OCBC should put its properties into a Reit and distribute the trust’s units to shareholders

WHAT does not kill one makes one stronger. This adage might aptly describe Singapore’s listed banking trio, which have emerged strongly from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Take Singapore’s longest established bank, OCBC : O39 0%. It was formed in 1932 from the merger of three local banks, the oldest of which was founded in 1912.

Shareholders who gather at the bank’s annual general meeting (AGM) on Apr 30 at Sands Expo & Convention Centre will have much to celebrate.

OCBC’s net profit attributable to equity holders for 2023 of S$7 billion was 44 per cent higher than pre-pandemic in 2019. 

In 2023, return on equity (ROE) was 13.7 per cent, versus 11.2 per cent in 2019. Meanwhile, the bank’s common equity tier 1 capital adequacy …