DBS Said Short Outage on 1 Dec Was Due to Many People Logging in to Check Their Balance

DBS Faces Outage Amid High User Traffic on 1 December

DBS/POSB’s digibank mobile app platform encountered an unexpected outage on 1 Dec, attributed to an unusually high number of users logging in simultaneously to check their balances.

This isn’t the first time DBS has faced technical issues.

In recent months, the bank has dealt with various outages, including a significant disruption in October and subsequent glitches with its Paylah! service shortly thereafter.

The October outage was linked to overheating problems at the Equinix data centre, raising questions about whether the issue was due to Singapore’s climate or the bank’s large customer base.

A similar incident occurred yesterday, with an “overheating” of sorts when an overwhelming number of users accessed the DBS app.

Contrary to what some might assume, there was no special occasion prompting this surge in activity.

It appears that the start of the month prompted many customers to simultaneously check their accounts.

The bank acknowledged the issue within its digibank app, noting that it was experiencing high traffic, particularly from customers checking their balances at the beginning of the month.

Users, while understanding the situation, are increasingly sceptical of DBS’ capacity to manage such traffic, especially considering the frequency of disruptions in the past.

DBS has reiterated to customers that they can also access their accounts via the bank’s website.

On 1 Nov, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) implemented a six-month halt on DBS’ non-essential IT updates.

This measure aims to ensure the bank focuses on strengthening its technology risk management systems and controls, a response to the series of prolonged service disruptions earlier this year.

Additionally, MAS has stipulated that DBS must maintain its current number of branches and ATMs during this period.

Assured With the Assurance Package

Despite various strategies and penalties to mitigate such incidents, the fact remains that the disruption has occurred.

In the midst of this, the Assurance Package, intended to alleviate the impact of the GST rate increase, was rolled out.

Interestingly, the package reached citizens’ bank accounts earlier than planned, on 5 Dec, which may have contributed to the server overload.

Netizens have repeatedly expressed their frustrations over DBS’ recurring disruptions, prompting apologies from the bank.

Some others seem a bit more disappointed.

In light of these ongoing issues, DBS has replied to individual comments and provide prompt help or assistance, or deliver their apology.