SINGAPORE - Bank of Singapore, one of Asia's biggest private banks, said on Monday it has appointed Jibu George as its compliance head for its Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) branch in Dubai effective Monday.

"The UAE and the Middle East region have been important to Bank of Singapore's strategic growth and will remain so as we continue to strengthen our global footprint," said Ranjit Khanna, Bank of Singapore's Europe and Middle East private banking head and DIFC branch chief executive, in a statement.

Bank of Singapore, the private banking arm of Singapore's second largest lender Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation or OCBC, is building its business in the Middle East region over the next three to five years, Khanna said.

George joined Bank of Singapore from LGT Private Bank, where he was the chief risk and compliance officer for the Middle East business since 2017, according to the statement.

Prior to LGT, he worked in Merrill Lynch, ABN Amro, Dresdner Bank and Barclays, the statement said.

(Reporting by Yantoultra Ngui; Editing by Michael Perry)