Steady Waters: DBS CEO Calls Singapore a Reliable Anchor in Turbulent Times

SINGAPORE — The largest bank in Southeast Asia by assets is telling investors that Singapore and its companies can help them steer through global uncertainties.

She said, “I appreciate that the ‘Little Red Dot’ we call home remains open, predictable, and almost boring. In this era of great volatility, boring isn’t a drawback, is it?” – Tan Su Shan, CEO of DBS Group, speaking at the DBS Asia Future Forward conference in Singapore.

Global investment and business conditions have been disrupted by trade wars, El Niño‑linked weather extremes, the Iran conflict, and the Russia‑Ukraine war. Thanks to its AAA‑rated sovereign debt, stable politics, and central Asian location, Singapore is widely regarded as a bastion of stability.

Tan noted that DBS embodies many of those same qualities.

DBS boasts one of the safest credit ratings worldwide, she told CNBC on the conference sidelines. Temasek, the state‑owned global investment firm that managed S$518 billion (about US$404 billion) as of March 31 and is credited with bolstering Singapore’s fiscal stability, remains DBS’s largest shareholder.

Tan added that DBS is well‑positioned to steer through worldwide economic uncertainty.

She said, “Trade and supply chains are fragmented. If you want to diversify your upstream supply chain due to geopolitical worries, blockages, or concerns over the Strait of Hormuz, DBS can be your partner—helping customers shift from one market to another swiftly.”

Tan also spoke about managing a workforce in the AI era and identifying talent with the right skills to navigate new technologies.

She added, “Humans are inherently nimble and agile; I tell my managers to hire for attitude, since you can’t buy or train it.”

—CNBC’s Ying Shan Lee contributed to this article.

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