OCBC has announced the rollout of in-app call functionality for its digital banking applications, aiming to improve customer convenience and strengthen anti-fraud measures. The new feature allows customers to contact the bank’s call center directly through the OCBC app, reducing dependence on traditional security questions and SMS One-Time Passwords (OTPs).
The service is being introduced progressively to retail banking customers from November 2025, following an earlier launch for business banking users in June 2025 via the OCBC Business app. In-app calls will not incur International Direct Dialling charges, which is expected to benefit customers seeking urgent assistance while traveling abroad.
According to OCBC, over 8,000 calls are made each month by business and retail customers from overseas. The bank highlighted that in-app calls can help prevent impersonation fraud, as security questions and SMS OTPs have become more vulnerable due to advances in technology and social engineering tactics used by scammers. As personal information becomes easier to obtain online, the effectiveness of these traditional verification methods is diminishing.
To address these risks, OCBC’s in-app calls are conducted within a secure environment requiring users to log in with biometrics or access credentials along with two-factor authentication using digital or hard tokens. Security questions will still be used if a customer requests high-risk transactions during an in-app call.
The bank also plans to introduce outbound in-app calls beginning in the first half of 2026. These will be made by OCBC’s contact centers and anti-fraud teams to both retail and business banking customers. The bank states that since these calls originate within the secure app environment, they are much harder for scammers to imitate, helping customers distinguish genuine communications from fraudulent ones.
Impersonation scams remain a significant issue in Singapore; cases rose sharply to 1,762 incidents in the first half of 2025 compared with a year earlier.
Sunny Quek, Head of Global Consumer Financial Services at OCBC, said: "Calls remain a vital channel of communication between banks and customers, especially in urgent situations. Yet, we recognise that trust in phone calls has eroded. This is perfectly understandable as scam calls have become common, and their tactics have become more sophisticated. In-app calling capabilities are therefore powerful as it helps restore confidence by ensuring that calls happen in a secure, authenticated space. It is also intuitive and more convenient for customers to make calls from within the app.”
Melvyn Low, Head of Global Transaction Banking at OCBC added: “With in-app calls, we're making it safer and easier for businesses to connect with us. This adds another layer of security to our digital banking experience. It not only helps safeguard against fraud and scams, but also empowers our customers to focus on what matters most: running and growing their business, and managing their banking needs and transactions with peace of mind."