However, Wee is equally known for controlling a string of other notable Singapore-listed companies with a combined market value of another $11.5 billion: UOL Group (market $5.24 billion); Haw Par Corp ($2.11 billion); Singapore Land Group (SGX:U06
) ($2.66 billion); UOB Kay Hian ($1.2 billion); and United Overseas Insurance (SGX:U13) ($367 million).
Wee Cho Yaw, chairman emeritus of United Overseas Bank (SGX:U11) (UOB), passed away on Feb 3. He was 95, having spent six decades building one of the largest family business empires of this region.
For decades, Wee was synonymous with the bank his father Kheng Chiang founded in 1935 in Sarawak, which is now a leading Singapore-based international banking group with a market value of around $50 billion as of Feb 2. He grew the bank via a combination of shrewd growth and bold acquisitions, beating off DBS Group Holdings in one particular memorable consolidation chapter.
