UOB, DBS and OCBC operations in Myanmar and Thailand see no major disruption from quake
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The banks are the latest in a string of Singapore firms sharing about the impact of the earthquake on their operations in Myanmar and Thailand.
PHOTO: AFP
SINGAPORE – The Myanmar and Thailand operations of Singapore’s Big Three banks have not seen major disruptions from the 7.7-magnitude earthquake
A UOB spokesperson told The Straits Times that all its Thailand employees were accounted for when the earthquake happened.
“There were no reported injuries, and a staff assistance programme will be implemented to support affected colleagues.”
All of UOB’s “core premises” there, including its headquarters at UOB Plaza Bangkok, were confirmed as structurally safe, the spokesperson said.
“Leased offices and in-mall branches have also been cleared as safe by landlords. Ongoing inspections by our team are on track.”
UOB said all but two of its branches in Thailand resumed operations on March 29, with the two temporarily closed for additional checks and set to reopen by March 31. The bank has 144 branches in Thailand, as at March 1, while its Myanmar business has been scaled down.
Its spokesperson added that critical operations – including wholesale settlements, cheque clearing, foreign exchange transactions and regulatory reporting – were completed.
UOB’s contact centres also resumed operations on the morning of March 29, while both its primary and secondary data centres remained fully operational.
“Front-line teams are supporting urgent banking needs. Affected customers are being contacted with tailored solutions,” the spokesperson said.
Mr Richard Maloney, UOB Thailand president and chief executive, said the earthquake was a real test of readiness that UOB’s teams responded to with calm and coordination.
“While ensuring the safety of our people came first, we also resumed essential operations swiftly and without disruption to our customers.
“Looking ahead, we are reviewing our learnings from this event to further strengthen our resilience and preparedness.”
Meanwhile, when contacted, a DBS Bank spokesperson said its employees in Thailand and Myanmar are safe and fully accounted for, and its offices in those places are not damaged.
“We remain operational in both markets.”
OCBC’s head of group corporate security, Mr Francisco Celio, told ST: “We have been in constant contact with our colleagues at our Bangkok and Yangon branches. All of them, including their family members, have been accounted for with no reported injuries.
“Our offices have been deemed safe by the landlords. There was minimal disruption to our operations and that has since returned to normal.”
The three banks are the latest in a string of Singapore firms
This includes Singapore Exchange-listed Yoma Strategic Holdings and Fraser & Neave, which told ST on March 30 that all their staff are safe, and their facilities and businesses in Myanmar and Thailand suffered little or no damage.
Separately, a spokesperson for Frasers Property told The Business Times it had confirmed that all its employees in Bangkok are safe.
All of the group’s hospitality properties and malls, including One Bangkok, have resumed operations, the Frasers Property spokesperson had said.
However, a Sembcorp spokesperson told ST on March 30 that a gas-fired power plant that it built and operates in Mandalay, near the quake’s epicentre, experienced a power trip because of grid failure.
The spokesperson was quick to add that there was, nonetheless, no damage to the US$300 million (S$403 million) plant.
