As personal wealth grows from hundreds of thousands of dollars into several million dollars and beyond, banking requirements can change significantly.
At the earlier stages of wealth accumulation, an individual may primarily require savings accounts, fixed deposits, credit cards, mortgages and straightforward investments. As investible assets grow, Premier Banking can introduce dedicated relationship management, investment advice and portfolio-management capabilities.
However, high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals often face a very different set of financial questions.
How should S$10 million or S$20 million be diversified?
How should liquidity be managed without constantly selling investments?
Should part of an investment portfolio be professionally managed?
How should wealth be divided between public markets and private investments?
How should business owners coordinate their corporate and personal financial relationships?
How should assets eventually be transferred to children?
Should the family establish a trust or Family Office?
These are no longer simply banking questions.
They are wealth-management questions.
This is where Private Banking becomes increasingly relevant.
For clients of the OCBC Group, full Private Banking services are provided through Bank of Singapore, OCBC’s wholly owned private-banking subsidiary.
Bank of Singapore serves high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and wealthy families and combines dedicated private-banking capabilities with the wider resources of the OCBC Group.
For wealthy individuals—particularly entrepreneurs and families with substantial interests throughout Asia—this combination can provide several significant advantages.
Understanding OCBC Private Banking and Bank of Singapore
It is useful to understand the relationship between OCBC and Bank of Singapore.
OCBC provides conventional personal banking and its Premier Banking and Premier Private Client propositions under the OCBC brand.
At the full Private Banking level, however, OCBC Group provides its services through Bank of Singapore.
Bank of Singapore was established in 2010 following OCBC’s acquisition of ING Asia Private Bank and its combination with OCBC Private Bank.
Today, it operates as a dedicated private bank headquartered in Singapore.
It remains part of the broader OCBC Group while focusing specifically on the requirements of high-net-worth individuals, ultra-high-net-worth families and other sophisticated wealth-management clients.
This structure creates an interesting proposition.
The customer receives the specialist capabilities of a dedicated private bank while the private bank can also draw upon the broader capabilities of one of Southeast Asia’s largest financial-services groups.
Private Banking Is Different From Premier Banking
The difference between Premier Banking and Private Banking is not simply the amount of money required to qualify.
The nature of the relationship itself changes.
Premier Banking might focus on:
cash management,
fixed deposits,
investment funds,
insurance,
mortgages,
foreign exchange,
and general portfolio management.
Private Banking can extend the conversation considerably further.
It may involve:
multi-million-dollar investment portfolios,
discretionary portfolio management,
private equity,
private credit,
structured investments,
portfolio financing,
wealth planning,
succession,
family governance,
Family Offices,
and international wealth.
Instead of asking:
“What investment should I buy?”
the client increasingly asks:
“How should my family’s entire financial balance sheet be managed?”
That distinction is fundamental to understanding the advantages of OCBC’s Private Banking ecosystem.
Advantage 1: The Strength of the OCBC Group
One of the most important advantages of Bank of Singapore is its relationship with OCBC.
OCBC is one of Southeast Asia’s largest financial-services groups and operates across banking, wealth management, insurance and asset management.
Its wider ecosystem includes Bank of Singapore for Private Banking, Great Eastern for insurance and Lion Global Investors for asset management.
This can be particularly valuable for wealthy clients whose financial affairs extend beyond investment management.
For example, an entrepreneur might simultaneously require:
personal wealth management,
corporate banking,
business financing,
insurance,
property financing,
foreign exchange,
treasury services,
and investment management.
Rather than treating each of these requirements as completely separate, the wider OCBC Group can potentially provide access to multiple capabilities within one financial ecosystem.
For entrepreneurs, this can be particularly attractive.
Advantage 2: A Dedicated Private Banking Relationship
Private Banking remains fundamentally a relationship business.
Digital technology has transformed banking, but wealthy individuals frequently have financial situations that cannot be managed entirely through an app.
A private banker or Relationship Manager provides a central point through which the client can access the institution’s broader resources.
Imagine a business owner with:
S$2 million in cash,
S$4 million in equities,
S$3 million in bonds,
S$1 million in private investments,
S$5 million in properties,
and a privately owned company worth substantially more.
This individual does not simply require someone to recommend an investment fund.
The private banker needs to understand how these different assets interact.
The client may require liquidity for the company.
The investment portfolio may need diversification.
The family may need succession planning.
Property financing may need to be considered.
The client may have assets in several currencies.
The private banker therefore becomes the primary coordinator between the client and the bank’s investment, financing and wealth-management capabilities.
Advantage 3: Open-Architecture Investment Platform
One particularly important feature of Bank of Singapore is its open-architecture approach.
Open architecture means the investment platform is not necessarily limited to products manufactured internally by the banking group.
Instead, the private bank can source investment solutions from a broader universe of external managers and providers.
This is potentially important for wealthy investors.
Suppose a bank only recommends its own funds.
The client may reasonably ask:
“Is this really the best investment available, or simply the bank’s own product?”
An open-architecture approach can expand the available investment universe.
Depending on suitability, eligibility and market conditions, this may provide access to different:
fund managers,
investment strategies,
fixed-income opportunities,
alternative investments,
private-market investments,
and specialised solutions.
The objective should not simply be to provide more products.
It should be to provide a broader toolkit from which an appropriate portfolio can be constructed.
Advantage 4: Strong Investment Research
Another major advantage is access to Bank of Singapore’s investment research and Chief Investment Office capabilities.
Private Banking clients are typically managing substantial capital.
Consider a S$10 million portfolio.
A 1% movement represents:
S$100,000.
A 5% movement represents:
S$500,000.
A 10% movement represents:
S$1 million.
At this scale, portfolio construction and risk management become increasingly important.
Bank of Singapore has continued developing its institutional investment capabilities, including a Strategic Asset Allocation framework designed by its Chief Investment Office.
For high-net-worth investors, access to professional investment research can support decisions surrounding:
equities,
bonds,
currencies,
asset allocation,
alternative investments,
economic conditions,
and geopolitical risks.
This does not mean professional research will always be correct.
Financial markets remain unpredictable.
The benefit comes from having sophisticated research available as one of the inputs into investment decision-making.
Advantage 5: Discretionary Portfolio Management
Not every wealthy individual wants to personally manage every investment.
A successful entrepreneur may be extremely capable at building businesses while having little interest in monitoring bond markets, equity valuations and portfolio allocations every day.
This is where Discretionary Portfolio Management, or DPM, can become useful.
Under a discretionary arrangement, the client agrees to an investment mandate setting out parameters such as:
risk tolerance,
investment objectives,
asset allocation,
liquidity requirements,
and relevant restrictions.
Professional portfolio managers then manage the portfolio within those parameters.
This can be attractive to clients who want professional management without personally approving every transaction.
Bank of Singapore’s discretionary portfolio-management business has continued growing. In 2025, its overall DPM assets under management grew nearly 20% year-on-year.
For wealthy families, discretionary management can also help introduce greater discipline.
Instead of investment decisions being driven by emotions or short-term market movements, assets can be managed according to a predetermined strategy.
Advantage 6: Advisory Portfolio Management
Some wealthy investors want professional advice but do not want to surrender investment decision-making authority.
For these clients, advisory portfolio management can provide a middle ground.
The bank can provide investment recommendations and portfolio advice while the client remains responsible for approving investment decisions.
This can be particularly suitable for experienced entrepreneurs and investors who enjoy participating actively in financial markets.
The choice between advisory and discretionary management therefore depends largely on how involved the client wants to be.
A family might even combine both approaches.
Part of the portfolio could be professionally managed under a discretionary mandate while another portion remains under the client’s direct control.
Advantage 7: Alternative Investments
As wealth increases, investors frequently begin looking beyond conventional equities and bonds.
Alternative investments can include areas such as:
private equity,
private credit,
hedge-fund strategies,
private real estate,
venture capital,
and other private-market opportunities.
Bank of Singapore has identified alternatives as an important part of its capabilities, particularly for ultra-high-net-worth clients.
Alternatives can potentially improve diversification and provide exposure to investment opportunities unavailable through public markets.
However, they also introduce additional risks.
Private investments may be:
less liquid,
more complicated,
more difficult to value,
and subject to longer investment periods.
Therefore, alternatives should generally be considered as part of a broader portfolio rather than automatically being treated as superior investments.
The advantage of Private Banking is having access to a wider investment universe and specialists capable of helping clients evaluate these opportunities.
Advantage 8: Lending and Portfolio Financing
One of the most significant differences between conventional wealth management and sophisticated Private Banking is access to credit.
Wealthy individuals do not necessarily stop borrowing simply because they have substantial assets.
In fact, borrowing can become more sophisticated.
Imagine a client has a S$10 million investment portfolio and needs S$1 million for a business opportunity.
One solution would be selling S$1 million of investments.
However, another potential solution could involve borrowing against eligible portfolio assets.
This can provide liquidity without immediately selling the underlying investments.
Portfolio-backed financing can therefore be useful for:
business opportunities,
property purchases,
temporary liquidity,
investment opportunities,
or other capital requirements.
However, leverage introduces significant risk.
If the collateral falls substantially in value, the bank may require additional collateral or repayment.
Borrowing costs also reduce returns.
Private Banking therefore provides access to sophisticated financing tools, but those tools must be used carefully.
Advantage 9: Managing Assets and Liabilities Together
This leads to one of the most important advantages of Private Banking:
balance-sheet management.
Consider a family with:
S$15 million investments,
S$10 million property,
S$20 million business interests,
and S$5 million liabilities.
The family’s gross assets might be S$45 million.
But simply knowing the total does not provide enough information.
How much liquidity is available?
How concentrated is the family in the business?
How much debt exists?
Which assets produce income?
How much exposure exists to property?
What happens during a major recession?
Could the investment portfolio provide liquidity during a business downturn?
Private Banking encourages clients to think about wealth holistically.
The objective becomes managing assets, liabilities, liquidity and risk together.
Advantage 10: Strong Asian and International Network
Bank of Singapore is headquartered in Singapore but serves clients internationally.
Its network extends beyond Singapore, including Hong Kong and Dubai, with additional wealth-management capabilities in markets including Malaysia, Europe and other international locations.
This can be particularly attractive for Asian families whose assets are geographically dispersed.
For example, a family might have:
businesses in Singapore and Indonesia,
property in Australia,
children studying in London,
US investments,
and family members living in several countries.
Such a family requires more than a domestic investment account.
It needs international wealth-management capabilities.
Bank of Singapore’s Asian roots combined with an international network can therefore be a significant advantage.
Advantage 11: Particularly Relevant for ASEAN Entrepreneurs
Bank of Singapore’s largest regional private-banking market is ASEAN.
This is significant because many high-net-worth families in Southeast Asia created their wealth through operating businesses rather than purely through financial investments.
An entrepreneur may have spent decades building:
manufacturing companies,
property businesses,
retail operations,
technology companies,
professional-service firms,
or trading businesses.
Eventually, the entrepreneur begins extracting capital from the operating business and building a diversified financial portfolio.
This is where the combination of OCBC commercial banking and Bank of Singapore Private Banking can become particularly useful.
The business relationship and personal wealth relationship can potentially exist within the same broader financial group.
Advantage 12: Wealth Planning and Succession
Private Banking increasingly extends beyond investments.
As wealth grows, succession becomes one of the most important financial considerations.
Imagine a founder with:
S$10 million investment assets,
S$20 million property,
and a business worth S$50 million.
The family’s largest financial risk may no longer be whether the stock market falls 10%.
The larger question could be:
What happens when the founder dies or retires?
Who controls the company?
How should investment assets be distributed?
Should every child receive equal ownership?
Should assets be placed into trusts?
How should younger family members be prepared?
How should wealth be preserved across generations?
Bank of Singapore has increasingly positioned succession planning and bespoke wealth planning as central elements of its Private Banking proposition.
This is a crucial difference between simply investing money and managing family wealth.
Advantage 13: Family Office Capabilities
At the upper end of the wealth spectrum, clients may eventually consider establishing a Family Office.
A Family Office creates a professional organisation responsible for coordinating the family’s wealth.
It might oversee:
investment management,
financial reporting,
banking relationships,
tax coordination,
estate planning,
family governance,
philanthropy,
and next-generation education.
Bank of Singapore has increased its focus on ultra-high-net-worth and Family Office clients.
In 2025, it launched its Family Office Catalyst, aimed at UHNW individuals seeking professional wealth management in Singapore.
Under this proposition, investment vehicles can be professionally managed by the bank through discretionary or advisory portfolio management.
This can be relevant for families that want some advantages associated with professional Family Office-style wealth management without immediately creating a large dedicated organisation themselves.
Advantage 14: Growing UHNW Capabilities
Bank of Singapore has been investing specifically in its ultra-high-net-worth capabilities.
Its UHNW assets under management grew by 25% during 2025.
The bank has also established a dedicated Vice Chair Office focused on areas including:
lending,
alternative investments,
and investment analytics
for this segment.
This reflects an important development in modern Private Banking.
The wealthiest families increasingly require solutions that resemble institutional asset management.
A family managing S$100 million does not simply want a collection of retail investment products.
It may require sophisticated portfolio analytics, private-market access, financing and specialist expertise.
Advantage 15: Access to the Wider OCBC Ecosystem
This is perhaps where the OCBC-Bank of Singapore relationship becomes most interesting.
Bank of Singapore specialises in Private Banking.
But its parent group has capabilities extending into:
commercial banking,
corporate banking,
investment banking,
mortgage financing,
treasury,
foreign exchange,
insurance,
asset management,
and securities.
For a wealthy salaried professional, not all these capabilities will necessarily be required.
For a wealthy entrepreneur, however, they can become extremely useful.
Imagine a family owns a regional company while also managing S$20 million of personal financial assets.
The company requires corporate banking.
The founder requires Private Banking.
The family requires insurance.
The investment portfolio requires asset management.
Foreign-currency exposure requires treasury capabilities.
Succession planning may eventually involve both the business and personal wealth.
The ability to access these capabilities through one broader financial group can create considerable convenience.
Advantage 16: Singapore as the Home Base
Another advantage is the fact that Bank of Singapore is a Singapore-headquartered private bank.
Singapore itself has become one of the world’s major wealth-management centres.
For wealthy Asian families, Singapore provides a combination of:
political stability,
strong institutions,
credible financial regulation,
rule of law,
international connectivity,
and access to Asian markets.
It has also developed a rapidly growing Family Office ecosystem.
For families already living, operating businesses or investing in Southeast Asia, using a Singapore-headquartered private bank can therefore provide both financial and geographical advantages.
Advantage 17: Scale and Growing Assets Under Management
Scale matters in Private Banking because it can support investment in research, technology, specialist teams and global investment capabilities.
Bank of Singapore recorded substantial growth during 2025.
Its assets under management grew by more than 20%, surpassing the US$145 billion target that the bank had previously set.
Its UHNW client assets also grew strongly.
This does not automatically mean that a larger private bank is better for every client.
However, scale can provide the resources required to maintain sophisticated investment platforms, research capabilities and specialist teams.
Who Is OCBC Private Banking Best Suited For?
The OCBC and Bank of Singapore Private Banking ecosystem can be particularly relevant for:
high-net-worth investors,
ultra-high-net-worth families,
successful entrepreneurs,
business-owning families,
internationally mobile families,
clients with substantial Asian interests,
and families beginning to think seriously about succession.
The proposition may be especially attractive for an entrepreneur who already has a substantial relationship with OCBC.
Instead of viewing business banking and personal wealth as completely unrelated, the client can potentially access different capabilities across the same broader group.
Private Banking Is Not Automatically Better Investing
There is an important point every prospective Private Banking client should understand.
Having access to sophisticated investments does not guarantee better returns.
Private equity can lose money.
Private credit carries risk.
Structured investments can be complicated.
Leverage can magnify losses.
Professional portfolio managers can underperform.
Private Banking should therefore not be viewed as a magical method for earning higher investment returns.
Its real advantage is capability.
The client gains access to:
more investment options,
more professional expertise,
more financing solutions,
more sophisticated portfolio management,
and more comprehensive wealth-planning infrastructure.
How effectively those tools are used remains extremely important.
From OCBC Premier Banking to Private Banking
For someone building wealth within the OCBC ecosystem, the progression can be viewed conceptually as:
Everyday Banking
↓
OCBC Premier Banking
Affluent wealth management
↓
OCBC Premier Private Client
Higher-net-worth wealth management
↓
Bank of Singapore
Private Banking
↓
Ultra-High-Net-Worth Wealth Management
↓
Family Office
The important transition is not simply receiving a more prestigious banking status.
At each level, the nature of financial management changes.
At the beginning, the objective is:
Save money.
Then:
Build a portfolio.
Then:
Manage the portfolio.
Then:
Manage the balance sheet.
Eventually:
Manage family wealth across generations.
Conclusion: What Is the Main Advantage of OCBC Private Banking?
The greatest advantage of OCBC Private Banking through Bank of Singapore is not any single investment product or privilege.
It is the combination of a specialist private bank with the resources of a large Asian financial group.
Clients can potentially access professional investment management, institutional research, open-architecture investment solutions, alternatives, portfolio financing, international banking, succession planning and Family Office capabilities.
At the same time, Bank of Singapore can leverage the wider OCBC Group’s capabilities across commercial banking, financing, insurance, asset management and other financial services.
This combination can be particularly valuable for entrepreneurs.
A successful business owner may eventually reach a point where personal and business finances cannot be viewed completely separately.
The company created the wealth.
The wealth needs to be diversified.
The investment portfolio needs to be managed.
Liquidity needs to be maintained.
The business eventually needs a succession plan.
The investment wealth needs a succession plan too.
And the next generation eventually needs to understand how to manage both.
At this point, Private Banking becomes much more than an upgraded banking relationship.
It becomes part of the infrastructure surrounding the family’s wealth.
That is the fundamental advantage of OCBC Private Banking and Bank of Singapore.
Premier Banking helps you manage growing financial assets.
Private Banking helps you manage substantial wealth.
And at the highest levels, the relationship can evolve towards helping a family organise, preserve and transfer that wealth across generations.