OCBC branches to fully reopen over next two weeks

OCBC Bank will reopen all branches over the next two weeks, as Singapore continues to ease Covid-19-related restrictions, the bank announced on Thursday.

For a start, five branches in Bishan, Bukit Panjang, Jurong West, City Square Mall and Paya Lebar Square will resume physical operations on Friday, as the nation enters its second phase of reopening.

Dining-in at restaurants, tuition classes and exercising at sports facilities and gyms are among activities that will also be allowed.

OCBC will also resume in-person meetings with customers on an appointment basis for all financial services. These meetings can be held in the bank's premises or at external locations, and include meetings regarding home-loan applications, bancassurance sales and wealth-management advisory services for bonds, funds and structured investments for retail banking.

In-person meetings by appointment will also resume for corporate and commercial banking services for large corporates and small and medium-sized enterprises.

Staff handling home loans, bancassurance and wealth-advisory services will wear face masks, which are also a requirement for customers. The bank has also mandated the use of contact-tracing apps like SafeEntry and TraceTogether, and will assist seniors who are unable to use them independently.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

Still, OCBC's head of consumer services Sunny Quek urged customers to continue using digital platforms for their day-to-day banking needs. "While all our branches will open progressively and we look forward to serving our customers' needs, our financial-advisory services will continue to remain available virtually via video conferencing with our financial advisors, so customers can receive timely investment and financial advice from the comforts of their home, without having to come to a branch," he said.