# Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation: Research, patents and partnerships Source: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/ocbc/ai-research-patents-partnerships Last updated: Oct 16, 2026 *Part of the [Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation AI strategy profile](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/ocbc).* ## What AI research, patents and partnerships does OCBC have? OCBC builds most of its AI itself and names few outside partners. The Group Data Office, which began as an AI unit in 2018, says all its AI tools are built in-house with open-source tools; its Wingman coding assistant ran on an open-source model and was live in under two weeks, and the team was using Google's BERT and FinBERT language models in 2019 and 2020 to read news for early signs of corporate default. The main model partner is Microsoft: OCBC GPT runs in the bank's private Azure environment with access to OpenAI models and is embedded in Microsoft Teams (November 2023). Bank of Singapore signed Arta's conversational AI platform for external asset managers and family offices in November 2025, and OCBC's finance function runs on Oracle Cloud ERP with embedded AI (March 2025). Its research ties are regulator- and university-led: it was in the 31-member MAS consortium behind the Veritas responsible-AI toolkit (2023), IMDA's generative AI evaluation sandbox (2023), MAS's MindForge toolkit (March 2026) and the SAFR agent-safeguards paper (July 2026), and in July 2025 it began 12-month quantum research projects with NUS, NTU and SMU, including quantum machine learning for fraud detection. No AI patent assigned to OCBC is public. ([OCBC via The Business Times](https://businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/banking-finance/future-of-ai/inside-local-banks-artificial-intelligence-engine-smart-security-personalised-banking-ocbc), [The Business Times](https://businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/banking-finance/future-of-finance-2024/transforming-banking-experience-generative-ai), [The Business Times](https://businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/banking-finance/future-finance-2023/generative-ai-buddy-ocbc-taps-deliver-better), [Microsoft Source Asia](https://news.microsoft.com/source/asia/features/ocbcs-new-generative-ai-chatbot-is-boosting-the-banks-productivity-across-departments-and-locations/), [FinTech Futures](https://fintechfutures.com/wealth-management-software/arta-expands-ai-wealth-platform-globally-onboards-bank-of-singapore-and-hong-leong-bank), [Oracle](https://oracle.com/in/news/announcement/ocbc-unifies-global-finance-with-oracle-fusion-cloud-erp-2025-03-13), [ZDNet](https://zdnet.com/article/ai-ethics-toolkit-updated-to-include-more-assessment-components), [ZDNet](https://zdnet.com/article/global-players-look-to-create-baseline-to-evaluate-generative-ai-applications), [The Business Times](https://businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/mas-launches-ai-risk-toolkit-financial-institutions-case-studies-dbs-peers), [The Business Times](https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/mas-partners-finance-industry-players-develop-safeguards-ai-agents), [Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation](https://www.ocbc.com/group/media/release/2025/ocbc-deepens-research-in-quantum-technology-with-nus-ntu-smu.page), [Google Patents](https://patents.google.com/patent/SG196702A1/en)) ## Which technology companies does OCBC work with on AI? Vendors and model sources named on the record. OCBC has not named the large language models behind OCBC WoW. | Partner | Type | What it is | Since | Sources | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Microsoft (Azure OpenAI) | Model and cloud provider | OCBC GPT built in OCBC's private Azure environment with access to OpenAI's models, embedded in Teams; rolled out to 30,000 staff in 19 countries after a trial of about 1,000 | Built from March 2023; rolled out November 2023 | [Microsoft Source Asia](https://news.microsoft.com/source/asia/features/ocbcs-new-generative-ai-chatbot-is-boosting-the-banks-productivity-across-departments-and-locations/), [The Straits Times](https://straitstimes.com/business/ocbc-to-deploy-generative-ai-bot-for-all-30000-staff-globally), [Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation](https://ocbc.com/group/media/release/2023/ocbc-is-first-singapore-bank-to-roll-out-generative-ai-chatbot-to-all-employees-globally) | | Open-source models | Model source | OCBC Wingman coding assistant was based on an open-source model and running in under two weeks; MacDonald says all AI tools are built in-house with open-source tools | May 2023 | [The Business Times](https://businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/banking-finance/future-finance-2023/generative-ai-buddy-ocbc-taps-deliver-better), [The Business Times](https://businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/banking-finance/future-of-finance-2024/transforming-banking-experience-generative-ai), [Microsoft Source Asia](https://news.microsoft.com/source/asia/features/ocbcs-new-generative-ai-chatbot-is-boosting-the-banks-productivity-across-departments-and-locations/) | | Google (BERT, FinBERT) | Early language models | Used to read the news, detect early signs of corporate credit default and recommend stocks | 2019-2020 | [The Business Times](https://businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/banking-finance/future-of-finance-2024/transforming-banking-experience-generative-ai) | | Arta | Wealth AI platform | Conversational AI platform deployed by Bank of Singapore for external asset managers and family offices | November 6, 2025 | [FinTech Futures](https://fintechfutures.com/wealth-management-software/arta-expands-ai-wealth-platform-globally-onboards-bank-of-singapore-and-hong-leong-bank) | | Oracle | Enterprise software | Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP and EPM for group finance; the CFO said it lets finance 'harness the power of data analytics and artificial intelligence' | March 13, 2025 | [Oracle](https://oracle.com/in/news/announcement/ocbc-unifies-global-finance-with-oracle-fusion-cloud-erp-2025-03-13) | | Singtel | Telecoms | Quantum key distribution over Singtel's quantum-safe network, which OCBC calls a first for a financial institution | Before July 2025 | [Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation](https://www.ocbc.com/group/media/release/2025/ocbc-deepens-research-in-quantum-technology-with-nus-ntu-smu.page) | ## What AI research and industry programs is OCBC part of? Academic projects, regulator-led consortia and the patent record. | Item | What it is | Date | Sources | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | MAS Veritas consortium | One of 31 industry members of the MAS-led consortium behind the Veritas toolkit 2.0 for assessing fairness, ethics, accountability and transparency (FEAT) | June 27, 2023 | [ZDNet](https://zdnet.com/article/ai-ethics-toolkit-updated-to-include-more-assessment-components) | | IMDA generative AI sandbox | One of 15 initial participants, as an application developer, in the IMDA and AI Verify Foundation sandbox to create baselines for evaluating generative AI applications | November 1, 2023 | [ZDNet](https://zdnet.com/article/global-players-look-to-create-baseline-to-evaluate-generative-ai-applications) | | MAS MindForge | One of 24 consortium members behind the MAS AI risk-management toolkit covering traditional, generative and agentic AI | March 20, 2026 | [The Business Times](https://businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/mas-launches-ai-risk-toolkit-financial-institutions-case-studies-dbs-peers) | | MAS SAFR white paper | Case study in Safeguards for Agentic Finance at Runtime, on checkpoints that verify an agent's proposed actions before execution | July 3, 2026 | [The Business Times](https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/mas-partners-finance-industry-players-develop-safeguards-ai-agents) | | NUS, NTU and SMU quantum research | 12-month projects: quantum Monte Carlo for derivative pricing (NUS Centre for Quantum Technologies), quantum machine learning for fraud detection (SMU), post-quantum cryptography (NTU) | July 17, 2025 | [Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation](https://www.ocbc.com/group/media/release/2025/ocbc-deepens-research-in-quantum-technology-with-nus-ntu-smu.page) | | Quantum skills | Goal of more than 100 employees trained to intermediate quantum proficiency by 2026; about 50 by end-2024; quantum roadmap since 2021 | July 2025 | [Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation](https://www.ocbc.com/group/media/release/2025/ocbc-deepens-research-in-quantum-technology-with-nus-ntu-smu.page) | | Data talent pipeline | Data Certification Pathway with Ngee Ann Polytechnic since 2019 (more than 300 staff completed) and AI scholarships for postgraduate students; 300 data professionals share source code with the industry | November 2023 | [The Business Times](https://businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/banking-finance/future-finance-2023/generative-ai-buddy-ocbc-taps-deliver-better) | | Patents | A Google Patents search under Oversea Chinese Banking Corp Ltd returned one document, a 2014 Singapore application for a cheque deposit box; no AI patent is public | Searched October 2026 | [Google Patents](https://patents.google.com/patent/SG196702A1/en) | ## What does the OCBC profile record on this topic? | Date | Move | Detail | Sources | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Jul 3, 2026 | MAS publishes SAFR white paper with an OCBC case study | Safeguards for Agentic Finance at Runtime proposes governance checkpoints that verify and record an AI agent's proposed actions before execution; OCBC is among the firms whose case studies it contains. | [The Business Times](https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/mas-partners-finance-industry-players-develop-safeguards-ai-agents) | | Mar 20, 2026 | MAS AI risk-management toolkit includes OCBC as a participant | OCBC is among 24 consortium members, with DBS, UOB, Standard Chartered and others, behind the MindForge toolkit covering traditional, generative and agentic AI. | [The Business Times](https://businesstimes.com.sg/companies-markets/mas-launches-ai-risk-toolkit-financial-institutions-case-studies-dbs-peers) | | Nov 6, 2025 | Bank of Singapore signs on to Arta AI | Wealth-technology company Arta said Bank of Singapore would deploy its conversational Arta AI platform for external asset managers and family offices, through the unit headed by Leong Guan Lim. | [FinTech Futures](https://fintechfutures.com/wealth-management-software/arta-expands-ai-wealth-platform-globally-onboards-bank-of-singapore-and-hong-leong-bank) | | Jan 31, 2025 | OCBC hires Carlos Queiroz as managing director for AI | eFinancialCareers reported that Queiroz, previously global head of data science engineering for Standard Chartered's corporate, commercial and institutional bank and earlier lead of the technology data platform at DBS, joined as a managing director for AI. The report describes OCBC's proprietary coding assistant and staff chatbot as available to all of its 30,000-plus employees. | [eFinancialCareers](https://www.efinancialcareers.com/news/ocbc-ai-singapore) | | Oct 24, 2023 | OCBC GPT announced for all 30,000 employees | A chatbot built with Microsoft's Azure OpenAI, hosted in a controlled environment, rolled out in November 2023 after a six-month trial of about 1,000 staff who finished tasks about 50% faster; OCBC said more than four million decisions a day were already made by AI. | [Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation](https://ocbc.com/group/media/release/2023/ocbc-is-first-singapore-bank-to-roll-out-generative-ai-chatbot-to-all-employees-globally) | ## Common questions ### Does OCBC use OpenAI or Microsoft models? Yes, through Microsoft. OCBC GPT, rolled out to all 30,000 staff in November 2023, was built in OCBC's private Microsoft Azure environment, which gives access to OpenAI's models, and is embedded in Microsoft Teams. OCBC has not announced a direct agreement with OpenAI, Anthropic or Google for its production models, and has not named the models behind its OCBC WoW avatars. ### Does OCBC build its own AI? Mostly. Group Data Office head Donald MacDonald said in 2024 that all of OCBC's AI tools are built in-house by its data platform team using open-source tools, which he said makes decisions easier to explain to regulators and customers. The Wingman coding assistant was based on an open-source model and running in under two weeks; Bank of Singapore's Source of Wealth Assistant was co-developed with OCBC. ### Does OCBC have AI patents? None are public. A Google Patents search under Oversea Chinese Banking Corp Ltd returned one document, a 2014 Singapore application for a cheque deposit box. OCBC's research output instead runs through regulator-led consortia such as MAS's Veritas and MindForge toolkits and university projects such as its 2025 quantum research with NUS, NTU and SMU. ### Which universities does OCBC work with on AI and advanced technology? In July 2025 OCBC began 12-month research collaborations with the National University of Singapore (quantum Monte Carlo for derivative pricing), Singapore Management University (quantum machine learning for fraud detection) and Nanyang Technological University (post-quantum cryptography). Since 2019 it has run a Data Certification Pathway with Ngee Ann Polytechnic, completed by more than 300 staff, and it offers AI scholarships for postgraduates. ## Deeper on OCBC - [What is OCBC's AI strategy?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/ocbc/ai-strategy) - [How does OCBC use AI in wealth management?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/ocbc/wealth-management-ai) - [How does OCBC govern AI responsibly?](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/ocbc/responsible-ai) --- Canonical page: https://www.bankingnewsai.com/banks/ocbc/ai-research-patents-partnerships Part of [BankingNewsAI](https://www.bankingnewsai.com/) — a free daily brief on AI in banking, an AI regulation tracker (42 authorities, 243 documents) and AI-strategy profiles of the 120 largest US banks. Markdown versions of every reference page: append `.md` to the page URL; index at https://www.bankingnewsai.com/llms.txt.