Disaster Relief

At DBS, we recognise that we have a role to play in disaster relief either through direct corporate donations or by lending our expertise, equipment or other resources. For example, in 2008, we opened our ATMs and e-banking channels to facilitate donations from our customers to the Red Cross, raising SGD3.7 million for the victims of the China earthquake and Myanmar cyclone.

At the corporate level, we have made generous cash contributions to a number of charitable agencies. In 2008, we donated SGD440,000 to various charities such as the Singapore and China Red Cross to assist in relief efforts in the aftermath of the China snowstorms, Sichuan earthquake and Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. In 2009, we donated SGD400,000 to crisis relief efforts in markets hit by natural disasters.

Our own people also chip in to help those affected rebuild their lives. For example, over 70 percent of our colleagues in Taiwan donated funds towards the rebuilding effort after Typhoon Morakot. In Indonesia, five colleagues shaved their heads to raise funds for the victims of the Padang earthquake. This effort, together with generous contributions from the bank, customers and business partners, saw DBS donate IDR1 billion to Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild homes in the quake-hit city.

2010 also saw DBS extending help to support relief efforts in Padang, Indonesia. In the wake of the Padang earthquake, which destroyed many homes and displaced hundreds of thousands of families in 2009, DBS Indonesia initiated a fund-raising programme which garnered IDR1 billion for Habitat for Humanity. In addition, our colleagues participated actively in the reconstruction effort and helped to build 43 homes, which were completed in November 2010.

In 2011, we opened our ATM network, AXS stations and iBanking channels to enable our DBS/POSB customers to donate more than SGD1 million to the "Red Cross Japan Disaster" fund, to help victims of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan.

Read about DBS' commitment to protecting the environment