OCBC forms specialist unit to capture rising institutional demand for securities financing

OCBC has become the first Singapore bank to establish a dedicated securities financing unit to deepen the suite of solutions for institutional customers. The securities financing unit sits within the Bank’s Global Markets division, which has almost doubled its contribution to the OCBC Group’s operating profit year-on-year as of 30 September 2025.

Industry veteran Jansen Chua (蔡伟光) joined OCBC on 2 January 2026 as Head of Securities Finance (融资证券管理主管) to spearhead the Bank’s growth in this area. He reports to Kenneth Lai (赖进贵), Head of Global Markets (环球金融市场部总裁).

Under Chua’s leadership, the unit will mobilise lendable securities – both equities and fixed income – from customers across OCBC Bank and its subsidiaries OCBC Securities, Bank of Singapore and Great Eastern, to meet the growing global demand for securities financing. In doing so, it will also create opportunities for these customers to earn fee income by lending out their idle securities.

Demand for securities financing has seen a structural rise globally, amidst a continued focus on balance sheet efficiency and optimisation by sell-side providers. Buy-side firms are increasingly looking for partners and support to optimise liquidity, meet collateral obligations, and implement hedging strategies in volatile markets. Specifically, global securities lending revenues hit a record US$15.3 billion in 2025 according to EquiLend Data & Analytics.

Chua joined OCBC from State Street Bank & Trust Company where he served as Senior Managing Director and Head of Financing Solutions for Asia Pacific, leading teams across trading, sales, customer management and product development.

With over 25 years of global experience spanning the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC), he brings deep expertise in securities services, securities finance and prime brokerage. Chua has a proven track record in managing diverse customer segments – including alternative investment firms, pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds and asset managers – while driving strategic growth and transformation.

Kenneth Lai, Head of Global Markets at OCBC said: “The ability to access liquidity and deploy capital efficiently has become critical, especially in the context of elevated market volatility. Securities financing has therefore become increasingly important, and we have seen a corresponding rise in demand from our institutional customers. The establishment of a dedicated Securities Financing team is therefore timely and is a strategic milestone for us as we seek to grow our Securities Financing business in the region. Under Jansen’s leadership and supported by our regional network, we are well-positioned to support our customers as they execute trading and hedging strategies, meet settlement obligations and optimise capital usage.”

Re-disseminated by Wealth and Society