Reclaim Finance tracks the coal, oil and gas policies of financial institutions, including banks, in the Coal Policy Tracker and Oil and Gas Policy Tool. Find further details on their assessment of DBS fossil fuel policy below.

BankTrack assessed DBS in its 2022 Human Rights Benchmark Asia, where it achieved 3 points out of 14 and was ranked as a 'laggard'. More information is detailed in the "Accountability" section of this profile.

DBS’s policies for forest-risk sectors (beef, soy, palm oil, pulp and paper, rubber and timber) have been assessed by the Forests & Finance coalition, achieving an overall score of 5 out of 10 and ranking it as a front runner. DBS achieved a score of 0 out of 10 specifically for its policies related to the beef sector and 6.2 out of 10 for its policies related to the palm oil sector. In addition, BankTrack and the Environmental Paper Network have assessed DBS’s policies related to the pulp and paper sector.

Between 2016 and 2022, DBS provided USD 4,151 in credit to companies operating in these forest-risk sectors and held investments amounting to USD 105 as of 2022. For more information, see the links below.

DBS is a member of the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) and has therefore committed to reduce its financed emissions to net zero by 2050; within 18 months of joining the alliance set interim targets for 2030 (or sooner) for high emission priority sectors, and within 36 months set further sector targets; set new intermediary targets every 5 years from 2030 onwards; annually publish data on emissions and progress against a transition strategy including climate-related sectoral policies; and take a robust approach to the role of offsets in transition plans. BankTrack track's implementation of these commitments in the NZBA compliance tracker.

BankTrack is keeping track of the public response of DBS to Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. DBS did not publicly condemn the war. DBS is scaling back with its operations in Russia. We consider its exposure to Russia as limited. For further details, see the table linked below.