[CM] [OCBC] [E1] [C12] Summary and Strategic Outlook

Chapter 12

Post-Crisis – Crisis Recovery and Post-Crisis Management at OCBC Bank

Crisis Management at OCBC Bank is an enterprise-wide capability designed to enable the organisation to anticipate, respond to, and recover from critical incidents that threaten its people, operations, reputation, and customers.

Rooted in the bank’s strong governance culture and risk management framework, the CM system complements existing emergency response, business continuity, and operational resilience programmes.

It reflects OCBC’s commitment to safeguarding stakeholder trust and maintaining financial stability, even in the face of complex disruptions.

Understanding OCBC Bank

Founded in 1932, OCBC Bank (Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited) is one of Singapore’s largest financial institutions, providing a comprehensive range of commercial and consumer banking, wealth management, and corporate services.

With a presence across Asia, the bank’s diversified operations and digital infrastructure require a structured approach to managing crises that may affect multiple regions, regulatory environments, and stakeholder groups simultaneously.

Understanding OCBC’s mission, values, operational footprint, and governance structure provides essential context for tailoring the crisis management framework to its unique organisational profile.

Identifying Crisis Management Goals for OCBC Bank

The goals of OCBC’s crisis management framework are aligned with its organisational mission and strategic risk appetite.

Key goals include ensuring the safety of employees and customers, protecting critical business functions, maintaining customer confidence, safeguarding regulatory compliance, and preserving the bank’s brand and reputation.

These goals guide all crisis management planning, decision-making, and communication efforts, ensuring a unified and purpose-driven response across all levels of the organisation.

Differentiating Crisis Management and Business Continuity Management

While closely related, Crisis Management (CM) and Business Continuity Management (BCM) serve distinct but complementary roles.

CM focuses on strategic decision-making, leadership coordination, and communication during major disruptions that could threaten the bank’s reputation or stability. In contrast, BCM ensures the operational recovery of critical business processes following disruption.

At OCBC, both frameworks are integrated under a resilience strategy — where the Crisis Management Team (CMT) provides leadership direction, while BCM teams execute recovery plans that sustain essential operations.

Identifying the Types of Crisis Scenarios

OCBC Bank categorises crisis scenarios into broad types to facilitate structured planning and response. These include:

• Operational crises (e.g., IT system outages, cyber incidents)
• Financial crises (e.g., liquidity or market shocks)
• Reputational crises (e.g., social media backlash, fraud allegations)
• Security and safety incidents (e.g., terrorism, pandemics, or physical threats)
• Regulatory and compliance crises (e.g., data breaches or governance violations)

Understanding these crisis categories enables OCBC to tailor scenario-based exercises and develop targeted response strategies.

Assessing Risks and Threats

Risk and threat assessment forms the analytical core of OCBC’s crisis management planning.

Leveraging its enterprise risk management (ERM) framework, the bank continuously identifies, evaluates, and monitors emerging threats, including cyber risks, geopolitical instability, and climate-related events.

The assessment considers potential impacts across operational, reputational, and financial dimensions, ensuring that CM strategies are both evidence-based and responsive to evolving risk landscapes.

Implementing the Crisis Management Planning Methodology

OCBC’s CM planning methodology follows a structured lifecycle consistent with ISO 22361 principles:

1. Understanding the organisation and its context
2. Establishing leadership commitment and CM governance
3. Setting CM objectives and strategies
4. Developing and maintaining crisis response plans
5. Testing, training, and exercising
6. Reviewing and improving

This methodology ensures that crisis management is not a one-time activity but a continuous improvement process integrated into OCBC’s corporate governance and operational risk functions.

Pre-Crisis: Risk Identification and Crisis Preparedness

Before a crisis occurs, OCBC prioritises proactive preparedness through:

• Identifying early warning indicators
• Establishing clear escalation pathways
• Training and equipping the Crisis Management Team
• Conducting simulations and exercises
• Maintaining updated communication and contact protocols

These actions enhance organisational readiness, ensuring that response actions are timely and well-coordinated when a crisis strikes.

During Crisis: Crisis Response and Decision-Making

When a crisis occurs, OCBC activates its Crisis Management Team, which leads the coordinated response through structured decision-making, stakeholder communication, and incident escalation.

Guided by a predefined command-and-control structure, the CMT ensures situational awareness, prioritises safety and regulatory compliance, and communicates effectively with internal and external stakeholders.

Scenario-based plans, risk assessments, and data-driven intelligence support decision-making during a crisis.

Post-Crisis: Crisis Recovery

After a crisis, OCBC focuses on structured recovery and learning. Post-crisis actions include restoring normal operations, conducting impact assessments, and engaging in transparent communication with stakeholders.

A key aspect of this phase is the “lessons learned” process — capturing insights to refine CM strategies, strengthen resilience, and improve response capability for future crises. This continuous feedback loop reinforces OCBC’s resilience and institutional learning culture.

The “Understanding Your Organisation” section provides a strategic and operational overview of OCBC Bank’s approach to crisis management.

It highlights the integration of governance, leadership, and preparedness — the foundation of OCBC’s ability to lead effectively through crises.

By embedding ISO 22361’s best practices within the bank’s operational and regulatory framework, OCBC enhances its resilience, ensuring continuity of trust and stability in a rapidly evolving risk environment.

Leading Through Crisis: Implementing Crisis Management at OCBC Bank
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