Engineering the future of banking across Asean

Through a unified platform and responsible Al use, UOB is redefining how a bank of Asean scale can innovate, serve customers and empower its people

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When most banks talk about digital transformation, they point to new apps or online services. UOB's Lawrence Goh thinks bigger.

The bank’s head of group technology and operations has been re-architecting how a regional bank can run — fusing data, artificial intelligence (AI) and human insight into every part of the organisation.

“Ultimately, our technology strategy is about enabling UOB to deliver innovation responsibly, creating long-term value for customers and stakeholders across Asean,” he says.

UOB embarked to build a regional technology platform more than a decade ago, becoming the only Singapore bank to have a set of standardised systems across Asean. This regional platform supports the bank’s operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The design allows new technologies to be “plugged in” seamlessly, without disrupting existing systems. For customers, this means a consistent and seamless experience across markets; for the bank, it enables faster product rollouts and greater scalability.

UOB’s regional platform was also built for resilience and reliability. As Goh explains, innovation must always be balanced with a “strong risk culture”.

The infrastructure operates on a common architecture supported by robust risk management and cybersecurity frameworks that meet stringent regulatory standards across jurisdictions.

These guardrails ensure that new technologies can be introduced securely, without compromising compliance or stability.

A prime example is UOB TMRW, the bank’s all-in-one digital banking app. It was launched in Thailand in 2019, adapted for Indonesia within nine months, and enhanced for Singapore only four months later - an acceleration made possible by the unified technology foundation.

“This enabled our core banking systems and operating processes to be harmonised across our five key Asean markets, supported by a regional technology hub in Singapore,” says Goh.