DBS invests S$200mln in DBS Asia Hub

Bank's multi-market strategic occupancy plan to deliver improved regional connectivity and greater customer value across Asia.

DBS Group Holdings Chairman Peter Seah on Monday officially opened the bank’s brand new purpose-built facility, DBS Asia Hub. The new facility occupies over 340,000 square feet and is one of the largest banking operations facilities at the Changi Business Park. DBS Asia Hub will house more than 3,000, or over 40% of DBS’ Singapore-based staff. The newly opened facility will accommodate most of the bank’s technology, operations and support functions, as mentioned in a DBS report.

DBS Asia Hub boasts open-concept workspaces with “social hubs” which are designed to foster greater team interaction. Staff based at DBS Asia Hub will enjoy the convenience of seamless communication and full mobility with wireless technology in all parts of the facility. They will also enjoy the convenience of a stylish in-house café that can accommodate over 300 people and a state-of-the-art 24-hour gym and dance studio.

Said Seah, "We are firmly committed to Asia and supporting our customers as they grow their businesses and wealth in the region. With our “front and hub” regional strategic occupancy model, we look to providing our customers with improved service levels and enhanced regional connectivity."

DBS Asia Hub is one of the many facilities across Asia that form part of the bank’s regional strategic occupancy plan that was unveiled in 2007.

Last week, the bank began operations at its new DBS Taipei Hub. Located in the Nei Hu Technology Park, the 46,000 square feet facility houses about 500 staff. The bank will soon announce a new location for its Taiwan headquarters and branch premises within the heart of Taipei’s financial centre.

DBS Hong Kong relocated most of its operations to One Island East in Quarry Bay and the Millennium City 6 at Kwun Tong in 2009. Covering a total area of 230,000 square feet, both developments house over 1,600 staff.
In China, the bank inaugurated the DBS Bank Tower in February. The 107,000 square feet facility is located next to the Pearl TV Tower, in the centre of Shanghai’s new financial district.

In early 2013, DBS will relocate its headquarters in Shenton Way to Singapore’s “new downtown”. The bank will occupy 700,000 square feet in Tower 3 of the Marina Bay Financial Centre. As it deepens its footprint in the region, the bank is also actively looking for sites for its operations in India and Indonesia.

DBS Group Holdings CEO Piyush Gupta said, “As we invest in our physical infrastructure across the region, we can be a bank apart only if our people put the customer front and centre of all that we do. This requires leadership, commitment and most of all, an organisation-wide mindset change whereby everyone, from back office to front, operations to sales, is focused on creating customer value."

He added, "Having back-office staff who understand that their role goes beyond that of mere operations or support is essential. In our journey to deliver a distinctive brand of Asian service, our people will be trained and equipped with good technical skills, and more importantly, with the right service mindset; both hardware and 'heartware' are equally important. Changing the concept of the traditional back-office to a more progressive customer value centre is an important part of our journey."

A comprehensive and holistic suite of training and development programmes, including functional training and leadership forums, is offered at the newly set-up DBS Academy. The DBS Academy will occupy a total of 35,000 square feet in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and will also have branch simulation facilities and state-of-the-art e-Learning labs.

In the recent 2010 JobsFactory Employer of Choice Survey, DBS was ranked fifth among private employers and emerged as the most preferred financial institution that young graduates in Singapore want to work for. For two consecutive years, DBS was named the Safest Bank in Asia by Global Finance. The bank now ranks 23rd in their listing of “World’s Safest Banks 2010”, up a notch from last year.