Net trading income to boost Singapore banks' profits

The banks' trading income CAGRs were 15–33% between 2011-2016.

Over the years, DBS’s net trading income pulled ahead of peers. Maybank Kim Eng noted that in 2016, its net trading income were almost 1.7x-2.5x higher than UOB and OCBC, thanks to its larger trading position, which contributed to larger gains. Despite stronger capital markets in 1H17, DBS’s net trading income declined 9% YoY, in contrast to peers’ 12-22% increase.

"Notably, UOB’s value-at-risk (VAR) of its trading book had been trending higher since 2014. While the higher VAR seen in 2016 could partly reflect the uncertainties in the macro environment, UOB’s higher VAR contributed to higher trading gains. Trading income CAGRs were 15–33% between 2011-2016 for the three banks, with UOB the strongest. We believe UOB has a bigger scope to increase its trading income as: 1) it is more conservative and has a lower risk appetite; and 2) it looks to reposition its trading capabilities," said Maybank Kim Eng.

Reaching the people who run Asia's businesses is harder than it used to be.

Inboxes are crowded. Attention is short. The executives you most want to reach — the founders, CFOs, and operators who actually move budgets — are the hardest to find through the usual channels. If you're building a company, a category, or a reputation, you already know this.

We've spent twenty years building the room they read. Singapore Business Review is where senior decision makers in Singapore and across Southeast Asia come for business coverage they can't get elsewhere — in print, online, and in person at the summits and roundtables we host across seven markets.

If you have something these readers should know about — a point of view worth publishing, a product worth their attention, an event worth their time — we'd like to hear what you're trying to do.

Book a meeting

| Or download the media kit (PDF)

240,000 senior readers quarterly in print Top 1,700 Singapore companies reached

7 markets across Southeast Asia