Amid the uncertainties of the Great Depression, a group of seven businessmen led by Datuk Wee Kheng Chiang (first row, centre) founded a bank to serve the merchant community in Singapore.

United Chinese Bank (UCB) is incorporated

UCB begins operations at Bonham Building

Opens 1^st UCB branch at Beach Road

1^st bank to focus on women as customers

UCB is renamed United Overseas Bank

Acquires majority stake in Chung Khiaw Bank (CKB) in Singapore

Opens Tokyo branch

Reveals iconic five-bar logo

Acquires Lee Wah Bank in Singapore

Dr Wee Cho Yaw succeeds Datuk Wee as Chairman and CEO

Begins operating from the new 30-storey building which stood on the same site as Bonham Building (the current UOB Plaza 2)

Opens London branch

Opens New York agency

Introduces Singapore’s 1^st ATM offering 24-hour banking

Opens Los Angeles agency

Holds inaugural UOB Painting of the Year (POY) competition

Opens Seoul representative office

Opens Beijing representative office

Acquires majority interest in Far Eastern Bank in Singapore

Expands into Sydney and Xiamen

Expands into Vancouver

Acquires majority interest in Industrial & Commercial Bank in Singapore

1^st Singapore bank to launch Visa cards

1^st bank to launch Singapore’s only
credit card for women

1^st Singapore bank to set up representative office in Vietnam

Opens Taipei representative office

1^st bank in Singapore to launch automated cash deposit machine

Expands into Yangon

Celebrates 60^th anniversary and official opening of UOB Plaza 1

UOB Malaysia merges with CKB Malaysia

Opens Shanghai branch

Acquires Westmont Bank in the Philippines

Acquires Radanasin Bank in Thailand

Mr Wee Ee Cheong is appointed Deputy Chairman

Acquires Overseas Union Bank in Singapore

Acquires 96.1% in Bank of Asia Public Company in Thailand

Increases controlling stake of PT Bank Buana in Indonesia to 61.1%

Mr Wee Ee Cheong succeeds Dr Wee Cho Yaw as CEO

Launches 1^st UOB Heartbeat Run/Walk

Opens Mumbai branch

Merges PT Bank UOB Indonesia with PT Bank UOB Buana

1^st bank in Singapore to establish a Foreign Direct Investment Advisory Unit to support our clients’ regional expansion

Dr Wee Cho Yaw becomes Chairman Emeritus and Adviser

Named Most Admired ASEAN Enterprise for ASEAN Centricity by ASEAN Business Advisory Council

Celebrates 80^th anniversary, introduces refreshed logo and a corporate seal

1^st in the world to launch instant digital card issuance

1^st in Southeast Asia to enable smartphones for contactless transactions at UOB ATMs

Launches UOB Art in Ink Awards in Hong Kong

1^st Singapore bank to establish a subsidiary in Vietnam

Officially opens new China head office building in Shanghai’s Lujiazui Financial District

Launches TMRW, ASEAN’s first mobile-only digital bank, in Thailand

Expands into Hanoi, northern Vietnam

Launches U-Solar, Asia’s first solar ecosystem to power the region’s development and adoption of renewable energy

Supports more than 1.4 million individuals and businesses, and contributes more than $2.7 million for the community under the #UnitedForYou COVID-19 Relief Programme

Donates more than one million pieces of personal protective equipment to healthcare workers and vulnerable communities around the world

Extends TMRW to Indonesia

Launches UOB Infinity, a new digital banking experience for businesses

Launches UOB TMRW, a unified digital banking platform, and UOB Rewards+, Singapore’s largest cards rewards programme

Rolls out U-Energy, the first integrated financing platform for energy-efficient projects in Asia, across four markets

Celebrates 40^th milestone of UOB POY competition

Acquires Citigroup’s consumer banking business in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam

Commences Operational Day One for the acquisition of Citigroup's consumer banking business in UOB Malaysia and Indonesia