OCBC Bank will progressively make in-app calling available to its retail banking customers, giving them an easier way to reach the bank while reducing exposure to phone-based scams.
The bank expects the capability to be especially valuable to customers who need urgent assistance while abroad, such as in cases of suspected credit-card fraud or account security concerns.
In-app calls will not incur International Direct Dialling (IDD) charges. According to the bank, business and retail banking customers make more than 8,000 calls to the bank each month while overseas.
OCBC is introducing this feature to reduce reliance on traditional security methods such as security questions and SMS one-time passwords (OTPs). These approaches are becoming easier for scammers to exploit, especially as social-engineering tactics improve and personal information becomes more accessible online.
With in-app calls, customers must first log in using biometrics or access credentials, coupled with either digital or hard token provisioning. This two-factor authentication approach ensures that the calls remain protected within the apps’ ecosystem. Security questions will only be used if a customer requests a high-risk transaction during the call.
The feature will also be used for outbound calls to customers by OCBC’s retail and business banking contact centres, as well as its anti-fraud team. The bank targets to begin calling its business customers with the in-app capability from the first half of 2026.
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This additional protection is aimed at curbing impersonation scams, in which scammers pose as bank staff and call victims. Such cases rose to 1,762 in the first half of 2025, almost tripling from a year earlier.
The bank says this is where in-app calling provides a clear advantage. Since outbound calls from OCBC originate within the bank's authenticated app, they are much harder for scammers to mimic, helping customers identify genuine calls from the bank.
"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,” says Sunny Quek, head of Global Consumer Financial Services at OCBC.
Melvyn Low, OCBC’s head of Global Transaction Banking, adds: “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.”
