The Second World War caused a temporary disruption in the currency and banking system. After the war, the immediate task was one of reconstruction and rehabilitation. In this connection, Kwong Lee Bank played an important role in reviving confidence and business activities by providing financing to enable old businesses to be resumed and new ones to be set up. The aftermath of the war saw the continued expansion of the Bank, and in 1964, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation of Singapore (OCBC Bank) under the stewardship of Tan Chin Tuan (its then Chairman and Managing Director) acquired a 52% majority stake in Kwong Lee Bank from the Lam family.