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Elderly man in S'pore faints while queuing for new CNY notes before opening hours
For this period, banks have implemented a number measures to assist its elderly patrons.
Hannah Martens
February 06, 2026, 06:30 PM
As the Chinese New Year approaches, banks and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) are encouraging the public to adopt e-HongBaos or Fit notes (good quality notes, similar to those from ATMs, that are not new).
To accommodate those who wish to exchange Fit or new notes at bank branches, patrons of DBS, OCBC, and UOB were instructed to pre-book online via the respective banks' official websites or mobile banking applications.
UOB, OCBC, and DBS reported strong customer turnout for exchanging new and Fit notes at their branches, with some banks seeing fully booked reservation slots.Benny Chan, UOB's managing director of group channels and digitalisation, noted that strong demand for new or Fit notes persists, as customers continue the tradition of gifting physical red packets.
An incident
On Feb. 3, customers were seen queuing outside a bank branch in the early morning hours.A Mothership reader at the scene then witnessed an elderly person in the line fainting at around 7:30am.
In photos shared by the reader, the man could be seen sitting on a stool and being supported by others around him.
The man was also assisted by two bank staff, even though it was at least an hour before the bank's opening hours.
The reader added that the man was rushed to a nearby clinic and regained consciousness afterwards.Existing support for older customers
To support older customers, banks have already implemented measures to assist their elderly patrons and those with disabilities.Jean Oh, OCBC's head of branch service and risk management, shared that they have deployed additional front-line staff to their branches to assist customers and provide guidance.
"As Singapore becomes a super-aged society, we have also introduced enhanced measures to better support our senior customers," Oh added.OCBC branches popular with seniors, such as the Toa Payoh branch, will have OCBC CARE Ambassadors who can converse in at least two dialects, enabling them to better communicate with some seniors.
Additional chairs have also been provided at OCBC branches for seniors who may need to rest while waiting.
For DBS, walk-ins for seniors and customers with disabilities are available from Feb 3-16.Additional staff have been deployed to its branches to assist the branch teams with queue management and customer enquiries.
Branch ambassadors are stationed outside selected branches before operating hours to monitor walk-in traffic and issue queue numbers so customers can return later, instead of waiting in line.
Additional seating, tents and fans are also provided at selected high-traffic locations.
Along the same vein, UOB is also doing walk-ins for notes exchange without prior appointment for those 60 and above, as well as persons with disabilities.
It has also dedicated the first hour of its opening to serving the demographic, who may approach branch service personnel for assistance on a first-come-first-serve basis.More than 80 temporary staff across various branches in anticipation of higher customer traffic.
S$50 most popular for e-AngBaos: UOB
Across the three banks, designated ATMs are set up to allow customers to withdraw a limited number of new and Fit notes.
From Feb. 3 to 15, UOB has designated 34 ATMs across 17 locations to dispense new notes, and four ATMs at four locations to dispense Fit notes, Chan noted.Each customer is limited to three withdrawals during the exchange period, and there is a maximum amount and denomination for withdrawals.
For OCBC, Oh said that there are 25 dedicated ATMs across 14 locations for customers to withdraw new or Fit notes.
Meanwhile, DBS has 71 pop-up ATMs across 47 locations from Feb. 3 to 16.Chan noted that despite the demand for notes, there has been a strong and growing interest in UOB's e-HongBaos.
PayNow transaction counts and amounts have steadily risen for the past three years during the fifteen days of Chinese New Year.
This is primarily driven by e-HongBao gifting. Chan added:
Top photos via Mothership reader
