DBS to introduce 12-hour waiting time to increase transfer limits, add new payees

DBS will introduce a new 12-hour cooling period for selected digital banking transactions, as part of increased security measures to protect users from scams.

The 12-hour waiting time, which will kick in on Mar. 7, will apply to users who want to increase their daily local and overseas transfer limits, as well as those who want to add a new transfer recipient.

It will also apply to updating contact details such as email addresses and mobile numbers.

In an email to customers on Feb. 20, the bank said that the new cooling period would allow more time to "detect and stop unauthorised activity" on users' accounts.

For instance, if a scammer attempts to increase your transfer limits, it will not go through until the 12-hour cooling period is over.

During this time, alerts will be sent to the bank-registered contact so that the request can be reviewed and reported immediately if suspicious.

Currently, a 12-hour cooling period applies for setting up new digital tokens.

Moving forward

In its email, DBS advised customers to pre-plan transfers at least a day in advance, to accommodate the new cooling period.

Customers should also regularly review transfer limits and keep them low to minimise losses in case of unauthorised access.

Over the past few years, banks in Singapore have rolled out a slew of new security measures in the face of rising scams.

In October 2025, major retail banks in Singapore, including DBS, OCBC, and UOB, announced that they would hold or reject transfers from some bank accounts if over half of the total funds are withdrawn over 24 hours.

OCBC and UOB also previously implemented similar cooling periods for their internet banking and digital app users.

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