OCBC Premier Private Client has launched The Private Table, a platform that extends its private banking proposition into curated lifestyle experiences for affluent and high-net-worth clients. The launch follows a broader shift in how the bank serves this segment. Wealth management remains the cornerstone of the Premier Private Client proposition, but the bank has put in place a wider set of value pillars to support individuals, families and business owners beyond their banking needs.
A key step in that direction was the opening of the 18,000 sq ft OCBC Premier Private Client Centre in Bangsar in 2025. The centre pairs private banking with in-house dining, private hosting spaces and engagement opportunities designed around conversations on wealth, family and future aspirations. The bank said the approach has resonated strongly with its clients.
As at end-June 2026, the bank’s wealth income grew 52% year-on-year, which it said reflects the strength of its Whole-of-Wealth strategy. The strategy brings together the capabilities of OCBC Bank, Bank of Singapore and Great Eastern across banking, wealth management, insurance and legacy planning. The Bangsar centre has also recorded significant growth, the bank said, with wealth assets under management (AUM) up 90% year-on-year.
The Private Table debuts with an inaugural edition titled “Inheritance”. The theme explores how traditions, values and relationships pass from one generation to the next, and reflects the bank’s view that wealth extends beyond financial assets to the legacies people leave behind.
The edition featured two experiences. The first, Behind The Craft, was a culinary session in which clients paired with a family member or friend to create dishes inspired by the people, experiences and memories that shaped their lives.
Chef Darren Chin served as Chef Advisor and Judge. He is the son of David Chin, founder of Dave’s Deli and Café Bistrot David, and was selected for his personal connection to the theme. The bank said his own journey reflects how passions and traditions can be carried forward and reinterpreted by a new generation.
“Recreating our grandmother’s Lor Mee with my aunt brought back so many memories of growing up in Terengganu. It reminded us how special those family moments were, and how fortunate we are to still share them today.”
Shaun Tan, one of the participating clients
The second experience, At The Table, was an intimate private dinner at Edenmill by Metal Bees, where invited guests gathered around the theme of inheritance. Chef Darren, who is Michelin-acclaimed, curated and presented a menu inspired by the concept. Drawing on his own journey, he explored how personal experiences can be reinterpreted and passed on across generations through food.
“The Private Table is our lifestyle proposition coming to life, reflecting our belief that true wealth is also the relationships, values and legacies our clients build. As we grow this pillar, and prepare to introduce wellness alongside it, our aim remains the same, to support our clients as individuals and families, not just as portfolios.”
Sammeer Sharma, Head of Consumer Financial Services at OCBC Bank (Malaysia) Berhad
Highlights from Behind The Craft were shown during the dinner. Three clients were recognised for Best Overall Dish, Best Storytelling and Best Interpretation of Theme, and donations were made in the winners’ names to Dignity for Children Foundation Malaysia.
The bank said the theme of inheritance is one it understands well. With more than a century of heritage in the region and generations of service to Malaysian families, it has long viewed its client relationships as something built over time. That perspective, it said, continues to underpin both The Private Table and the wider Premier Private Client proposition.
The Private Table will continue as a recurring platform, reflecting the full breadth of the proposition: wealth at its core, complemented by lifestyle experiences and, in time, wellness.
The Private Table arrives as wealth management has become central to how regional banks earn their money. Group-wide, OCBC’s wealth management income rose 27% year-on-year to a record S$3.29 billion in the first half of 2026 and now makes up 41% of group income, up from 36% a year earlier, according to the bank’s results announcement. Over the same period, lower interest rates have weighed on lending income across Singapore’s big banks. OCBC’s net interest income fell 1% year-on-year in the second quarter. In that setting, deepening relationships with wealthy clients carries real commercial weight.
Private banks increasingly compete on the quality of the relationship rather than on products alone, and the Bangsar centre is built around that idea. It serves clients with at least RM3 million in assets under management, a segment that expects personal attention as well as investment access. A recurring programme such as The Private Table gives the bank regular, informal occasions to engage clients and their families outside a formal advisory meeting. Those occasions tend to matter when clients start thinking about succession and legacy planning, which the bank lists among the Whole-of-Wealth capabilities.
For clients, the value is in the format. Inviting a relative or friend to take part brings the wider family into the conversation, which suits a theme such as inheritance. Many families find that conversations about passing on wealth are easier to begin around shared memories, such as a grandmother’s recipe, than around a balance sheet. The charitable donations made in the winners’ names also give the programme a community element.
The planned addition of wellness to the lifestyle pillar suggests the bank sees these experiences as a lasting part of its offering. Whether the approach changes how affluent clients choose a private bank will depend on how consistently it is delivered in later editions. For now, it signals that the bank wants to be known for how it relates to clients as well as for its products.
Photos by OCBC.
