SUNDAY banking appears to have caught on in Singapore with OCBC doubling its number of branches that offer full service banking on that day.

Family outing: OCBC's Sunday banking is drawing more inquiries on financial planning for the family

Since OCBC started its Sunday banking last November at five branches, it has served about 55,000 customers or about 1,800 each Sunday.

Encouraged, OCBC is considering introducing Sunday banking to its overseas branches. It plans to start offering it at selected OCBC branches in Malaysia in six months' time, Andrew Lee, OCBC head of group consumer financial services, told BT.

Yesterday, OCBC announced the opening of five more branches for full-service Sunday banking. They are at Bedok Central, Causeway Point, HarbourFront and Marine Parade Central. The fifth at AMK Hub will start from early July. All Sunday banking branches will operate from 11am to 7pm. This takes the number open for Sunday banking to 10 or almost 20 per cent of the 60 OCBC branches in Singapore.

The bank said that it would further increase the number of branches open for Sunday banking by year-end if customer response continues to be good.

Phang Lah Hwa, OCBC head of branch banking, group consumer financial services, said: 'Sunday banking is catching on with our customers, evident in the increase in number of transactions on Sunday.

'More people are stopping by to inquire on financial planning and investment opportunities for the family.'

To make Sunday banking a new banking experience, OCBC organises various activities like Internet security talks and story-telling for kids with free coffee, tea and newspapers to boot.

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