Betting on Singapore banking trio to keep their blue-chip status this decade 

THE past decade or so has been a rough one for many big Singapore-listed groups.  Keppel Corporation and Sembcorp Marine have seen their fortunes, founded on building oil rigs, turn south.  Singtel’s dividend per share was 7.5 Singapore cents for financial year ended Mar 31, 2021 (FY21), versus 17.5 Singapore cents for FY19.

Singapore Airlines had to raise large sums of capital amid the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Facing a decline in its traditional print media business, Singapore Press Holdings undertook a restructuring, spinning off its media business.

Amid events such as the global financial crisis of 2007-2008 and the pandemic, the trio of local banks, DBS, OCBC and UOB, have thus far proved to be true blue-chip companies on the local bourse.