Grab-Singtel entity' s plans include lending, insurance, wealth management

 

SINGTEL sees its digital bank bid as a timely push for reinvention by the heavyweight telco in Singapore and the region.

 

That comes as it and Grab are clear on the gravity weighing on their digital banking venture, said Arthur Lang, chief executive officer of Singtel' s international business.

 

" It' s not an experiment, this is the real deal," he told The Business Times in an interview.

 

Just two digital full-bank licences are up for grabs in Singapore - unlike in Hong Kong or the UK - with results expected soon. If awarded, the Grab-Singtel digital bank will lend a boost to a business that needs to " consistently change and transform" .

 

" There' s always the risk that our telco business will be commoditised and, as a result, lose traction and customer engagement," said Mr Lang.

 

The Grab-Singtel entity aims to address the underserved market in Singapore and in the wider region. There are plans for deposit-taking at the initial stage and subsequently move into lending, insurance and wealth management, among others.

 

Though widely seen as a strong contender among the other digital bank applicants, Mr Lang told BT it will be a tough wrestle for market share in Singapore' s banking scene.

 

" We are going in with our eyes wide open. Local and foreign banks here are on top of their game."

 

That being said, Singtel has always had its eye on diversifying into financial services, even before the neobank movement took off.

 

The telco, reportedly due to invest some S$600 million in the digital bank, was among the first in Asia to launch a mobile wallet six years ago. But it was executed from a " telco perspective" with a primary focus on prepaid card top-ups, said Mr Lang.

 

Still, the adoption of mobile wallets has risen, as Covid-19 prompted more consumers to turn to contactless, digital services.

 

In June, the group rolled out Dash EasyEarn, an insurance savings plan that offers users of Dash - Singtel' s mobile wallet platform - a guaranteed 1.8 per cent return for the first year, and 1.5 per cent subsequently.

 

Launched in partnership with insurer Etiqa, the product soaked up S$100 million in assets under management in just three months from launch. More than 30 per cent of EasyEarn customers are new to Dash.

 

" That gave us a lot of confidence going into digital banking," said Mr Lang. " Getting the digital bank licence will enable us to do these things more quickly and easily."

 

Dash' s transaction value for the half-year tripled to about S$500 million from a year ago, driven by mobile remittances.

 

Demand mainly came from foreign workers, who now contribute about 75 per cent of Dash' s overall revenue. Mr Lang is expecting this contribution figure to come down to about half over time, as Singtel expands its range of services to tap the larger Singaporean crowd.

 

" We do see financial services taking up more and more of our revenue, rather than remittances, over time," he told BT.

 

As the use of mobile wallets continues to soar, Singtel has been actively ramping up its Dash platform to include more financial products as well as broadening its merchant network and remittance corridors.

 

Some of these plans were accelerated during lockdown earlier this year amid overwhelming demand for mobile services, said Mr Lang.

 

While he did not rule out the possibility of a new Grab-Singtel wallet for the digital bank, he told BT that both firms will work to keep their respective wallets, which already have a significant customer base.

 

Singtel' s Dash has more than 1.1 million users and more than 70,000 merchant bases. About three quarters of Grab users in Singapore use GrabPay it is the most consistently used e-payments app in the Republic since late 2017.

 

" Both wallets are really just a means to a channel to allow for more daily usage among our (digital bank) customers," said Mr Lang.

 

The union of a 140-year-old telco heavyweight and ride-hailing unicorn was largely underpinned by the " ecosystem mentality" of both players, despite inherent differences in culture and operations.

 

" We would both rather take a smaller stake in a bigger pie and let the pie grow, than take a majority stake but the pie doesn' t grow," said Mr Lang.

 

Singtel and Grab have each built up a sizeable network of strategic partners and customers in Asia.

 

Grab counts international hotel chain Marriott and insurer Chubb as its partners, to name a few, and has a fleet of more than 2.8 million active drivers and 187 million users.

 

Singtel, with over 700 million customers, has several regional telco associates, including Globe Telecom in the Phillippines' and Thailand' s Advanced Info Service.

 

" We' re not starting from ground zero. We know our customers. Grab knows their customers," said Mr Lang. " Because we have these existing relationships, customer acquisition costs (for the digital bank) will go down."

 

Both players can also tap their wealth of consumer data to offer more targeted and differentiated banking services.

 

Grab and Singtel are involved in their customers' everyday lives in many ways, from commute and food delivery to insurance and telco-related needs. Data derived from such activities will help the digital bank to better predict customers' immediate banking needs.

 

With interest rates likely to remain low amid the sluggish economy, customer engagement will be a key focus in building up loyalty. This is where existing rewards and cashback programmes will also come into play, said Mr Lang.

 

GrabRewards is now the largest loyalty programme in South-east Asia. Dash' s latest rewards scheme features vouchers from over 70 popular brands. Redemptions also include Singtel services such as prepaid credits and mobile data.

 

With Singtel&rsquo s Indian associate Bharti Airtel&rsquo s growth plans back on track, and especially the lack of provisions during this period, the group is finally back in the black. Analysts are generally all smiles on the group&rsquo s positive 1HFY2021 results.

 

Singtel reversed into profitability in its latest 1HFY2021 results, with earnings of $466.1 million from a loss of $127.9 million a year ago.   This came on the back of a 10.2% fall in revenue to $7.4 billion from $8.3 billion a year ago, mainly due to lower contribution from its Australian business, Optus.

 

The board has declared an interim dividend of 5.1 cents per share, payable on Jan 15, 2021. This is lower than that of 6.8 cents interim dividend paid out in the same period a year ago. It has also approved the adoption of a scrip dividend scheme and the application of this scheme to the interim dividend.

See: Singtel is back in the black in 1H with earnings of $466.1 mil

RHB Group Research and CGS-CIMB are keeping their &ldquo buy&rdquo recommendation on the stock with the same target price of $3.10.

 

&ldquo While near-term challenges remain, we expect stronger earnings recovery from 4QF20Y21. At current levels, the valuation of its regional associate has usurped Singtel&rsquo s market capitalisation with the core mobile business going for free. Competition and weaker-than-expected earnings are downside risks, with monetisation of non-core assets as the key upside risk,&rdquo says RHB.

 

Meanwhile, RHB expects DPS to be capped at FY2-21 core earnings (FY20: 81%), which implies absolute DPS for the year is likely to decline.

 

CGS-CIMB&rsquo s Foong Choong Chen notes that lower-than-expected share of Bharti losses and 100% interim dividend payout were 1HFY2021 positives, while h-o-h earnings recovery in 2HFY2021 and asset monetisation are potential re-rating catalysts.

 

UOB Kay Hian is also bullish on Singtel as it keeps its &ldquo buy&rdquo call with a target price of $2.80.

 

Lead analyst Chong Lee Len says, &ldquo The reopening of economies allowed for a 10% q-o-q top-line recovery in 2QFY2021 and we expect a stronger 2HFY2021. We cut FY2021-2023 net profit forecasts by 20%, 7% and 6% respectively to account for weaker-than-expected consumer revenue in 1HFY2021. We raise DPS estimates to 11.5 cents (100% payout).&rdquo

 

With slightly more bearish sentiments, PhillipCapital is keeping its &ldquo neutral&rdquo rating on Singtel with a target price of $2.44.

 

Analyst Paul Chew notes that although Singtel has shown q-o-q and y-o-y improvement in its 1HFY2021 results, Singtel has cut its interim dividend by 25% to 5.1 cents and has adopted scrip dividends. Uncertainties over the pandemic and a commitment to keep investment-grade ratings were among the reasons given. Full-year dividends will not exceed underlying profits.

He has a full-year underlying EPS of 13 cents for the stock.

 

Chew also believes that the group&rsquo s Australian business is a source of weakness, as Optus remained burdened by running two broadband networks and headcount as it manages the migration of customers from its network to the government&rsquo s National Broadband Network (NBN).

 

&ldquo We are encouraged by the gradual recovery in its operations and believe a bottom has formed. For steeper and more sustainable improvements in earnings, roaming revenue would need to return to its mobile business as international travel resumes. Secondly, Optus has to remove the cost of running its on-net broadband business and any other NBN transition expenses,&rdquo adds Chew.