DBS celebrates the spark in its people with limited-edition jewellery collection

Singapore, Regional.09 Feb 2018

The gold-plated anniversary gifts mark the beginning of the bank’s golden jubilee year


Singapore, Regional, 09 Feb 2018 - While sharing DBS’ fourth-quarter results at an employee townhall yesterday, DBS CEO Piyush Gupta surprised employees with the announcement of a one-of-a-kind 50th anniversary gift. The bank has commissioned the design of a limited-edition DBS Sparks collection, modelled after the spark found at the heart of the DBS logo, to be gifted to its employees. The collection consists of a pair of 18K gold-plated cufflinks for the men and a necklace for the women. All DBS employees in its 18 markets will receive their gifts by the end of February, and be able to wear the DBS Spark – quite literally on their hearts or their sleeves.



Said Karen Ngui, Head of DBS Group Strategic Marketing & Communications, “We believe that our people embody the DBS Spark – that spirit of imagination, that sense of possibility, and the courage to make things happen. It is this very spirit that drives DBS – from our early days as a pioneering force that financed Singapore’s development and spearheaded our nation’s transformation to making our mark across the region. Today, we are not only recognised as Asia’s safest and Asia’s best, but also as the ‘World’s Best Digital Bank’. All this was made possible only through the passion and conviction of our people.”

Established in 1968 as the Development Bank of Singapore, DBS began with a purpose like none other – to help finance the industrialisation of Singapore. From the bank’s early days, its employees have been the industry’s trailblazers.

For instance, in 1977, the bank launched the Pandan Valley condominium, Singapore’s largest condominium at the time. In 1980, DBS Autosave, the nation’s first interest-bearing current account in Singapore was introduced. In 1985, DBS propelled Singapore Airlines onto the global arena by being the lead manager for their IPO, the first international offering for a locally incorporated company. In 1986, DBS financed the development of Raffles City, paving the way for Singapore to be a leading convention and exhibition destination. DBS today continues its slew of firsts. In 2017, the bank launched POSB Smart Buddy – the world’s first in-school wearable tech savings and payments programme, and has the world’s largest banking API developer platform today. 

Said Matthew Chow, Senior Associate at DBS Treasures, “I was watching Piyush on the live stream when he told us about the anniversary gifts. I have to say the timing was great, I’ve been wanting a pair of gold cufflinks for a while and this is such a thoughtful yet meaningful surprise.”

The DBS Sparks collection was specially commissioned to mark DBS’ golden jubilee and is not available for sale. It is one of several anniversary initiatives to be rolled out in celebration of DBS’ golden jubilee this year. Yesterday, the bank also proposed a special dividend of 50 cents a share to mark the 50th anniversary of DBS.

The bank is also capturing the DBS spirit through its award winning mini-series Sparks, which follows a group of dynamic DBS bankers as they navigate the challenges and opportunities at work and in their personal lives. Inspired by real life stories, Sparks demonstrates how Team DBS is driven by a strong sense of purpose and the commitment to always do the right thing by its customers. Since the launch of the mini-series, Sparks has garnered over 110 million views. Viewers can catch all episodes of Sparks including the latest episode, episode eight on https://go.dbs.com/yourspark.


[End]

About DBS
DBS is a leading financial services group in Asia, with over 280 branches across 18 markets. Headquartered and listed in Singapore, DBS has a growing presence in the three key Asian axes of growth: Greater China, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The bank's "AA-" and "Aa1" credit ratings, is among the highest in the world.

DBS is at the forefront of leveraging digital technology to shape the future of banking, and has been named “World’s Best Digital Bank” by Euromoney. The bank has also been recognised for its leadership in the region, having been named “Asia’s Best Bank” by several publications including The Banker, Global Finance, IFR Asia and Euromoney since 2012. In addition, the bank has been named “Safest Bank in Asia” by Global Finance for nine consecutive years from 2009 to 2017.

DBS provides a full range of services in consumer, SME and corporate banking. As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS understands the intricacies of doing business in the region’s most dynamic markets. DBS is committed to building lasting relationships with customers, and positively impacting communities through supporting social enterprises, as it banks the Asian way. It has also established a SGD 50 million foundation to strengthen its corporate social responsibility efforts in Singapore and across Asia.

With its extensive network of operations in Asia and emphasis on engaging and empowering its staff, DBS presents exciting career opportunities. The bank acknowledges the passion, commitment and can-do spirit in all of our 24,000 staff, representing over 40 nationalities. For more information, please visit www.dbs.com.