OCBC and Citi collaborate to expand securities lending in Asia
28 January 2026 Singapore
Image: OCBC
OCBC Group (OCBC) has leveraged the Citi Securities Lending Access (CSLA) platform to introduce a new securities lending programme.
The programme enables retail and corporate customers of OCBC Securities and clients of its private banking branch, Bank of Singapore, to enhance portfolio returns by lending out their idle securities to institutional borrowers for a fee.
Customers with lent securities will continue to receive dividends, coupon payments, and bonus issues, while retaining full flexibility to sell their securities at any time.
The CSLA platform is a solution that digitises and simplifies the entire securities lending lifecycle, and will provide OCBC access to institutional borrowers such as prime brokers and investment banks globally.
They borrow securities for various strategies, including short selling securities, arbitraging and hedging strategies, which require borrowing to cover their positions.
The programme is now open to OCBC Securities customers, who can currently lend out both US and Hong Kong shares.
The programme will be extended to Bank of Singapore clients in 2026, with Singapore, Hong Kong, US, and Japan shares eligible to be lent out to begin with.
Shares must be custodised with OCBC Securities or Bank of Singapore to be eligible for lending, and once a loan is confirmed, the shares from OCBC Securities or Bank of Singapore are then loaned to an OCBC account, before then being loaned to the borrower.
Mr Kenneth Lai, head of global markets, OCBC, states: 鈥淲e are delighted to be able to collaborate with Citi, leveraging their best-in-class technology and deep expertise in this field, to offer securities lending services to our clients.
鈥淪ecurities lending brings benefits such as higher trading volumes, price discovery and market efficiency. OCBC Securities and Bank of Singapore customers can also now enjoy the benefits of earning additional return on their investment portfolios by choosing to lend their securities.
鈥淭his development marks an important milestone in our journey, and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to delivering innovative solutions and value to our customers.鈥�
Launched in 2021, the CSLA platform provides seamless access to the securities lending market.
Citi鈥檚 collaboration with OCBC marks a notable expansion of CSLA in Asia, bringing its benefits to one of the region's most substantial and varied investor communities.
Mridula Iyer, Asia South head of services at Citi, comments, 鈥淲e are proud to work with a leading Singapore institution like OCBC as we deliver innovative digital solutions that address the evolving needs of the Asian market.
鈥淏ringing the benefits of securities lending to a broader base of market participants is important for Citi, and our support of OCBC is a clear demonstration of our strategy in action.
鈥淏y integrating CSLA, we are creating value for OCBC, introducing a significant new pool of untapped securities to the lending market, and expanding Citi鈥檚 servicing of private and retail assets in securities lending.鈥�
The programme enables retail and corporate customers of OCBC Securities and clients of its private banking branch, Bank of Singapore, to enhance portfolio returns by lending out their idle securities to institutional borrowers for a fee.
Customers with lent securities will continue to receive dividends, coupon payments, and bonus issues, while retaining full flexibility to sell their securities at any time.
The CSLA platform is a solution that digitises and simplifies the entire securities lending lifecycle, and will provide OCBC access to institutional borrowers such as prime brokers and investment banks globally.
They borrow securities for various strategies, including short selling securities, arbitraging and hedging strategies, which require borrowing to cover their positions.
The programme is now open to OCBC Securities customers, who can currently lend out both US and Hong Kong shares.
The programme will be extended to Bank of Singapore clients in 2026, with Singapore, Hong Kong, US, and Japan shares eligible to be lent out to begin with.
Shares must be custodised with OCBC Securities or Bank of Singapore to be eligible for lending, and once a loan is confirmed, the shares from OCBC Securities or Bank of Singapore are then loaned to an OCBC account, before then being loaned to the borrower.
Mr Kenneth Lai, head of global markets, OCBC, states: 鈥淲e are delighted to be able to collaborate with Citi, leveraging their best-in-class technology and deep expertise in this field, to offer securities lending services to our clients.
鈥淪ecurities lending brings benefits such as higher trading volumes, price discovery and market efficiency. OCBC Securities and Bank of Singapore customers can also now enjoy the benefits of earning additional return on their investment portfolios by choosing to lend their securities.
鈥淭his development marks an important milestone in our journey, and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to delivering innovative solutions and value to our customers.鈥�
Launched in 2021, the CSLA platform provides seamless access to the securities lending market.
Citi鈥檚 collaboration with OCBC marks a notable expansion of CSLA in Asia, bringing its benefits to one of the region's most substantial and varied investor communities.
Mridula Iyer, Asia South head of services at Citi, comments, 鈥淲e are proud to work with a leading Singapore institution like OCBC as we deliver innovative digital solutions that address the evolving needs of the Asian market.
鈥淏ringing the benefits of securities lending to a broader base of market participants is important for Citi, and our support of OCBC is a clear demonstration of our strategy in action.
鈥淏y integrating CSLA, we are creating value for OCBC, introducing a significant new pool of untapped securities to the lending market, and expanding Citi鈥檚 servicing of private and retail assets in securities lending.鈥�
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