UOB moves tech workforce to fuel Southeast Asia digital growth

The new technology centre anchors regional banking capability development.United Overseas Bank (UOB) has begun relocating its technology and innovation workforce to the Punggol Digital District, marking the start of its move into Singapore’s first smart and sustainable business district.The bank started operations at its $500m global technology and innovation centre on 4 May with nearly 400 employees. It plans to base more than 3,000 employees, mainly in technology, digital, and innovation roles, at the facility by October.UOB is the first bank to establish a presence in the district, according to a press release.The bank will occupy Tower 80, a 300,000-square-foot facility designed for digital development and innovation.The site includes collaborative workspaces, plug-and-play desks, and meeting rooms with artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled tools. It will also deploy robotics for security, cleaning, and mail services.The facility sits within a car-light district with district cooling, waste management systems, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and pedestrian and cycling networks. UOB said it will use rooftop solar panels and smart energy systems at the site.The bank said the site will house teams that design, develop, and deploy banking capabilities across ASEAN. It added that the move supports its digital-first strategy and Singapore’s Smart Nation agenda, and enables collaboration and innovation across its regional operations.Lawrence Goh, Head of Group Technology and Operations at UOB, said the relocation places the bank’s teams within Singapore’s innovation ecosystem and supports the development of digital banking systems across ASEAN.UOB said it is expanding its use of AI across operations. It has deployed AI-enabled risk and conduct surveillance in its wealth management business.The bank has developed the Model Analytics Platform to support AI model development and deployment. It also operates the UOB-IMDA AIDA Centre of Excellence to train early-career data and AI professionals.UOB FinLab has launched an AI Ready Programme with AI Singapore, the Infocomm Media Development Authority, and Microsoft to support small and medium-sized enterprises in adopting AI tools. The bank said these programmes will be based at the Punggol site.UOB TMRW, its digital banking application, will also be developed from the district. The platform integrates payments, investments, lending, and rewards using data analytics and machine learning.The bank said it delivered 530 million personalised insights to five million customers across five ASEAN markets in 2025.UOB said about 90% of employees completed generative AI training in 2025. It also launched an Innovation Academy to support employee training and experimentation.