- DBS Bank recorded a record economic value of 1 billion SGD (approx. 740 million USD) from AI in 2025, a 33% increase from 750 million SGD in 2024.
- This figure is calculated by comparing results between a customer group provided with AI solutions and a control group.
- DBS’s success reflects a broader trend among Singapore’s three local banks—DBS, OCBC, and UOB—where AI is increasingly playing a core role in banking and finance.
- Banks have moved beyond the stage of using only generative AI like ChatGPT or Gemini and are advancing toward Agentic AI—models capable of reasoning, decision-making, and executing complex task sequences with minimal human supervision.
- DBS is testing a programming assistant that combines generative and agentic AI for its data science team, reducing coding time by over 20%.
- OCBC has deployed an AI tool to automate “source of wealth” reports, reducing preparation time from 10 days to just 1 hour while improving accuracy and legal compliance.
- AI is helping OCBC accelerate technology system modernization, shortening a major project’s timeline by 3 years.
- UOB is applying AI at service counters to reduce wait times and has implemented a real-time queue forecasting model.
- EY notes that 2025 marks a shift from experimentation to substantial AI integration across the front, middle, and back offices.
- In the next phase, agentic AI is expected to bring hundreds of millions of SGD in additional economic value but is also increasing job security concerns.
- DBS announced a reduction of about 4,000 contract and seasonal workers over three years but committed to staff retraining.
- All three banks will retrain their entire 35,000 Singapore-based employees within 1–2 years to enhance AI skills.
📌 Conclusion: DBS Bank recorded a record economic value from AI of 1 billion SGD in 2025. This reflects a trend across Singapore’s top three banks as they transition from generative AI to agentic AI—models capable of autonomous reasoning and execution. While expected to generate massive value, this shift raises employment concerns, prompting a massive retraining initiative for 35,000 employees.
