DBS sets aside S$18 million in bonuses to staff across the world
DBS Bank will give its junior employees S$1,000 as a “special one-time bonus”, it said in a statement on Monday (9 Feb).
This will benefit nearly 6,800 staff in Singapore, the locally based bank added.
Source: Google Maps
DBS bonus disbursed to 23,000 staff worldwide
DBS said it had set aside S$18 million for the payouts, which will be disbursed to more than 23,000 of its employees worldwide.
Staff outside Singapore will have their bonus indexed to the local market’s purchasing power parity.
Two years ago, in 2024, the bank distributed a similar supplement of S$1,000 to its junior-ranked employees.
It had set aside S$15 million at the time.
DBS issuing bonuses despite 10% fall in net profit
DBS Chief Executive Officer Tan Su Shan said the bank was issuing bonuses “in spite of a difficult environment”.
It wanted to “specially recognise” the contributions of junior staff after delivering a “resilient set of results”, she added.
Source: K8 on Unsplash
The bonuses were announced on the same day that DBS reported a 10% fall in net profit in the fourth quarter (4Q) of 2025, compared with the same period a year before.
Earnings dropped to S$2.36 billion due to higher tax and the absence of non-recurring gains recorded a year earlier.
Of this, S$100 million was set aside for corporate social responsibility commitments, bringing the net profit down to S$2.26 billion.
The bank also made higher specific allowances, which were offset by a general allowance release.
Full-year earnings dropped 3%
For the full year that ended on 31 Dec 2025, DBS’ net profit was S$11 billion.
This is 3% lower than that of the preceding full year.
However, despite a challenging rate environment, DBS Group achieved a record profit before tax of S$13.1 billion in 2025.
This is slightly higher than a year ago, as total income rose 3% to a new high of S$22.9 billion, it said.
CEO says DBS has a strong foundation for 2026
Ms Tan said rate pressures and geopolitical tensions are expected to “persist”, but the bank has “a solid foundation” for the year ahead.
Source: Su Shan Tan on Facebook
This is due to the “quality” of the franchise and “strong balance sheet”, she added.
Pointing to the resilience and adaptability of the franchise amid rate and tax headwinds, she noted that its deposit growth was “the strongest” in history, while fee income and treasury customer sales reached “new highs”, adding:
Our ability to nimbly capture market opportunities and support client needs was key to the year’s performance.
Also read: DBS will soon have a female CEO, here’s all there is to know about Tan Su Shan
DBS will soon have a female CEO, here’s all there is to know about Tan Su Shan
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps.
