Wee Cho Yaw, the billionaire who shaped Singapore’s financial landscape by amalgamating several old family-controlled banks, has died. He was 95.
The former chairman of United Overseas Bank (UOB) died on Saturday, according to a spokesperson for the lender. His funeral will be held on Feb 9, the bank said separately.
Wee was one of last of the generation of bankers born before World War II who came to dominate Singapore’s financial system after the country gained independence from Britain in the 1960s. He spearheaded the acquisition of banks across Southeast Asia to form UOB, one of the region’s largest lenders, after his father co-founded its predecessor in 1935.
He amassed a net worth of $10.4 billion as of February 2024, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
“My father has left an indelible mark in Singapore and the region,” Wee…
