What OCBC offers Singapore SMEs
OCBC Bank Singapore is one of the three Singapore-anchor universal banks, operating as a full bank licensee under the MAS Banking Act Source: MAS — Banks register ↗ . For SMEs, OCBC publishes four core lending products on its business-banking pages Source: OCBC Business Banking ↗ :
- OCBC Business First Loan — OCBC’s branded route into the EnterpriseSG EFS SME Working Capital Loan scheme.
- OCBC Business Term Loan — multi-purpose term financing for established SMEs.
- OCBC SME Working Capital Loan — the standard EFS-route working-capital product.
- OCBC Business Revolving Short Term Loan — short-tenor revolving facility for trade and bridging cashflow needs.
Headline rates, maximum loan sizes, tenors and fees are set by OCBC and change frequently. Always verify on the OCBC business loans page before relying on any number you read on a comparator (including this one). For an indicative comparison against other SG lenders see our current SG business loan rates page.
How OCBC Business First Loan fits under EFS
The Business First Loan is OCBC’s branded route into the EnterpriseSG Enterprise Financing Scheme SME Working Capital Loan facility Source: EnterpriseSG — EFS ↗ . Under EFS, EnterpriseSG carries part of the default risk so the bank can lend further into the SME tier than it might on its own balance sheet. The headline cap and risk-share follow EFS; OCBC’s specific underwriting criteria sit on top.
OCBC is one of the EFS-participating banks alongside DBS, UOB, Maybank, CIMB, Standard Chartered, RHB and HLF. Compare against other EFS-participating banks before settling on a route — different banks set different underwriting bars on the same EFS product.
Eligibility — what OCBC typically looks for
OCBC does not publish a single consolidated eligibility checklist for SME lending. From the standing EFS criteria and standard SG bank-tier underwriting, applicants should expect to provide:
- ACRA business profile (BizFile) confirming Singapore-registered entity status
- At least 30% local shareholding (EnterpriseSG EFS criterion, not an OCBC-specific one)
- Bank statements (typically past 3–12 months)
- Filed financial statements
- GST returns where applicable
- Notice of Assessment (NOA) for directors
- Personal guarantees from directors
Final eligibility, documentation requirements, and credit decision sit with OCBC’s underwriting team. Existing OCBC business banking relationships often shorten the cycle. Confirm the exact list at application stage.
How to apply
- Read the current product page on ocbc.com/business-banking/loans and pick the right facility.
- Prepare the documentation pack listed above.
- Submit an enquiry through the OCBC business-banking portal or visit a branch. Existing OCBC Velocity business banking customers can route through their relationship manager.
- Underwriting decision typically runs 2–6 weeks depending on documentation completeness and credit complexity.
How OCBC compares to other SG banks
OCBC’s SME lending stack is similar in breadth to DBS’s — both offer the EFS Working Capital route, a multi-purpose term loan, and shorter-tenor revolving / bridging facilities. UOB’s set adds the BizMoney unsecured product but is otherwise comparable. Maybank and CIMB are narrower (Term Loan + Working Capital Loan core). Choice typically comes down to existing banking relationship, response time on enquiry, and the specific facility-pricing on offer at the moment of application.
For side-by-side comparisons against the rest of the SG bank tier and the EFS-participating alt-lender route, see the related links below.
Important disclosures
businessloans.sg is an independent comparator. We are not a licensed moneylender under the Moneylenders Act 2010 and we are not a MAS-licensed financial adviser under the Financial Advisers Act. Any product details on this page are for orientation only — the authoritative source for current OCBC product terms is the OCBC business-banking page Source: OCBC Business Banking ↗ .