OCBC resumes digital banking and payment services following 2.5-hour disruption

SINGAPORE: Funds transfer services on OCBC’s digital banking app and Internet banking were reinstated around 2:30 pm on Tuesday (7 Nov).

This followed earlier disruptions that affected some users attempting PayNow transfers.

OCBC reported that the technical problems commenced around noon.

certain customers encountered difficulties using OCBC’s app and PayNow service due to what the bank described as “intermittent slowness.”

The issue was officially acknowledged by OCBC on its app, with a notification posted on the login page.

“You may have difficulty accessing our banking and payment services. We are sorry for any inconvenience and are working to bring things back to normal as soon as possible,” it said.

Several users attempting to initiate a PayNow transfer were unable to select a recipient, receiving a notification indicating that the designated contact was not registered with the service.

In response to several complaints on its Facebook page, the bank stated, “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused. Our systems are experiencing intermittent slowness. Please try accessing the services again at a later time. Thank you for your understanding.”

Despite the bank’s latest update, some users on OCBC’s Facebook page continued to express ongoing difficulties accessing their accounts.

Many reported being unable to transfer funds via PayNow or internet banking.

Moreover, some users inquired about the possibility of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) imposing fines on OCBC for these disruptions, considering the recent actions taken by MAS against Singapore’s largest bank, DBS.

MAS imposes 6-month freeze on DBS Bank’s IT changes due to repeated disruptions

On October 14, both DBS and Citibank experienced an extended outage, impacting their online banking and payment services. It was noted in parliament that nearly 2.5 million transactions were hindered as a result.

DBS faced recurring service disruptions this year, with a full-day outage in March and subsequent issues with digital banking services and ATMs in May.

OCBC encountered a morning outage on August 28 attributed to a “technical problem,” affecting internet and mobile banking, PayNow, ATMs, cards, and Velocity, the bank’s digital business banking platform.