THE plunging stock market has done the once unthinkable and made DBS Group Holdings the smallest of the three local banks by market value.

Falling share prices last week have wiped an astonishing $2.76 billion off DBS' market value while yesterday's modest gains failed to make much impression.

It allowed OCBC Bank to overtake DBS in market value yesterday - the first time this has happened in seven years.

OCBC seeks bigger slice of regional corporate pie

By Grace Ng

OCBC's corporate banking unit sees opportunities to grab new business despite the economic gloom.

While the bank expects corporate loans growth to slow this quarter and weaken further next year, it is still set on growing its market share and customer base in Singapore, Malaysia and Greater China.

OCBC expects 'to get new business during this time...from foreign banks which had been active in the past but are not able to now due to the stressful situations they are in', said Mr Samuel Tsien, head of OCBC global corporate bank, yesterday.

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