales impact beyond banking in our latest Sustainability Report. Get in touch with us at peopleofpurpose@dbs.com for enquiries about our volunteer movement.
Asia’s Safest Bank, 2009 – 2024, Global Finance
Best Bank in the World 2022, Global Finance
World's Best Bank 2021, Euromoney
Best Bank in the World 2020, Global Finance
World's Best Bank 2019, Euromoney
Global Bank of the Year 2018, The Banker
