OCBC has unveiled what it says is the first AI-native bank mobile app in Southeast Asia, featuring two AI avatars that offer customers hyper-personalised wealth management advice in real time, 24/7.

The app, called OCBC WoW — short for "Whole-of-Wealth" — was launched on Jul. 1, and marks a new customer engagement channel for the bank.

The app will, over time, expand its range of products and services beyond wealth management, aiming to become customers' "digital financial companion" integrated into their everyday lives.

Round-the-clock portfolio advice

The two avatars, Wendy and Wayne, interact with customers through voice or text.

They show customers their investment portfolios, and deliver personalised market news and data combined with OCBC Group insights and investment ideas across markets, geographies, currencies, and themes.

The avatars are also designed to anticipate customer needs using what OCBC calls "advanced portfolio intelligence".

This will provide sophisticated portfolio analysis so that customers can better understand their underlying exposures and sources of risk, enabling more informed investment decisions.

OCBC WoW's core draw is five features designed to keep customers returning to the app regularly.

These include real-time curated news and market developments relevant to the customer's portfolio, as well as market price data from seven indices and commodities, with plans to expand this to 12 over time.

The avatars will also offer personalised OCBC Group insights and house views along with their implications for the customer's portfolio, track how the portfolio is impacted by market developments, and surface actionable investment ideas based on the customer's profile and risk appetite.

Beta version

OCBC WoW is currently in its beta phase, and is being rolled out on an invitation-only basis to a group of employees and customers.

For now, the beta is limited to Singapore, though a spokesperson said the plan is to progressively expand regionally as language capabilities are developed.

The avatars are also unable to independently execute complex transactions or provide financial advice for now.

A spokesperson explained that the avatars' investment recommendations are drawn exclusively from OCBC's in-house research, which they described as "a restricted database".

For more complex products or transactions, customers are still directed to their human Relationship Manager (RM), subject to existing regulatory and suitability checks.

This division of labour is also behind OCBC's plans to hire 600 more RMs over the next three years, even as it leans further into AI.

With the avatars fielding simpler queries and surfacing customer needs upfront, RMs are expected to engage their full customer base more meaningfully, focusing their time on the more complex conversations customers still prefer to have with a human.

A 29-year-old man in Singapore was charged with allegedly shaking his five-month-old son repeatedly.

He was charged on Jun. 30, The Straits Times reported.

The man’s identity was not disclosed as a gag order was imposed to protect the boy’s identity.

The incident reportedly occurred in a Hougang flat at about 12:30pm on May 14, 2024.

The reasons for his alleged actions were undisclosed.

The boy’s current condition was also not revealed.

The case was adjourned to Jul. 27.

For ill-treating a child, an offender can be liable to a jail term of up to eight years, a fine of up to S$8,000, or both.

A 42-year-old man fell through the roof of a walkway shelter on Jun. 29 at Block 107 Yishun Ring Road.

He was conveyed unconscious to the hospital, where he subsequently died.

Responding to media queries, the Singapore Police Force said that it was alerted to a case of fall from height at about 5:30am.

Based on preliminary investigations, no foul play is suspected.

Police investigations are ongoing.

One eyewitness told Shin Min Daily News that she heard a loud crash at about 5am that morning.

She had thought that the sound came from the nearby construction site.

Her friend later passed by the incident scene and observed police presence. The friend was also informed that the lift was temporarily unavailable for use.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)

National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Centre for Domestic Employees: 1800 225 5233 (24 hours)

Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training: 1800 339 4357 (24 hours)

HOME: 1800 797 7977 or +65 9787 3122 (WhatsApp / Viber / SMS)

A Mothership reader was halfway through her meal when she found an unexpected ingredient in her fried rice: a dead lizard.

The reader, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had ordered the fried rice from a Wok Hey outlet at Tampines One on Jun. 28.

She had already eaten three mouthfuls of the fried rice before she allegedly found the lizard.

In response to Mothership's queries, Wok Hey said it has conducted a review of its outlet, but that its pest control vendor found "no sign of lizard activity at the outlet".

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said separately that it is aware of the matter and is looking into it.

Staff offered 2 complimentary meals in return

According to the reader, she ordered the S$7.30 egg fried rice with chicken on Jun. 28 at 4:51pm through the Wok Hey platform.

The reader said she threw away the meal after the alleged discovery and informed Wok Hey's customer service staff.

She was offered two complimentary meals but declined.

"I didn’t accept the complimentary meal; I asked for the refund of my S$7.30 instead because I will not want to eat there again."

She also filed a report with the SFA.

The reader added: "Retail line is not easy. The staff might be working for over 10 hours."

"The management or manager should do spot check at the premises."

Wok Hey says 'no sign of lizard activity' at outlet

A spokesperson from Wok Hey said after receiving the customer's feedback, it conducted a review of the premises, including a check of its CCTV footage.

"Based on our findings to date, the meal was freshly prepared and left our outlet in line with our food safety and operational standards," the company said.

"Our pest control vendor identified the lizard as a common house lizard, and their report found no sign of lizard activity at the outlet."

The spokesperson said it had issued the customer a full refund "as a gesture of goodwill".

"While our findings to date do not support the claim that the house lizard originated from our outlet, we would appreciate the time to complete our review before conclusions are drawn," it said.

It has also reached out to the customer for more information on how the food was stored and consumed.

The review is still ongoing.

SFA's response

In response to Mothership's queries, SFA said it takes a serious view of food safety.

It is looking into the matter and may engage the feedback provider for more information as part of the enquiry, said the spokesperson.

If sufficient evidence is obtained, it "will not hesitate to take enforcement action".

SFA added that food safety is a joint responsibility, and while SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices.

Members of the public who have concerns about food safety practices by food operators should report them to SFA via the online feedback form.

A 36-year-old doctor who was among 49 men arrested during a police raid at a Sentosa hotel in August 2023 was found guilty of consuming MDMA or ecstasy.

Earlier reports stated that Rayson Lee Rui Sheng had been caught at a villa at the Sofitel Singapore Sentosa hotel, where a party was held.

The Straits Times (ST) reported that on Jun. 30, 2026, Lee and his 29-year-old acquaintance, Tan Li Ming, had each been convicted of one count of drug consumption.

Accounts during trial not credible: Judge

Charge sheets and court documents seen by Mothership stated that their urine and hair samples showed traces of MDMA and ketamine.

Though they contested the charges and claimed their drinks at the party had been spiked, the district judge noted that they continued to take more drinks.

Their accounts during the trial were not credible, ST reported that the judge found, adding that there was prior drug use based on their hair samples.

"Neither man was a stranger to drug use," said the judge.

Consumed drugs at villa

Court documents stated that sometime between 8pm on Aug. 8, 2023 and the early hours of Aug. 9, 2023, Lee and Tan attended the party where they each consumed various drinks.

The party saw a total of 49 men aged between 21 and 46 in attendance.

At about 5:39am on Aug. 9, 2023, police raided the location after receiving information of drug-related activity taking place there.

Lee and Tan were then arrested on the same day, along with others who attended the party.

Police also found substances believed to be controlled drugs including Ecstasy and ketamine, as well as drug paraphernalia, after which the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) was called to the scene.

Trial strategy

After Lee and Tan provided their hair and urine samples to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for analysis, HSA found traces of MDMA in their urine samples.

They were also found to have consumed both Ecstasy and ketamine based on their hair samples.

ST reported that while Lee and Tan did not dispute HSA's findings, they claimed their drinks were spiked.

Noting that the pair did not have credible evidence to back up their claims, the deputy public prosecutors (DPPs) said their trial strategy involved introducing various hypothetical scenarios and unexplored possibilities.

This included claims about unidentified foreign nationals who allegedly mixed drinks but were never arrested, and assertions that police failed to seize "plastic silver cups" that might have contained drug residue.

"These contentions amount to bare allegations that serve more as distractions than substantive evidence," said the DPPs.

"Critically, they have produced no credible evidence identifying any specific individual who allegedly spiked their drinks," the DPPs added.

"Even accepting their case at its highest – that cups, if seized, might have tested positive for drugs – this would merely confirm that they consumed drug-laced beverages, not that such consumption was unknowing."

Lee's claims

Court documents stated that during the trial, Lee claimed he was at the villa attending his acquaintance's birthday party.

After arriving on the night of Aug. 8, 2023, and mingling with friends, he left to visit a club in Clarke Quay and was introduced to Tan there.

Both men then returned to the villa separately in the wee hours of Aug. 9, where Lee "found the villa markedly different from how he had left it — it was darker, substantially more crowded, and filled with a lot of people he did not recognise".

In addition to claiming he consumed three drinks from strangers at the villa, Lee claimed that while at the party, he did not see pills or drug paraphernalia, or anyone consuming drugs.

Tan's claims

Court documents stated that Tan claimed to have seen a group of four to five unknown men in the pantry area.

They were supposedly drawing liquid from a bottle with a syringe and injecting the mixture into some plastic cups.

Tan claimed that he saw white residue at the bottom after drinking from a cup.

The DPPs said: "He then approached an unidentified person and asked what was being syringed into the drinks.

"That person told him it was 'G-water' that would give him a 'drunk feeling'. Tan claimed that he did not know what 'G-water' was."

Most generic, unhelpful descriptions: DPPs

Lee also said at trial that while he was in Thailand in June 2023, he had "popped a pill", given to him by a stranger, on two occasions.

According to the DPPs, if Lee and Tan had truly been victims of spiked drinks, they should have been able to provide at least some concrete details about their alleged perpetrators.

The pair, however, had provided "only the most generic and unhelpful descriptions", the DPPs said, adding that this included vague physical characteristics that could apply to numerous individuals.

In arguing that they had shown a lack of remorse, one DPP urged the court to sentence each of them to up to a year and three months' jail.

They are set to be sentenced on Aug. 12, 2026, ST reported, adding that Tan's application to travel to Spain and France for work from Jul. 5 to Jul. 26 has been approved by the court.

A petrol station in Kluang, Johor, has drawn online backlash after publicly posting a customer's car photo, licence plate number and appearance on social media to track him down for payment.

This follows a staff error that caused his tank to be filled up more than he had asked for.

According to Sin Chew Daily News, a Threads post by the petrol station employee had accidentally set the fuel pump to "full tank" mode before serving the customer, resulting in a full tank being dispensed when the customer had not requested one.

The customer left without paying the full amount. The station then took to social media, posting the car's photo, licence plate and the customer's appearance, and asked him to return to settle the outstanding payment.

Netizens say the station should absorb the cost

The post drew criticism from many netizens, who argued that the station had no business making the mistake public.

One netizen wrote:

“The petrol station worker made the mistake, so why does the customer have to pay?"

Another commenter, who said they had worked at a petrol station before, noted that staff are usually the ones who end up absorbing such losses, adding that extra change left behind by customers who do not collect it typically accumulates over time and is used to cover any shortfalls.

Customer may not have known

Some netizens also raised the possibility that the customer had left without realising his tank had been topped up in full, Sin Chew reported.

Under Malaysia's RON 95 fuel subsidy scheme, BUDI 95, it can be difficult for customers to distinguish between the actual amount paid and the subsidised portion, making it harder to notice any discrepancy at the pump.

A 38-year-old man was arrested for his suspected involvement in voluntarily causing hurt to a 37-year-old man with dangerous weapons.

On Jun. 30 at about 7:36pm, the police received a call for assistance at Tampines Street 81.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the 37-year-old was shot with an airsoft gun, sustaining injuries to his ear and forehead.

Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of police and surveillance camera footage, officers from Bedok Police Division established the identity of the man who allegedly fired the airsoft gun.

He was subsequently arrested later that same day.

Officers discovered a substantial cache of weapons and prohibited items in the man’s unit.

Several airsoft guns and ammunition, a knuckle duster, a suspected stun device and an assortment of airsoft gun parts were seized.

The man will be charged on Jul. 1 with the offence of voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means.

Offenders are liable to a jail term of up to seven years, with caning or fine.

He is also potentially facing additional charges under the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021 and the Penal Code 1871.

A 40-year-old male Chinese national was arrested on Jun. 22 after he was found transporting 1,188 bottles of duty-unpaid liquor.

The total duty and Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaded amounted to about S$75,835.

The man was charged in court on Jun. 24, and court proceedings are currently ongoing.

What happened

According to a Singapore Customs media release, officers acted on a tip-off and conducted an enforcement operation in the vicinity of Kaki Bukit Crescent.

During the operation, officers observed the man unloading brown boxes from a Singapore-registered lorry onto a trolley and transporting them into a storage room in a self-storage facility.

There, they found 396 bottles of duty-unpaid liquor in the lorry and 792 bottles of duty-unpaid liquor in the storage room.

The man was then arrested and the liquor and lorry seized.

Investigations revealed that the man had allegedly started a job storing and delivering duty-unpaid liquor via a social messaging platform.

Penalties

Buying, selling, conveying, delivering, storing, keeping, possessing, or dealing in duty-unpaid liquor are serious offences under the Customs Act and the GST Act.

Offenders can be fined up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and jailed for up to two years, or both.

Vehicles used in committing such offences are also subject to forfeiture.

Members of the public with information on smuggling activities, duty or GST evasion can report it to Singapore Customs via their online portal at https://go.gov.sg/reportcustomsoffence.

HDB resale prices decreased by 0.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, compared to that of the first quarter.

This is according to a flash estimate released by the Housing Development Board (HDB) on Jul. 1.

This is the second consecutive quarter in which HDB resale prices dipped, following a 0.1 per cent drop last quarter.

0.3 per cent dip in prices

Here's how the Resale Price Index (RPI) compares between quarters in the past year.

There was also a drop in resale volume in Q2 2026, with 6,268 transactions as of Jun. 29, HDB said.

This is 10.2 per cent lower than the 6,981 transactions recorded in the same period last year.

Here's how the price index of HDB resale flats has moved since the first quarter of 2009.

What is the Resale Price Index (RPI)?

RPI tracks the overall movement of the public housing market, using the first quarter of 2009 as the baseline of 100.

It is calculated using resale transactions registered across all towns, flat types and models.

Hence, if the index increases from 100 to 108 in one year, HDB resale prices would increase by 8 per cent that year.

7,960 flats to be launched in October 2026

In terms of upcoming flat supply, HDB noted that about 7,960 new flats will be launched in October 2026.

These flats will be in Bedok, Geylang, Sembawang, Tengah, Toa Payoh and Yishun.

Community Care Apartments will also be offered in Toa Payoh.

More details will be shared during the sales exercise, HDB said.

A 63-year-old man was handed life imprisonment for the murder of his co-tenant in 2023.

Ng Boon Hong, then 59, was accused of stabbing the victim to death in their shared one-room flat at Block 90, Redhill Close, sometime between 11pm on Mar. 15, 2023 and Mar. 16, 2023.

He was convicted on charges of murder on Jul. 1, when he appeared in court from remand.

Incident

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Ng and the deceased, 61-year-old Ang Cheng Kek, had shared a one-room rental flat since Dec. 28, 2022.

The unit was equipped with a wireless alert alarm system, a distress button which seniors living in public rental flats could use to call for help in emergencies.

Both men were unemployed at the time of the incident.

As a result of the small shared space, the pair had a history of disputes.

On one occasion, Ang lodged a police report claiming that Ng had threatened to kill him after he refused to lend money to the accused.

Ang also caused Ng inconveniences whenever he brought his girlfriend to the unit, which would require Ng to leave.

Murder

At about 11pm on Mar. 15, 2023, Ng became upset after Ang's act of slamming the front door woke him from his sleep, prompting an argument.

After Ng was unable to fall back asleep past midnight, he became frustrated and decided to kill Ang.

He planned to do so at around 2am, believing his neighbours would be asleep and unlikely to hear any noise.

However, he wanted to inflict pain on Ang to prevent him from dying "easily" and decided to inflict pain by pouring boiling oil on him before stabbing him to death.

As he heated a pot of cooking oil over the stove, he also added bits of blackened chilli into it as he believed doing so would inflict greater pain.

Ng took care to shut the windows in the unit so that neighbours would not be alerted to any noise.

He also checked that the lights in the neighbouring units upstairs and downstairs were switched off to confirm that they were asleep.

After the oil was boiled at about 2:10am, he then picked up an 18cm knife that had been recently sharpened and approached Ang, who was sleeping with his blanket over his head.

When Ng poured the oil on Ang's face, the latter woke up immediately and stood on the bed.

Ng then stabbed him in the stomach twice, partially disembowelling him.

Ang attempted to grab Ng's hand and asked in Hokkien, "Why do this?"

Bleeding profusely, he then approached the main door before squatting down.

Ng was concerned that Ang would press the distress button and stood in front of it to block him.

After Ang repeatedly asked Ng to call an ambulance, Ng became offended as he perceived it as an insinuation that Ang thought he was foolish enough to call for help, which would likely lead to his arrest.

He then slashed the knife across Ang's neck, face, back and stomach repeatedly, even after Ang collapsed to a kneeling position.

At one point, he also stabbed Ang in the mouth after the latter slipped on his own blood.

After Ang fell to the ground and became motionless, Ng called out to him and knew he was dead after he did not receive a response.

Confessed his crime

Following the attack, Ng took Ang's bedsheet and spread it across the floor as a makeshift passage over the bloodstains.

He then found S$3,001.50 in cash belonging to Ang and pocketed it.

After placing the knife in the sink and washing his hands, he also took a shower and changed his clothes.

Before leaving the house at 2:31am, he threw Ang's phone into a water-filled fish tank to disable it and prevent Ang's acquaintances from reaching him.

Ng took a taxi to a 24-hour coffeeshop in Ang Mo Kio, where he stayed until dawn.

He then took a bus to a temple in Bencoolen Street and confessed to the Goddess of Mercy that he had killed Ang, then vowed to surrender to the police after spending all his money.

Next, he took a bus to Geylang, where he spent his money on beer, expensive food, and tips for Vietnamese women for entertainment.

He then checked into a nearby hotel with a Vietnamese woman, where he drank heavily before falling asleep.

At about 8am on Mar. 17, 2023, Ng checked out of the hotel and took a bus to Chinatown for breakfast before surrendering to the police at Bukit Merah East Neighbourhood Police Centre.

He was arrested, charged in court on Mar. 18, 2023, and has remained in remand since.

Verdict

An autopsy found 35 wounds on Ang's body, including 24 caused by a sharp object and 11 burns, bruises and abrasions.

The cause of death was identified as multiple stab injuries to the abdomen.

While the hot oil caused sharp pain, it was found to have not played a role in Ang's death.

Ng was assessed by psychiatrists and was cleared of any mental or intellectual disabilities, despite functioning in the borderline range of intellectual activity.

He also did not suffer from any mental disorder and was not of unsound mind at the time of the offence, which implied he was aware of the nature and wrongfulness of his actions.

On Jul. 1, Ng appeared in court in a purple jumpsuit and was communicated with via a Hokkien translator, where he did not contest any of the charges.

Ng's lawyer sought life imprisonment, to which the prosecution did not object.

The judge said that he took into account factors pertaining to the case, including Ng's age and intelligence level, and the fact that the killing took place in the context of ongoing disputes between Ng and Ang.

Citing remorse shown by Ng through his own surrendering to the police and confession to the Goddess of Mercy, he handed Ng life imprisonment, backdated to the date of his arrest on Mar. 17, 2023.