OCBC chief Tan Teck Long’s new strategy is a masterstroke, but execution risks abound

[SINGAPORE] With the tailwinds of peak interest rates decisively fading, the maiden full-year results briefing last week for OCBC’s new group chief executive officer Tan Teck Long was less about the rearview mirror and more about setting the cadence for his tenure.

The headline numbers for FY2025 were certainly respectable. Despite a 2 per cent dip in full-year net profit to S$7.42 billion, total income hit a record S$14.6 billion – supporting a 2 per cent rise in profit before tax to a new high of S$9.12 billion.

But Tan, who formally succeeded former chief Helen Wong at the start of this year, needed a compelling narrative to convince the market that Singapore’s second-largest bank can find its next engine of growth.