OCBC Securities, led by managing director Wilson He, is Singapore’s best securities house for 2024, gaining plaudits for evolving with the times, staying on top of client needs, thinking out of the box and – importantly – finding its niche and dominating that.
On its evolution, OCBC Securities has integrated its trading platform with OCBC Bank’s internet and mobile banking platforms to allow customers to trade and bank in one place, thereby providing them a seamless financial experience – in line with client needs.
Its diversity and range of offerings is also a source of envy from rivals. OCBC Securities offers market access to more than 30 global exchanges, access to real-time stock prices with live pricing feed, more than 50 tradeable currency pairs, numerous share financing solutions, competitive interest and brokerage rates, rewards programmes based on amount traded, and a diverse range of exchange-traded funds.
Then there is OCBC’s AI Oscar, launched in Singapore in October 2023 and expanded to Hong Kong and the US in June this year. AI Oscar targets mainly the younger generation, which demands transparency, convenience, digital accessibility and personalisation – all at a reasonable cost.
AI Oscar serves that purpose well, generating a weekly personalised list of 15 stock ideas for clients based on their past trading behaviour. A typical report from AI Oscar will include charts showing recent price movements, how a firm’s share price compares with peers, and recommendations from analysts. By enabling AI Oscar to mimic what staff in OCBC Securities’ trading strategy team is doing, the firm is able to scale up its trading strategies by evaluating thousands of stocks within a short period of time.
Another strength of the brokerage house is its collaboration with the investment banking arm.
Amid a slow period for Singapore’s equity capital markets, the firm set its sights internationally. The investment bank did its first IPO in Indonesia in 2023, working on the country’s second largest listing from Trimegah Bangun Persada. OCBC Securities, which has a securities business in Indonesia, supported the offering.
Additionally, the brokerage launched the Lion-OCBC Securities Apac Financials Dividend Plus ETF in May 2024, offering customers further diversity for their portfolios – and becoming even more ingrained in their financial journey.