The world’s best

Euromoney: Private Banking Awards 2026Content first published by Euromoney on 20 March 2026The world’s best private bank 2026: DBS Private Bank

Global wealth has long defaulted to Zurich and Wall Street. Today, however, the gravitational pull is moving to Singapore – and DBS Private Bank sits at the centre of that shift.Given there are much larger global private banks in terms of assets under management (AUM), the allure of DBS Private Bank is down to much more than size and scale. It is about trust, resilience and relevance.The dramatic rescue of Credit Suisse by UBS has shaken the foundations of Switzerland’s multi-trillion-dollar wealth industry. Meanwhile, trade frictions and the fracturing of global supply chains are pushing the world’s wealthiest families to seek shelter in the safest jurisdictions with the strongest platforms.DBS’s contention as the world’s best private bank rests on a simple truth: the future of private banking belongs to the institutions that combine performance with resilience – and DBS has done so at a level few can match.By end June 2025, the bank delivered S$23.3 billion ($18.2 billion) in net new money, 37% annualised growth in wealth-related fees, a stunning 72% return on equity and a 46% cost-income ratio – among the most efficient in developed markets. It doubled AUM in five years and added S$1.2 billion of fees between 2022-2024, achieving in half the time what had previously taken in six years.Meanwhile, 40% of today’s private bank clients moved up the DBS wealth continuum, deepening the franchise with recurring engagement. “We have consistently outperformed our global peers across growth, returns, client flows, operational stability and innovation,” says Joseph Poon, group head of DBS Private Bank. “We have doubled our AUM in five years while delivering record income, consistently outpacing global competition through disciplined execution.”Momentum is anchored in Asia but decisively global. DBS now serves clients from 120 markets, with significant inflows not only from China, India and Southeast Asia but increasingly from the US and Europe as families diversify booking centres and seek Asian opportunity with institutional safeguards.Clients often ask two questions, what is your credit strength, and where is your jurisdiction’s? We answer both with confidence, AA-rated DBS and AAA-rated Singapore
Joseph PoonThe bank is also strengthening key corridors: it opened its first international wealth centre in Shanghai; it is doubling down in Dubai to capture flows from the Middle East, UK and Eastern Europe; and banks 40 of the top 100 Indian families. “We are steadily gaining wallet share as clients choose to book their global assets with us while accessing Asia’s growth opportunities,” says Poon.The collapse of Credit Suisse has also prompted the world’s wealthy to increasingly focus on counterparty risk. And for DBS, safety is a strategy, not a slogan. DBS pairs an AA /Aa1 group credit with Singapore’s AAA jurisdiction; a CET1 ratio of 17.4%, a non-performing loan ratio of around 1%, and operational losses about four times lower than the industry average, which also earned it the title of the world’s safest bank.Following the “Liberation day” volatility in early 2025, wealth flows doubled month on month, underscoring flight to quality dynamics. “Clients often ask two questions, what is your credit strength, and where is your jurisdiction’s? We answer both with confidence, AA-rated DBS and AAA-rated Singapore,” says Poon. “In an uncertain world, clients value a partner they can trust to exercise sound judgement and safeguard their wealth — that’s very important.”In a world where counterparty strength has become the ultimate due diligence filter, DBS has emerged as the safest high performance home for global wealth.Crypto holdings with us have now exceeded gold, a clear signal of client confidence and future readiness
Joseph PoonFor DBS Private Bank, delivery is just as important as products. Its “One Bank” model unifies private banking with corporate and investment banking, enabling an entrepreneurial client to address operating companies, holding structures and family wealth through a single platform.“Our One Bank model works because … we have operationalised collaboration massively to deliver integrated solutions that go beyond private banking,” says Poon.On advice and access, DBS’s chief investment office has not been afraid to lead. It was among the first to recommend a 60/40 allocation between public and private assets for ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) portfolios, while its Barbell approach (quality growth plus income) ranks among the top decile of peers since inception.The team’s lucrative high-conviction calls – such as nuclear energy and gold – were translated swiftly into product and portfolio implementation. “We made non-consensus, bold calls – and we were right,” says Poon. Where other banks hesitate in uncertain markets, DBS turns insight into action – and action into performance.Digital edgeAUM has since surpassed S$1 billion and is on track to double in 2026. The bank’s trustee business – one of the few remaining bank-owned platforms in the region – has grown fee revenue 66% since 2020, with about 600 private trusts administered. It is also the world’s first and only bank-backed trust to hold cryptocurrencies.Digital and data are woven through the franchise. Since 2014, DBS has embedded AI at scale, with relationship manager co-pilots and hyper-personalised nudges improving engagement and speed to advice. The DBS Digital Exchange (DDEx) extends that edge to digital assets: in the first half of 2025, high and ultra-high-net worth clients traded more than S$3.1 billion in cryptocurrencies and crypto-linked instruments. DBS now offers crypto options and ETF-linked notes, alongside 100% air gapped cold storage custody and the integration of digital assets into legacy planning via DBS Trustee – a first in Singapore. “Crypto holdings with us have now exceeded gold, a clear signal of client confidence and future readiness,” notes Poon. DBS is not following the digital asset curve – it is shaping it with institutional discipline and private-bank precision.Crucially, DBS’s digital push is matched by a safety-first tech posture: redundancy across data centres, human-in-the-loop recovery protocols, and leadership in anti-scam initiatives, all while tightening third-party risk management. Operational resilience during brief outages and rapid manual switchovers preserved client experience. This acts as a reminder that the most important offering in private banking is trust, and it accrues daily.The 2026 Euromoney verdict matters because it rewards performance, design and trust across regions and cycles. A Singapore-anchored, AA-rated bank that has doubled AUM in five years, added S$1.2 billion in fees in three years, pioneered VCC-based multi-family office and institutional-grade digital asset capabilities, and maintained one of the industry’s safest balance sheets is a rare proposition. DBS is not simply Asia’s best private bank; it is the world’s safest high-performance platform for generational wealth.The world’s safest private bank 2026: DBS Private Bank

In an era when counterparty risk has become arguably the most important variable in global private banking, safety is no longer assumed – it must be proven. The collapse of Credit Suisse, once considered one of the most secure institutions in Europe, jolted the world’s wealthiest families into reassessing true institutional resilience. It accelerated a global flight to quality that is reshaping wealth hubs, booking centre preferences and the due diligence criteria that drive private bank selection.Against this backdrop, DBS Private Bank has emerged as the industry’s reference point for safety. Its strength is structural, jurisdictional and deeply embedded across capital, asset quality, governance, technology and operational control. The bank pairs a double‑A credit profile with the advantages of operating within AAA‑rated Singapore, a jurisdiction now widely regarded as one of the world’s most stable wealth centres. For global clients scrutinising balance-sheet strength, regulatory rigour and enterprise‑wide risk management, this combination has become one of the most powerful safety propositions in the market.The rescue of Credit Suisse by UBS underscored just how fast confidence can evaporate. For ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) families, institutions perceived as too big to fail were suddenly revealed to be vulnerable. As a result, private banking selection has pivoted decisively toward measurable safety: capital adequacy, liquidity strength, technology redundancy, KYC/AML excellence and operational‑risk performance. DBS distinguishes itself on each of these dimensions – not merely meeting global standards but consistently outperforming them. As Joseph Poon, group head of DBS Private Bank, notes: “Clients often ask two questions: what is your credit strength and where is your jurisdiction’s? We answer both with confidence: AA-rated DBS and AAA-rated Singapore.”DBS’s capital strength is robust. With a CET1 ratio of 17.4% as of March 2025, the bank operates with a substantial buffer relative to international peers and well in excess of the regulatory minimum.Operational resilienceAsset quality reinforces resilience: DBS reported a non‑performing loan ratio of approximately 1%, positioning the bank to absorb stress while preserving client confidence. When global volatility struck in early 2025, wealth inflows doubled month-on-month, a behavioural vote of confidence consistent with flight‑to‑quality dynamics.Operational resilience is equally distinctive. Benchmarking via the Operational Riskdata eXchange Association (ORX) shows private bank operational losses at DBS are about four times lower than the industry median, both in frequency and severity – a result of layered controls, disciplined governance and a culture that privileges risk prevention over remediation.DBS’s KYC/AML architecture exemplifies how technology can enhance safety without sacrificing client experience. Integrated name‑screening engines and AI‑enabled document summarisation have delivered about 70% efficiency gains in front‑office name screening. This is complemented by stringent product‑suitability and recommendation frameworks that govern investment implementation across the platform.Clients often ask two questions: what is your credit strength and where is your jurisdiction’s? We answer both with confidence: AA-rated DBS and AAA-rated Singapore
Joseph PoonSafety at DBS extends into innovation. The bank was the first in Singapore to integrate digital assets into trust and succession planning, with 100% air‑gapped cold‑storage custody and contractual segregation of client assets – bringing institutional‑grade controls to a domain where many peers still rely on third‑party platforms.Few jurisdictions, if any, combine counterparty strength and regulatory credibility quite like DBS in Singapore. The bank’s double‑A rating within a triple‑A jurisdiction delivers the anchor of sovereign stability with the execution discipline of an institution that has made safety a core strategy. The Monetary Authority of Singapore’s reputation for transparent, stringent supervision underpins client trust and aligns with Euromoney’s reputational‑risk and compliance expectations for this award.As Poon notes: “In an uncertain world, clients value a partner they can trust to exercise sound judgement and safeguard their wealth – that’s very important.” At DBS, that promise is supported by fortress‑grade capital, high asset quality, gold‑standard controls and the credibility of a sovereign AAA home. In a world where uncertainty is the only constant, DBS is not simply Asia’s safest bank; it is the world’s safest destination for long‑term, multi‑generational wealth.The world’s best for digital assets 2026: DBS Private Bank

In another year that has seen the global digital assets landscape evolve significantly, DBS Private Bank led the industry. The bank delivered a digital assets proposition distinguished not only by scale, security and sophistication but by its institutional maturity, first mover advantage and deep integration into the bank’s broader wealth management architecture.While many traditional private banks remain tentative or fragmented in their approach to digital assets, DBS has built a full spectrum ecosystem that combines bank grade custody, institutional level trading infrastructure, tokenisation capability, 24/7 liquidity access, and connection into private wealth services and legacy planning. This makes DBS a uniquely comprehensive digital assets institution on the global stage.DBS’s digital assets leadership is the product of more than a decade of foundational investment in digital transformation. The bank’s broader reputation as one of the world’s most technologically advanced financial institutions created a platform capable of continuously adapting to industry shifts and deploying innovations at scale. This digital capability has enabled DBS to create DDEx, Asia’s first bank backed digital exchange.The numbers underscore the scale and momentum. In the first half of 2025 alone, DBS’s ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) and high-net-worth (HNW) clients traded more than US$1.4 billion in cryptocurrencies and US$1 billion in crypto linked instruments, with total 2025 trading volumes up fivefold over the same period just two years prior in 2023. The number of clients actively trading digital assets nearly doubled year on year, with UHNW/HNW participation expanding two and a half times. This adoption by the bank’s clients is driven by confidence in DBS’s infrastructure, governance and risk frameworks.As the only bank offering a fully integrated digital asset ecosystem – with our own exchange, institutional-grade custody and integrated ‘One Bank’ capabilities from tokenisation to legacy planning – DBS has built a true first-mover advantage that keeps us ahead of the competition
James Tan“As the only bank offering a fully integrated digital asset ecosystem – with our own exchange, institutional-grade custody and integrated ‘One Bank’ capabilities from tokenisation to legacy planning – DBS has built a true first-mover advantage that keeps us ahead of the competition,” says James Tan, group head, investment product and advisory, at DBS Bank.A particularly distinguishing feature of DBS’s proposition is its institutional grade custody, long recognised as the missing link for serious digital assets investors. While many crypto native platforms rely on partially hot wallet systems, DBS offers 100% air gapped, cold storage custody, incorporating strict cryptographic key management controls across generation, handling and storage.DDEx is a standout global platform – secure, mature and tested since its 2021 launch. Its institutional grade trading framework, combined with connectivity to the bank’s digibank platform, gives private banking clients round the clock trading access, 24/7 dealer support for large ticket trades and the ability to integrate digital asset holdings directly into wealth and legacy plans. This distinguishes DDEx from both traditional private banks – most of which lack such infrastructure – and from crypto native exchanges, which cannot match DBS’s regulatory standing or integrated wealth planning capabilities. These differentiators became particularly visible during periods of weekend market volatility, where DBS clients – unlike exchange-traded fund (ETF) only investors – could act immediately rather than wait for markets to reopen.No longer a fringe investmentDBS is also playing an active role in shaping the future of digital asset banking through tokenisation and product innovation. During the review period, the bank has made preparatory efforts to introduce tokenised gold offerings and evaluating tokenised access to private markets. These initiatives aim at opening new paths for liquidity, fractional ownership and cross asset efficiency. DBS already offers options strategies on cryptocurrencies and crypto ETF linked notes, expanding the toolkit beyond simple spot trading into yield generation and structured solutions.Crucially, DBS is the first and only bank in Singapore to integrate digital assets into legacy and succession planning, with DBS Trustee becoming the world’s first bank backed trust capable of holding digital assets. This reflects DBS’s recognition that digital assets are no longer a fringe allocation but a core component of the wealth portfolio – especially for the next generation.DBS’s leadership extends beyond products into operational and regulatory sophistication. The bank offers tax aware trading guidance, supports cross jurisdictional investment considerations and is actively preparing loan to value (LTV) capabilities that will enable clients to borrow against digital assets – further mainstreaming crypto within diversified portfolios. It has also developed research capabilities, providing target price insights and forward looking analysis to help clients navigate digital assets markets with institutional clarity.DBS’s 24/7 human supported dealing model is another defining strength, a capability few crypto native platform provides. Older or less tech comfortable clients may still execute through dealer support, ensuring inclusivity across generations and client profiles. This combination of digital accessibility, human advisory and institutional security positions DBS uniquely at the intersection of tradition and innovation.DBS’s digital assets strategy is not opportunistic – it is the culmination of sustained investment, governance, institutional alignment and a clear strategic belief in the long term significance of digital assets within global wealth management. The result is a world leading ecosystem that delivers trust, liquidity, security and integration unmatched in the private banking industry today. Throughout the review period, the bank set the global standard in regulated digital assets infrastructure for private banking customers and integrated digital assets seamlessly into the fabric of private wealth, making DBS Private Bank the clear winner of the inaugural Euromoney award for world’s best for digital assets.

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