OCBC posts record Q1 profit, makes US$1bil bid to take Great Eastern private

— Bloomberg

SINGAPORE: Singapore's second-largest bank Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) posted on Friday a better-than-expected 5% rise in first-quarter profit and made a S$1.4 billion ($1.04 billion) offer to take its insurer arm Great Eastern private.

OCBC, Great Eastern's biggest shareholder, offered a 37% premium over Great Eastern's last traded shares price to buy the 11.56% stake in the insurer that it does not currently own, valuing the insurer at S$12.12 billon.