OCBC named third strongest bank globally in The Asian Banker ranking

SINGAPORE: OCBC was named as the strongest bank in the Asia Pacific in the latest ranking announced by financial business intelligence provider The Asian Banker (TAB) on Tuesday (Oct 27). 

Singapore's second largest bank also ranked third globally in the World's 1,000 Strongest Banks ranking, marking the first time a bank here has finished among the top three since the ranking was introduced in 2023. 

In taking top spot in the region this year, OCBC leapfrogged seven Asia Pacific banks that outranked it last year, including DBS, China Merchants Bank and Japan's SMFG.

DBS took 23th place in the latest list, while United Overseas Bank (UOB) was ranked 187.

The TAB team assessed the 1,000 largest banks globally across seven criteria: sovereign risk, scale, balance sheet growth, risk profile, profitability, asset quality and liquidity.

In number one spot was JPMorgan Chase of the United States, with Saudi Arabia's Saudi National Bank in second place.

TAB was founded in Singapore in 1996.

Last month, in the inaugural World's Top Performing Banks ranking by Forbes and Statista, OCBC took first place among global banks, followed by DBS in second place. The banks were evaluated across profitability, growth and earnings quality, capital and funding resilience and asset quality and efficiency.

In a press release, OCBC's group chief executive officer Tan Teck Long said: "Being named one of the world’s strongest banks, soon after being recognised as the 'top performing bank', reflects the resilience of the OCBC franchise."

He added: "We will continue to build on this strong foundation to create lasting value for our customers, communities and shareholders."

Mr Christian Kapfer, research director of TABInsights, TAB's research and consultancy arm, said: "OCBC's diversified earnings, sound asset quality and strong capital position distinguish it from many of its regional peers. Its ability to combine profitability with prudent balance-sheet management has been an important factor in its financial strength." 

OCBC improved its ranking in TAB's World's 1000 Strongest Banks list over the years. In 2023, it took 36th place before moving up to 10th and 11th place in 2024 and 2025 respectively.

OCBC's share price on the Singapore Exchange has surged about 72 per cent since this time last year.