By Francis Chan

DBS Group Holdings chief executive Richard Stanley has defended the bank's sale of now worthless products linked to bankrupt Lehman Brothers - in his first public comments on the furore.

'DBS would never knowingly do anything that will hurt customers,' Mr Stanley said, speaking at the release of DBS' third-quarter results on Friday.

He said when DBS sold the High Notes 5 product and Constellation Notes in Hong Kong, 'the world was a vastly different place'.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.