Oversea-Chinese Banking (OCBC) is reportedly planning to remodel its unprofitable consumer-banking unit in China to boost profits from the mainland.
OCBC Bank (China) CEO Kng Hwee Tin said to Bloomberg: "We are thinking of remodeling it, as in what can we do better given our current footprint and our current investments."
The bank will add new customer segments and products to the consumer-banking operation, she said in an interview to the publication.
The revitalizing drive will require training staff members in the next six to nine months, added Tin.
Foreign banks struggle to earn profit from their retail businesses in China because of lengthy approval processes for new branches that are pitted against the tens of thousands of outlets owned by the nation’s largest banks.
Tin said: "It’s a very difficult business for us, we don’t have the competitive advantage. It’s small and not making money."
Overseas banks hold less than 2% of banking assets in China, the lowest share among emerging markets, according to a 2012 report from the International Monetary Fund.