Former OCBC CEO Helen Wong’s FY2025 pay dips 6.3% to S$12 million in final year at bank
This is compared with the S$12.8 million she took home in FY2024
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[SINGAPORE] The former OCBC chief executive Helen Wong, who retired at the end of last year, saw her total remuneration dip to S$12 million for the 2025 financial year. This was down 6.3 per cent from the S$12.8 million she took home in FY2024.
The slight decline in her pay package mirrored the bank’s earnings performance across what was her last year at the helm. OCBC reported a net profit of S$7.4 billion for FY2025, representing a 2 per cent decrease from the record S$7.6 billion posted in the previous year.
According to the bank’s annual report released on Tuesday (Mar 24), Wong’s S$12 million pay package comprised a base salary of S$1.2 million, a cash bonus of S$6.3 million, and deferred shares worth about S$4.2 million. She also received S$323,000 in other benefits, which included club, car, and parking benefits.
Her cash bonus made up the lion’s share of her remuneration at 52 per cent, while deferred shares and base salary accounted for 35 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.
Wong’s remuneration was the same as that of her then counterpart at UOB, Wee Ee Cheong. He was paid S$12 million for FY2025 – a 20 per cent drop from the year before, in line with a decline in his bank’s profit.
Meanwhile, DBS chief executive Tan Su Shan – who took over from Piyush Gupta in March last year – received a pay package of S$9.6 million for 2025.
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Final year at the top
Wong formally retired at the close of 2025, passing the chief executive baton to Tan Teck Long, who officially assumed the role on Jan 1 this year.
Despite a challenging environment marked by declining interest rates, OCBC managed to post a record total income of S$14.6 billion for FY2025, up 1 per cent from the previous year.
This was supported by a 16 per cent surge in non-interest income to S$5.46 billion, which helped offset the headwinds from lower net interest margins. The bank’s wealth management fees also hit a record high, growing 33 per cent year on year.
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Shareholders are set to be rewarded despite the slight dip in bottom-line profits. OCBC’s board has proposed a final ordinary dividend of S$0.42 per share and a special dividend of S$0.16 per share. Including the interim dividend of S$0.41, the total dividend for FY2025 stands at S$0.99 per share, representing a payout ratio of 60 per cent.
The bank noted that it is on track to complete its S$2.5 billion capital return plan, comprising special dividends and share buybacks, by the end of the 2026 financial year.
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