OCBC is among the first in Singapore with this secure, app-based capability, enhancing convenience for customers while reducing heavy reliance on security questions and SMS OTPs.

Singapore, 24 November 2025 – OCBC is introducing in-app calls on its digital banking apps, providing stepped-up convenience to customers, especially those who travel outside Singapore, while strengthening protection against fraud. The ability to make in-app calls to the bank’s contact centre will be available to retail banking customers progressively from November 2025 on the OCBC app, after the successful rollout for business banking customers in June 2025 on OCBC Business app. In-app calls will not incur International Direct Dialling (IDD) charges.

The bank expects in-app calls to be especially valuable to customers who need urgent assistance while abroad, such as in cases of suspected credit card fraud or account security concerns. OCBC’s data shows that business and retail banking customers make a total of over 8,000 calls to the bank each month while they are overseas.

The in-app capability also prevents impersonation fraud. Security questions and SMS One-Time Passwords (OTPs) to verify customers who call banks’ hotlines may be increasingly susceptible. Technological developments and sophisticated social engineering tactics are enabling scammers to more easily phish SMS OTPs. The Singapore banking industry is therefore pushing to reduce reliance on SMS OTPs. As personal information become more accessible online, security questions may also gradually lose effectiveness.

OCBC seeks to reduce heavy reliance on such traditional methods with in-app calls. Such calls take place within the OCBC and OCBC Business apps’ secure environments – customers must first log in using biometrics or access credentials, coupled with either digital or hard token provisioning. This two-factor authentication approach ensures that the calls remain protected within the apps’ ecosystem. Security questions will only be asked as an additional safeguard, should the customer request to do a high-risk transaction on the in-app call.

In-app calls made to customers to begin from 1H 2026

Besides calls to the bank, in-app call capabilities will be leveraged for outbound calls to customers, by its retail and business banking contact centres, as well as its anti-fraud team. OCBC targets to begin calling business banking customers with the in-app capability from the first half of 2026.

In-app calls— being native to the OCBC app and OCBC Business app – are significantly harder for scammers to replicate and will help customers distinguish genuine calls from the bank from fraudulent ones. If a customer receives a regular phone call claiming to be from OCBC, they will know to be extra cautious.

This added layer of verification aims to reduce the risk of impersonation scams, where scammers pose as bank staff and make calls to victims. Government officials impersonation scams, which commonly involve impersonation of bank representatives, remain a concern. In the first half of 2025, cases in Singapore surged to 1,762, almost tripling from a year ago.

Mr Sunny Quek, Head of Global Consumer Financial Services, OCBC, said: "Calls remain a vital channel of communication between banks and customers, especially in urgent situations. Yet, we recognise that trust in phone calls has eroded. This is perfectly understandable as scam calls have become common, and their tactics have become more sophisticated. In-app calling capabilities are therefore powerful as it helps restore confidence by ensuring that calls happen in a secure, authenticated space. It is also intuitive and more convenient for customers to make calls from within the app.”

Mr Melvyn Low, Head of Global Transaction Banking, OCBC, said: “With in-app calls, we're making it safer and easier for businesses to connect with us. This adds another layer of security to our digital banking experience. It not only helps safeguard against fraud and scams, but also empowers our customers to focus on what matters most: running and growing their business, and managing their banking needs and transactions with peace of mind.".