DIGITAL banking has become too ingrained in daily life for consumers to give it up, even in the face of disruptions and scams. Industry watchers said pure-play digital banks – such as GXS Bank, MariBank and Trust Bank – have little to fear from a growing emphasis on physical options in banking operations.

The increasing frequency of banking disruptions – including a major one at DBS last month that affected both cash transfers and credit card payments – has highlighted the importance of a physical presence.

DBS reopened its branches after hours during its Oct 14 outage to provide assistance to its customers – an option that would not be available to a pure-play digital bank.