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The training programme will aim to equip staff with a better understanding of the nuances of this issue and handle potential cases with more empathy, understanding, and finesse when required.
UOB has announced plans to equip its branch staff with the necessary skills to address the growing issue of familial financial abuse. By the end of this year, the bank aims to train 400 staff across all its 53 branches and Privilege Banking Centres in Singapore with the skills to identify and provide targeted support to potential victims, it said on Thursday (31 July 2025).
The training programme, with three pilot sessions already conducted, was created in collaboration with NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB) and equips staff with a better understanding of the nuances of this issue, enabling them to handle potential cases with more empathy, understanding, and finesse when required.
Benny Chan, Managing Director, Group Channels and Digitalisation, UOB, shared: "Our branch staff often serve as the first and last line of defence against financial abuse for customers visiting our branches, especially the elderly and vulnerable.
"Financial abuse perpetrated by family members is particularly insidious and heartbreaking, with such cases oftentimes being more sensitive and challenging for our staff to handle. However, as responsible custodians of our customers’ monies, we must act decisively and proactively to prevent such cases from propagating."
The seven-hour training programme, titled Shielding Vulnerable Customers from Potential Financial Abuse, aims to equip staff with the necessary skills to identify signs and potential victims of familial financial abuse, engage and gather information sensitively from affected customers, react and respond appropriately when an abuser is physically present, and call upon the government and relevant social agencies for assistance based on each individual profile’s needs.
The training involves a mix of theory lessons and role-plays simulating real-life scenarios faced at branches, such as suspicious transactions, irregular joint account requests, and third-party interferences. Staff then undergo a one-hour competency assessment to put their learnings to the test.
Tay Ee Learn, Assistant Chief Executive and Chief Sector Skills Officer, NTUC LearningHub, commented: "This training programme, developed in collaboration with UOB, exemplifies how tailored, sector-specific learning not only fulfils organisational needs but also addresses pressing social challenges, such as familial financial abuse.
"By integrating real-life branch scenarios and immersive role-plays, we ensure that learners are empowered with both theoretical and practical frontline-ready knowledge and skills. As Singapore faces a rapidly ageing population, initiatives like this play an important role in fostering a culture of care, empathy, and inclusiveness across all sectors.”
This collaboration enabled a customised curriculum that incorporates experiences and insights derived from past real-life cases encountered at the bank's branches, tailoring the content to complement its existing SPOT framework, where branch staff are trained to 'Sense, Probe, Observe, and Take action' – halting suspicious transactions and reporting them to the bank’s internal investigation teams and authorities such as the Police.
With NTUC LHUB's guidance, the programme has been further enhanced with structured, scenario-based learning modules that incorporate role-play exercises and interactive simulations closely reflecting actual customer service situations.
“Familial financial abuse is an area that is of growing concern for us. Victims often have close relationships with their abusers, making it challenging for branch staff to intervene, said Michelle Choong, Deputy Branch Manager at UOB PLQ Branch, who has seen such cases firsthand.
"This training emphasises the need to stay alert, act carefully, and protect customers while respecting their independence – especially when there are signs of manipulation or unusual account activity."
“After graduating from this training programme, I hope to share the knowledge and skills I’ve learnt with my branch colleagues, so we are better able to protect our customers from this very distressing circumstance.”
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