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From ‘show me your code’ to ‘show me your agent’: DBS CEO Tan Su Shan on how agentic AI is transforming the bank

Amid worries of AI leading to jobless growth, DBS is committed to supporting younger talent

Lee Su Shyan
Published Tue, May 19, 2026 · 02:30 PM
    • Always one to walk the talk, DBS CEO Tan Su Shan has her personal AI agent that checks and serves up to her the latest news on banking.
    • Always one to walk the talk, DBS CEO Tan Su Shan has her personal AI agent that checks and serves up to her the latest news on banking. PHOTO: TAY CHU YI, BT

    [SINGAPORE] DBS is reframing banking with agentic artificial intelligence, and maintaining an organisational culture open to change will be crucial for success, said its CEO Tan Su Shan.

    She recalled that at the lender’s leadership offsite years ago, when it was just starting out on its digital bank journey, participants sported T-shirts that declared: “Talk is cheap. Show me your code.”  

    Fast-forward to this year’s edition, which gathered 200 to 300 senior leaders from across the bank’s key markets to discuss priorities for the year. This time around, the T-shirt was updated to say: “Talk is cheap. Show me your agent.”