OCBC customers aged 60 and above are making more digital payments through the bank’s app, with online shopping and travel leading the growth, the bank said on 30 September. The number of digital payment transactions by seniors rose by close to 60 per cent in the 12 months ending 30 June 2026, while the number of seniors making such payments increased by nearly 30 per cent.
Online shopping and overseas QR payments lead growth
Seniors’ use of PayNow through the OCBC app to pay e-commerce and livestream shopping platforms, such as Shopee and TikTok Shop, was 1.5 times higher than a year earlier.
Overseas QR payments made by seniors through the app’s Scan & Pay feature more than doubled over the same period. China was the most popular destination, accounting for almost 80 per cent by value.
Scan & Pay works in more than 55 destinations, including China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea. It is supported by six cross-border payment networks: Alipay+, DuitNow, PromptPay, QRIS, UnionPay and Weixin Pay.
Ms Tay Chai Hoon, 63, is one of the seniors using these features. She regularly uses PayNow to shop on TikTok Shop for household and kitchen items. Ms Tay said she “was able to make purchases almost everywhere using the OCBC app” when she travelled to China recently.
Digital skills programme for seniors
Since 2022, more than 150,000 seniors have taken part in over 180 workshops and engagement events run by OCBC. The sessions cover basic digital banking skills such as checking account balances, making PayNow transfers and paying merchants by QR code. The efforts were brought together under the OCBC SeniorCare programme in 2025.
The workshops and talks also cover common scam tactics and features such as OCBC Money Lock, which help customers safeguard their savings.
On the app itself, customers can switch between English and Chinese. A Smart Text feature introduced in 2025 lets users choose from seven text sizes, and more than 15,000 seniors have adopted it. OCBC said this addresses a common barrier to mobile banking: difficulty reading text on small phone screens.
“Singapore’s ageing population makes digital inclusion more important than ever. As more services and transactions move online, it is essential that seniors are able to participate with confidence and convenience,” said Ms Susan Tan, Head of Group Segment, Global Consumer Financial Services at OCBC.
“We have been encouraged by the growing number of seniors using digital payments across a wider range of activities, from online shopping to overseas travel. This reinforces the importance of continuing to equip them with the skills, knowledge and tools to navigate the digital world safely.”
