90 years on, UOB remains committed to supporting art, children and education
Since its founding, the bank’s CSR journey has evolved from one-off efforts to longer-term programmes across the region
[SINGAPORE] As UOB marks its 90th anniversary, it is also celebrating 90 years of staying committed to supporting three key pillars in its corporate social responsibility (CSR) journey – art, children and education.
Since its founding, UOB’s CSR journey has evolved from one-off efforts to longer-term programmes across the region. Its aim was to not only uplift communities through funding but also through upskilling, partnerships and sustained engagement.
Leonard Tan, head of group CSR at UOB, said: “Through our continued partnership with public and corporate stakeholders... we encourage and inspire sustainable giving and volunteering among our colleagues, customers and partners for communities in need.
“This is possible through our long-term commitment in focal areas of art, children and education, paired with our structured volunteering frameworks, to ensure our programmes and initiatives through our UOB Heartbeat CSR programme are impactful and can best serve the needs of our society.”
Great Singapore Give 2025
This year, UOB continued its support for Great Singapore Give, the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre’s annual campaign to encourage giving.
On Oct 11, the bank held the UOB Heartbeat Run, which rallied 24,000 people and raised S$3.1 million to help children in need and their families from 25 charities.
In the same month, UOB partnered Mandai Wildlife Reserves for the second consecutive year, where about 200 volunteers brought almost 1,000 beneficiaries, including children from disadvantaged backgrounds, to Rainforest Wild Asia.
Throughout the year, volunteers brought children on eco-excursions to learn about environment issues; ran digital workshops about issues from cybersecurity to financial independence; ran reading and cooking programmes; and packed and distributed food.
Art: creativity connects communities
UOB also provides a platform for artists to showcase their artwork to the wider community.
UOB Painting of the Year is Singapore’s longest-running art competition, having started in 1982. It discovers emerging and established artists, with winners receiving a cash prize and the opportunity to partake in an art residency programme.
The competition has since been expanded, and is now held in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. To date, it has discovered more than 1,000 artists from the region.
Most recently, the bank featured the artworks of artists with disabilities from non-profit Extra.Ordinary People on UOB Plaza 1 as part of its festive show this year, as well as artists from the 2025 competition.
Uplifting children
The bank said uplifting children complements its broader efforts to build an inclusive society.
To navigate digital shifts, it launched UOB My Digital Space in 2020. This multiyear programme enables children from disadvantaged backgrounds to learn about art, financial literacy and sustainability through digital learning opportunities. So far, it has benefited about 38,000 students across seven South-east Asian markets.
UOB is also ramping up efforts in Asean. It plans to equip 90,000 children in Indonesia with digital tools and skills over the next five years. In April this year, UOB Thailand also launched an initiative with Thailand Collaboration for Education to connect teachers in remote areas with more than 100,000 educators via an online platform.
Power of education
UOB’s leaders believe in the power of education to achieve sustainable growth.
In 2015, the bank launched the Wee Cho Yaw Future Leaders Award – a S$50 million scholarship in partnership with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore for undergraduates from disadvantaged backgrounds.
This year, the bank and the Wee Foundation, established by late chairman Wee Cho Yaw, donated S$110 million to NTU. The funds will create opportunities in education, mentoring and innovation for thousands of students every year.
UOB also launched the UOB FutureGen Scholarship, providing pre-tertiary scholarships to 90 students from across the region to study in Singapore over the next few years.
Volunteerism and UOB Heartbeat
As at November, UOB has offered more than 300 activities for Singapore employees, who engaged in 30,000 volunteering hours and reached about 70,000 beneficiaries this year.
In 2024, UOB launched the Volunteer Champions programme to engage active volunteers from various business units. This group leads and supports the organisation and coordination of volunteer programmes in their departments.
Looking forward, the bank will continue focusing on inclusive access to the arts, such as by bringing art and education initiatives to underserved communities; early support for children, such as by providing learning opportunities by partnering educators, artists and non-profits to co-develop sustainable programmes; and future-ready education.
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