Q1: Reflecting on 2025, what were your bank’s major milestones from an operational perspective, and how did you achieve them? Conversely, what were the setbacks and challenges encountered along the way, and what measures were taken to surmount them? How have those lessons shaped your 2026 strategy?

In 2025, our key operational milestone was supporting strong and sustainable business growth while maintaining strict cost discipline, in line with our broader affluent group strategy. This was achieved primarily through the regionalisation of operations across our Asian entities, which significantly improved efficiency and scalability. By standardising platforms and processes and aligning more closely with our global operating model, we unlocked synergies while maintaining consistency across markets.

As with any transformation, this journey came with challenges, particularly in managing change at pace while ensuring alignment with business growth targets. We recognised early on that success depended on close collaboration between operations and the business. Leveraging our global change management framework, we adopted a ground-up approach that strengthened communication, improved local engagement, and ensured consistent execution across locations.

For 2026, evolving client expectations and an increasingly complex regulatory landscape mean we must continue to balance global scale with sensitivity to local nuances. Operational resilience is therefore a key focus. We are upgrading our core platforms to support significant client growth, enhancing capabilities such as risk management tools, self-service functionality in internet banking, and greater centralisation of selected activities to achieve economies of scale.

Q2: As private banks invest in upgrading their KYC systems and scaling AI capabilities, how are you addressing the operational challenges of integrating these technologies while driving measurable KPIs in revenue growth and delivering hyper-personalised client experiences?

To address the operational challenges of KYC transformation while improving productivity and client experience, we have partnered with our affiliated entity, Wealth Dynamic, to deploy a client lifecycle management (CLM) tool. This platform simplifies relationship management by standardising onboarding and periodic review processes, reducing administrative burden, and facilitating collaboration across teams. By aggregating client knowledge into a single channel, the CLM strengthens KYC quality while also supporting prospect management and pipeline visibility.

In parallel, we are scaling AI capabilities to fundamentally improve how information is accessed and used. PAUL, our AI-powered intelligent agent, is transforming how client-facing employees manage the client lifecycle, from onboarding to relationship closure. By combining advanced AI with deep business expertise, PAUL delivers fast, reliable answers, enabling teams to focus on higher-value activities. It also serves as a centralised knowledge hub, improving connectivity and agility across the organisation.

For internal productivity, we recently rolled out SecureGPT, a self-hosted AI platform designed specifically for our wealth management environment. With capabilities including smart document analysis, secure web search, note-taking, and audio transcription, it supports written content and daily workflows while meeting strict security requirements. Together, these initiatives ensure that technology investments translate into tangible efficiency gains and better client outcomes.

Q3: The cost-to-income ratio is a key metric for assessing bank performance. What range do you consider optimal, and how is the bank managing the cost side—across investments, real estate, and other operating expenses—to maintain efficiency and competitiveness in the region?

Our competitive advantage lies in combining global scale with a highly personalised client approach. Maintaining a healthy cost-to-income ratio is therefore a central operational priority. For wealth management firms, we deem a ratio in the range of 0.70 to 0.75 as optimal, balancing efficiency with the need to invest for growth.

We continue to operate a lean and agile organisation, exercising prudent cost control while making targeted investments in talent and technology. In 2025, our cost-to-income ratio remained stable, reflecting disciplined execution and strong operational efficiency. Looking into 2026 and beyond, our focus is on sustaining this momentum while supporting growth in key markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China, and Southeast Asia.

Q4: With regulatory requirements continually evolving, private banks are reassessing their compliance systems and processes. From an operational perspective, what are the biggest challenges you face in meeting these requirements, and how is the bank tackling them to maintain both efficiency and client trust?

As regulatory standards continue to rise, the core operational challenge is ensuring that compliance is fully embedded into day-to-day activities, rather than functioning as a separate layer of control. Our approach is therefore to integrate risk management and compliance into the way the organisation operates at every level.

We have adopted a risk-based framework that reinforces accountability across the organisation, particularly within commercial teams, which form the first line of defence. This ensures that regulatory requirements are addressed early in the client lifecycle, supporting both efficiency and client trust.

Operational resilience is another key focus. As part of this, we are strengthening oversight of outsourced services, ensuring that third-party capabilities are continuously monitored and aligned with our standards. This allows us to maintain service quality, protect clients’ interests, and operate smoothly in an increasingly complex regulatory environment.