IBM Opens Digital Studios In South Korea, Singapore

Tom Burroughes

14 June 2016

IBM, the consultancy, has opened an innovation lab in Singapore and South Korea’s Seoul, adding to a raft of firms and organisations creating such digital testing centres in areas such as financial technology.

IBM Studios Seoul, located at the IBM Korea headquarters in Yoido, and IBM Studios Singapore, located in the Marina Bay Financial Centre, will host designers and digital experts from IBM Interactive Experience , which provides next-generation services dedicated to creating personalised brand experiences, US-listed IBM said in a statement yesterday.

In both studios, clients will work with IBM’s team of creative designers, researchers, digital strategists and cognitive solution experts.

In one recent case, KB Kookmin Card in Korea worked with IBM iX to drive digital experiences for customers on mobile devices. The iX team is also working with Singapore Airlines to implement two mobile apps for its pilots.

Within the realm of banking, the trend of creating “innovation labs” or facilities to encourage new ideas has seen examples from Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank, HSBC and Aviva. The labs are designed to spawn ideas in areas such as security, client reporting, apps, use of big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other fields.

“Bringing the IBM studio model to Korea and Singapore - two incredibly creative, vibrant and digitally savvy countries - will bring increased value to our clients, who recognise that the customer experience is the new competitive battle ground,” said Paul Papas, global leader, IBM iX. “IBM iX’s unique blend of cognitive and design thinking capabilities help businesses delight their customers with customer-centric innovations that deliver the right experience at the perfect moment.”

IBM Studio Singapore and IBM Studio Seoul join a network of over 30 IBM studios across the globe. The network also covers Asia-Pacific through locations such as Bangalore, Melbourne and Shanghai.